WSU Men’s golf ends season
with best finish at Pac-12 Championships
Senior Zach Anderson putts
on the green, attempting to sink the putt.
By SAM HEIKELL, Evergreen
April 25, 2018
In a tournament filled with
ups and downs, WSU men’s golf placed seventh in the Pac-12 Championships at
Rolling Hills Country Club in California on Wednesday.
This marks the Cougars’
best finish at the Pac-12 Championships.
The Cougars’ even par
performance in the final round was not enough to push the team up the
leaderboard as they dropped one spot from their sixth-place standing after the
third round Tuesday.
Senior Zach Anderson led
the Cougars, earning a four-round total score of 275 (-9) to tie for eighth
place.
After a seven-birdie
performance Tuesday where he shot a 65 (-6), Anderson was tied for fourth place
and in contention going into the final day. But it was too little too late, as
his final round 70 (-1) was not enough to move him up the leaderboard.
With the top-10 finish,
Anderson earned himself his highest career finish at the Pac-12 Championships
in his final event as a Cougar.
Senior Derek Bayley and
juniors Grant Cole and AJ Armstrong all shot a four-round score of 283 (-1).
Armstrong was sitting in
12th place overall going into Wednesday after shooting back-to-back rounds of
68 (-3). However, his five bogeys in the final round slid him down into a tie
for 23rd place.
After a slow start in the
first two rounds for Cole, he shot three under par in his last two to end the
tournament on a positive note.
Bayley played consistently
throughout, with his second round 74 (+3) being the only outlier in his final
time taking the course for WSU.
The conclusion of the
Pac-12 Championships brings an end to the Cougars’ season.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
BASEBALL: In Bellevue WSU Cougars
let late lead slip away in loss to Seattle U Redhawks
By RYAN BLAKE, Evergreen
April 25, 2018
WSU baseball blew a late
lead in a 4-3 loss to Seattle University on Wednesday in Bellevue.
Senior infielder Ryan
Ramsower gave the Cougars (13-21) an early 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Senior first baseman James Rudkin walked with two outs and sophomore infielder
Dillon Plew reached base after being hit by a pitch. Ramsower brought both home
with a double down the left field line.
WSU would score once more
in the seventh inning. With one out, senior outfielder Blake Clanton singled
through the right side to score senior outfielder JJ Hancock from third base
and extend the WSU lead to 3-1.
The Cougars tallied nine
hits and four walks in the game. They also struck out 13 times and left 10
runners on base.
WSU used eight pitchers in
the nine-inning bout. Freshman left-handed pitcher Bryce Moyle started on the
mound for the Cougars. In his second career start, Moyle threw two scoreless
innings, allowing two hits and walking one batter.
Cougar pitchers kept the
Redhawks (27-11) off the board until the fifth inning. Freshman right-handed
pitcher Brody Barnum allowed a one-out single before being replaced by senior
left-handed pitcher Cody Anderson. A wild pitch and a single off of Anderson
cut the WSU lead to 2-1.
Seattle added two more runs
in the bottom of the seventh inning. Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Strange
balked to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Two consecutive
sacrifice flies brought in both runners to tie the game at three.
Seattle took the lead for
good in the bottom of the eighth off a hit by pitch and a triple that made it a
4-3 game.
WSU pitchers combined for
two walks, three hit batters, two balks and a wild pitch in the game.
WSU will take on University
of Washington (18-18) in a three-game series starting 7 p.m. Friday at Husky
Ballpark.
:::::::::::::::::::::
WSU, Mike Leach face
lawsuit over football player’s dismissal
Thursday 26 April 018
By Chad Sokol Spokane S-R
Devout Cougar football fans
are probably familiar with the three sins Mike Leach looks upon most
unfavorably: drug use, thievery and violence against women.
Leach, the head football
coach at Washington State University, has said that any player who commits any
of those wrongs will be kicked off the team, no questions asked.
But a lawsuit filed last
month in Whitman County Superior Court claims that Leach has selectively
enforced that policy, and that the university failed to provide due process
before revoking a student-athlete’s financial aid – again shining a spotlight
on how the school responds to criminal allegations.
The suit was brought by
Zaire Webb, a freshman defensive back who was dismissed from the team in
October after he and another player were accused of shoplifting at the Walmart
in Pullman.
Webb, 18, was not allowed
to rejoin the team even after prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor theft charge
against him. Store surveillance footage showed he didn’t participate while his
teammate, freshman wide receiver Anthony White Jr., bagged items without
scanning them at a self-checkout kiosk.
Webb, who is represented by
Spokane attorney Michael Bissell, also lost his athletic scholarship and no
longer attends WSU.
Bill Stevens, an associate
athletics director and spokesman for the athletics department, did not respond
to messages seeking comment this week.
The lawsuit outlines three
cases where players have remained on the football team despite more serious
allegations – and in two of those cases, convictions.
Starting linebacker Logan
Tago, for example, was arrested on charges of felony robbery and misdemeanor
assault after he and several other men mugged a man for a case of beer in 2016.
The victim told police he suffered a concussion and identified Tago as one of
the assailants.
Tago pleaded guilty to
third-degree assault as part of a deal with prosecutors. He was ordered to
spend 30 days in the Whitman County Jail and complete 240 hours of community
service.
After two suspensions
related to the assault – and outcry over WSU’s student-conduct process led in
part by state Sen. Michael Baumgartner – Tago rejoined the football team and is
expected to play this season.
WSU’s Center for Civic
Engagement recently gave Tago an award for his community service. School
officials said he went well beyond what the court ordered by continuing to
volunteer with a young boy from the neighboring town of Albion.
The lawsuit also challenges
Leach’s assertion that he does not tolerate players who hit women. It points to
the 2014 case against starting cornerback Daquawn Brown, who pleaded guilty to
fourth-degree assault after he struck a man and a woman during a social event
on campus.
“Mr. Brown hit the young
woman so hard he knocked her unconscious. The female sustained a concussion,
two loose teeth and had nose bleeds for three days following the punch,” the
lawsuit states. “Mr. Leach permitted Mr. Brown to rejoin the team and Mr. Brown
led the team in 2014 with 82 tackles.”
Brown was dismissed at the
end of that season for an unspecified violation of team policy.
Finally, the lawsuit points
to the pending case against sophomore defensive back Grant Porter, who was
arrested in November after his girlfriend told police he assaulted her in her
Moscow apartment. She said Porter pushed her into a dog kennel, choked her on
two occasions and threatened to “put bullet holes in her door” if she went to
the police, according to charging documents.
Porter was charged with one
count of misdemeanor domestic battery. He was suspended, not dismissed, from
the football team and remains on the roster for this season. The status of his
case was not immediately available.
While not a starting
player, Porter made headlines last May after he and a woman intervened to stop
a 24-year-old man from attempting suicide at a Pullman apartment complex.
Aside from Leach’s rules,
Webb claims the university did not afford him due process before canceling his
athletic scholarship. After his theft charge was dropped last fall, Webb fought
to keep the scholarship, arguing to a university appeals committee that his
dismissal from the football team was based on “an unfair rush to judgment.”
In a letter to the
committee, Leach mentioned the shoplifting incident but also indicated Webb was
dismissed for unrelated problems, which he did not describe.
“It is our consistent
policy to dismiss any member of our football team that violates any of the
following: (1) do not do drugs, (2) do not steal, (3) do not hit a woman, and
(4) do not do anything to hurt the team,” Leach wrote. “In the months leading
up to his dismissal, Zaire was involved in a series of events that called to
question his commitment to the football program, as well as came into direct
conflict with our team rules.”
The lawsuit names WSU and
Leach as defendants, as well as members of the financial aid committee: Karen
Fischer, the university’s dean of students; Kelly Myott-Baker, the assistant
director of admissions; and Andrew Lehr, a senior financial aid officer. The
suit accuses them of “engineering a ‘kangaroo court’ hearing with the
predetermined purpose of upholding Mr. Leach’s decisions.”
The suit also notes that
WSU recently approved a contract extension for Leach, worth up to $20 million
over five years, at a time when the university is paring budgets in practically
every department.
That, according to the
lawsuit, is evidence that school officials are “committed to providing Mr.
Leach with whatever he desires, even if it means WSU policies and procedures
are not followed in the case of student-athletes such as Mr. Webb.”
::::::::::
WSU football
Draft day: Washington State
expecting at least three players to hear names called at NFL Draft
UPDATED: Wed., April 25,
2018, 11:09 p.m.
By Theo Lawson S-R of
Spokane
The 2018 NFL Draft gets
going Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and maybe it’s
fitting that, in the state where everything is bigger, Washington State could
have its largest crop of players selected since 2005.
Here’s a breakdown of the
Cougars who could realize their dreams this weekend.
The locks
Cole Madison, Offensive
lineman
As he approaches the most
significant day of his football career, Madison rolls out a baseball analogy to
explain how he thinks the weekend will play out.
“In my opinion, I’ve been
given this great opportunity and I think I’m going to knock it out of the
park,” the former WSU tackle said Tuesday in a phone interview. “It’s a long
time coming, I was thinking about this when I started playing football when I
was 8. 15 years of dreams about to come true, so it’s really exciting.”
Madison’s draft position is
still a wild card, so while the Burien, Washington, native doesn’t plan to
watch the Draft in its entirety, he says he’ll be glued to television most of
Friday and Saturday as rounds 2-7 take place.
Shortly after his name is
called, Madison and a group of family members and friends will flock to The
Park Public House in downtown Seattle – a bar owned by Madison’s cousin – for
post-Draft celebrations … and libations.
“Moment of truth coming in
a couple of days but I’m really excited, not too nervous, I’ll be happy
wherever I land,” he said.
Wherever that is, Madison
knows he’ll be asked to shift inside to guard or center. At 6-5, 314 pounds,
he’s undersized for an NFL tackle, but as a 47-game collegiate starter at right
tackle, he’s also inexperienced at both of the interior spots.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl in
January was Madison’s first true audition at the positions he hopes to play for
a long time at the next level.
“I was playing in the
interior but also playing in a pro-style offense and working with plays – not
just getting the calls at the line – and sitting in a huddle and listening to a
big, long NFL-style play and blocking with tight ends and fullbacks,” Madison
said. “Showcasing that I could do that was huge.”
Madison also wanted to
demonstrate his proficiency as a run blocker. In his four seasons at WSU, the
Cougars threw the ball 2,887 times and ran it just 1,201, so just like his
quarterback, Luke Falk, Madison also wants to demonstrate he can thrive in a
balanced offense.
“Coming out of a
three-point stance was huge, too,” he said. “And run blocking, that was a big
thing.”
Madison says his favorite
part of the pre-Draft process has been building relationships, “be it the guys
at the combine, the guys at the Senior Bowl, coaches, previous players. I’ve
really been picking a lot of people’s minds about what to expect. Any advice
they could give me, which has been great.”
One friend he’s leaned on
has been ex-WSU O-lineman and Spokane native Joe Dahl, who’s three years into
an NFL career with the Detroit Lions. Dahl’s versatility has made him one of
Detroit’s most valuable assets on the O-line and he’s already spent time
playing all three positions for the Lions.
“I texted him before the Combine,
before the Senior Bowl, before all the visits, seeing what I’m getting myself
into,” Madison said. “But he’s been a rock for me these last couple of months
with the advice he’s given me. But his biggest thing for me has been, just be
yourself and play your game, so that was good.”
Madison’s visited four NFL
teams this spring – the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys
and Seattle Seahawks – and says a handful of others have shown interest. The
Tennessee Titans have called multiple times over the past few weeks, as have
both Bay Area-based clubs, the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Atlanta
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott
Pioli both attended Madison’s workout with the Falcons.
NFL.com’s Mike Mayock lists
Madison among his top-100 prospects, ranking the WSU tackle at No. 95,
indicating he could be selected in the first three rounds. Chad Reuter of
NFL.com has Madison coming off the board in the third round, with the 99th
overall pick, to the Denver Broncos. ESPN’s Todd McShay released a list of his
top-300 prospects and ranked Madison No. 101.
Luke Falk, Quarterback
Most experts project the
Cougars’ record-breaking passer to be selected sometime on Friday or Saturday,
but Falk thinks the later stages of his Thursday night could potentially get
interesting.
“I feel like there’s a shot
to go in the late first round,” Falk told ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a podcast
taped earlier this week. “But really, I think I’ll be taken in the second.”
Many of Falk’s Air Raid
predecessors have laid the groundwork, but the former WSU signal-caller hopes
he can further change the stigma pinned to the QBs that trace their roots back
to Hal Mumme and Mike Leach’s offense.
“The Super Bowl was played
by guys running stuff very similar to ours, both teams,” Leach said following
WSU practice last Thursday. “Green Bay does, too. Pittsburgh does, Dallas does.
I mean a lot of them do, so I think (Falk) translates good to all of them.”
Philadelphia’s Nick Foles
was recognized as the first Air Raid quarterback to win the Super Bowl, but
Leach notes: “Really we had two because New England went the year before and
threw it, what, 93 times or something.”
Well, just 63, but Leach’s
point still rings true.
Falk also suggests he
shouldn’t be lumped into the same category as other Air Raid quarterbacks.
Leach’s model of the offense gives the QB more autonomy – and therefore more
pressure – at the line of scrimmage.
“I think I had more on my
plate on the line of scrimmage in terms of being able to get us into the right
run checks and getting us in the right calls at times,” Falk told Schefter.
“Coach Leach’s biggest thing was to get us into a play that had great value. I
think from that standpoint, I’m a pure passer and I think I have a lot of
things that translate for me to be a franchise quarterback. I’m very
confident.”
If Falk is selected on
Thursday, the 2018 Draft could match the 1983 Draft for most QBs taken in the
first round. This class is particularly top-heavy and features a few of Falk’s
rivals in the Pac-12, USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen, and a fellow
former walk-on, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. (In the podcast, Schefter notes Falk
went 2-0 against Darnold and Rosen in college).
Falk’s name doesn’t appear
on Mayock’s top-100 list, but NFL.com’s Peter Schrager projects he’ll go to the
Cincinnati Bengals with the 13th pick of the third round. Reuter thinks Cincy
will wait until the fifth round to grab Falk, with the 151st overall pick,
while ESPN’s Mel Kiper anticipates the WSU QB falling to the New England
Patriots in the third round. McShay considers Falk the 96th-best Draft prospect
and writes that he “has NFL-starter potential. He’s a tall, lean rhythm passer
with very good anticipation, accuracy, and pocket presence.”
Said Madison of his former
teammate: “That kid’s just a pure winner and a leader. He worked his ass off
his entire college career, coming from a walk-on to breaking all the records.
It’s not just him being the Air Raid system quarterback, he’s the smartest
football player I’ve been around with the things he knows and notices during
games and be able to make adjustments on the fly. The IQ on that kid is
unbelievable.”
Hercules Mata’afa, Edge
rusher
Throughout pre-Draft
proceedings, NFL analysts, critics and many scouts have docked points from
Mata’afa because of his size – he lacks it, they claim – and his position at
the next level – he doesn’t have one, according to the prognosticators.
Those things could keep the
WSU defensive tackle in suspense all day Friday and well into Saturday, but
Mata’afa’s speed, ferocity and technical ability – not to mention the 22.5
tackles-for-loss he turned in last season as a junior – will be assets that are
too hard to turn down as the weekend progresses.
“He’s such a hard worker
and he loves the game of football,” Cougars defensive line coach Jeff Phelps
said. “An owner’s going to see that, a GM’s going to see that I think and
they’re going to give him an opportunity. He may not be playing defensive line,
he may be a linebacker, but I’ll tell you, wherever they put him, they’re going
to get a great young man that once again loves the game of football.”
At 6-2, 254 pounds,
Mata’afa may not possess the girth or strength to be an every-down player on an
NFL defensive line, but he has plenty of folks who’ll vouch that he can be.
“No matter how you judge
it, his size, whatever you want to say about him, he’s doing it to guys who are
300-plus at this level,” WSU defensive lineman Nick Begg said. “I think he’s
going to do it at the next.”
Nevertheless, Mata’afa will
still have an opportunity to disrupt the quarterback at the next level – an art
he perfected last season in Pullman, racking up a conference-leading 10.5 sacks
on route to becoming an All-American. Chances are, he’ll just have to do it
from a different launching point.
Mata’afa could transition
to a hybrid Rush linebacker role or slide back into a strict middle linebacker
position. He could potentially play defensive end in designed pass-rushing
packages, but his versatility promises to be a massive upside wherever he winds
up.
“They’re getting an
animal,” Begg said of the team that picks Mata’afa. “He’s a beast. … He’s the
kind of guy you want on your side of the ball.”
Pro Football Focus is high
on Mata’afa and suggest the Hawaiian is a top-60 prospect. Reuter projects that
he’ll be snagged in the fifth round, with the 140th overall pick, by the
Indianapolis Colts. On McShay’s list of 300, Mata’afa checks in at No. 140,
which also translates to the fifth round.
On the cusp
Stadium in Pullman, Wash.
(Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
Cody O’Connell, Offensive
lineman
His size is impressive, his
accolades even more so. What’s kept the unanimous All-American out of most mock
drafts and off almost every top-100/300 list is his lack of agility and lateral
speed – perhaps the only downfalls of being a 6-9, 363-pound offensive tackle.
A certain video revealing O’Connell’s mishaps as he completed an obstacle
course at the East-West Shrine Game probably didn’t help his cause, either.
But again, the accolades are
the accolades and the size is the size. If an NFL team believes it can mold
O’Connell over a period of time, he could be a late-round steal.
“His football IQ’s really
good, he’s a smart football player,” Madison said. “He works hard, he’s strong
and he knows how to play the game.”
Boise State Broncos
quarterback Brett Rypien (4) is sacked by Washington State Cougars linebacker
Frankie Luvu (51) during the first half of a college football game on Saturday,
September 9, 2017, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The
Spokesman-Review)
Boise State Broncos
quarterback Brett Rypien (4) is sacked by Washington State Cougars linebacker
Frankie Luvu (51) during the first half of a college football game on Saturday,
September 9, 2017, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
Frankie Luvu, Rush
linebacker
Luvu’s head-turning senior
season with the Cougars – one that saw him move from inside to Rush linebacker
– has not gone unnoticed by some NFL suitors, who’ve reportedly shown late
interest in the Tafuna, American Samoa, native. Luvu was explosive for the
Cougars in 2017 with 6.5 sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, two
fumble recoveries and one pass breakup.
The Oakland Raiders and
Detroit Lions have both reportedly brought in Luvu for official team visits.
UDFA possibilities
Jamal Morrow, Running back
– Morrow’s versatility and charisma could both go a long way in an NFL camp.
Tavares Martin Jr., Wide
receiver – There’s a few red flags and while he didn’t post strong numbers at
the NFL Combine, Martin Jr. did enough in three years at WSU to warrant a camp
invite.
Robert Taylor, Safety – The
Bay Area native told Cougfan.com he recently worked out with the San Francisco
49ers.
Marcellus Pippins,
Cornerback – Was a shutdown corner in front of NFL scouts at the Tropical Bowl
and recently worked out for the Raiders and 49ers.
Erik Powell, Kicker –
Standout senior season (20-of-24 on FGs with three 50-yard kicks) should earn
the four-year specialist a free agent deal somewhere.
Gerard Wicks, Running back
– His frame and running style translate well to the NFL and he recently worked
out for the Kansas City Chiefs.
#
PHOTO
“An inset from the 1950
Guide to Pullman shows the layout of temporary buildings – North, South, East
and West – for students during the post-World War II era. “
Photo courtesy of WSU MASC
Manuscripts, Archives, and
Special Collections (MASC) is a unit in Washington State University's Terrell
Library.
