News for CougGroup 8/16/2018
Air quality alert extended until Friday
Moscow Pullman Daily News…
The National Weather Service (NWS) extended an air quality
alert for the region until 10 a.m. Friday.
According to the NWS, local air quality is considered to be
in the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "unhealthy"
categories and is expected to degrade during the next several days.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued a stage
one air quality forecast and caution to notify residents that air quality has
declined due to wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest.
Wildfires in Washington, Idaho and British Columbia combined
with high air pressure and only a slight wind have caused there to be very
little ventilation in the region and as a result a thick layer of smoke has
settled over the Palouse, according to the NWS.
Children, the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses
are most at risk of serious health effects from the haze. The DEQ recommends
residents limit prolonged exposure and avoid heavy exertion outside.
The NWS reported the air quality will be reassessed Friday and
some improvement in ventilation may be possible toward the end of the week.
The DEQ has also placed a burn ban restriction on all
outdoor fires.
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WEATHER
Possible overnight dry lightning causes red flag warning in
Spokane; smoke may lessen from nighttime winds
UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 16, 2018, 9:54 p.m.
By Will Campbell Spokane S-R
The possibility of lightning prompted a red flag warning
Thursday night and Friday morning for Spokane and the Palouse region.
“We’re expecting storms to fire up after sunset tonight,”
said Bryce Williams, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in
Spokane. However, those storms are not expected to bring moisture, opening the
way for wildfires.
This is the first time this year that a red flag warning has
been issued as the consequence of potential lightning. During previous
warnings, which resulted from hot, dry conditions, NWS urged people to be
cautious with sparks or flames.
“With this, it’s kind of out of your hands,” Williams said.
“Keep your eyes out for lightning. If you see fire or smoke, do some research
and find out if it’s a new fire. If it is, let someone know.”
The Red Flag Warning runs from 11 p.m. Thursday to 11 a.m.
Friday, at which point NWS will consider an extension.
Smoke could get worse
Smoke remained in the “unhealthy” category Thursday,
according to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, and Friday is forecast to
be the same.
“We think conditions are going to continue as they are,”
said Lisa Woodard, spokesperson for the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. “But
we’re not forecasting that it will get worse.”
Thursday night could see gusts up to 30 mph, with the
potential of clearing up some of the smoke that has lingered over Spokane for
days, Williams said. If Thursday night doesn’t clear the air, it could be
another week before winds sweep the smoke away, he said.
Next week, however the possibility of smoke drifting down
from Canada returns.
“By Monday or Tuesday, we’re expecting winds to turn out of
the north and bring more smoke,” Wiliams said.
Last week Spokane tied a 120-year-old record when
temperatures reached103 degrees, marking the first triple-digit temperatures in
three years.
Campfire ban
To reduce chances of wildfire, public lands in Eastern
Washington are under a campfire ban, issued by the Washington State Department
of Natural Resources starting Friday.
“We’ve had 47 wildfires started by campfires this year,”
said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, in a news release. “With nine
active large wildfires in eastern Washington and a long season still ahead of
us, it’s imperative that we’re doing all we can to minimize additional risk.”
Anyone who sees a wildfire should call 911 immediately, the
news release stated.
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WSU FOOTBALL
Observations and notes from day 12 of Washington State camp:
Defense takes command late to emerge victorious in 11-on-11 period
Thu., Aug. 16, 2018, 8:49 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
The Washington State football team held its 12th fall
practice under sunny and hazy skies Thursday at Rogers Field/Martin Staidum.
Here are the daily notes and observations.
Notes and observations
– For the third consecutive day, grad transfer quarterback
Gardner Minshew got to pilot the first and third drives during the 11-on-11
period while one of his challengers – today Anthony Gordon – took command of
the second.
– Mike Leach said all three quarterbacks – Minshew, Gordon
and Trey Tinsley –would get reps during Saturday’s scrimmage. “I don’t know if
they’ll all get the same amount,” Leach said, “but they’ll all three get reps.
A full evaluation of Minshew and Tinsley’s day below.
– The offense sliced up the defense during the skeleton
period, but the defense finished with a slight edge in the team period. Points
are awarded for each play and the score was within three on the final snap.
Minshew’s pass attempt to Kyle Sweet was long and defensive players erupted as
it fell to the turf, concluding a good-natured, competitive practice between
the two sides.
– I omitted a Lamonte McDougle note from yesterday’s
practice. During the offensive line vs. defensive line segement, the redshirt
freshman nose tackle bowled over not one, but two offensive linemen before
swiping the “towel” that acts as the target for defensive players in the drill.
McDougle was a Freshman All-American at West Virginia last season and he’s
sitting out this season because of transfer rules. We’ll go out on a limb and
say he’ll be one of the best scout team players the Cougars have had in some
time…
– During today’s O-line/D-line period, the nose tackle who
could start for the Cougars this season, Taylor Comfort, laid Seth Yost on his
back, drawing a round of applause from Comfort’s defensive cohorts standing
nearby.
– Redshirt sophomore Jack Crane and redshirt freshman Blake
Mazza continue to be the placekickers of choice for the time being. During a
brief field goal period during the beginning of practice, each kicker had one
shot at the uprights. Crane made a 42-yarder and Mazza was good from 30 yards.
– During the second special teams period, both punters,
Oscar Draguicevich and Oliver Graybar, each got four tries to pin the return
team from the opposite 40-yard line, with Jamire Calvin standing deep to field
all eight. Draguicevich had a better success rate during the exercise, dropping
his first punt inside the 5-yard line. The second was caught by Calvin at the
8-yard line, the third was received at the 10 and the fourth rolled into the
end zone. Graybar stuck his first inside the 10-yard line, but his second was
caught at the 22, his third at the 15 and his fourth at the 21.
– The Cougars were in full pads Thursday. They’ll hold a
shortened walkthrough Friday before Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. scrimmage at Martin
Stadium.
Highlights
– Sean Harper Jr. continues to have one of the best
preseason camps of the defensive back unit. The senior corner bit on a pass
thrown by Gordon, intended for Dezmon Patmon, and came up with a pick in the
middle of the field during the skeleton period.
– Harper’s backup, George Hicks III, had a pick of his own
on the first passing attempt of the team period. The true sophomore identified
Keith Harrington’s wheel pattern and cut in front of Minshew’s pass right
before it reached the running back.
– That, by the way, came after four consecutive run plays
called by the offense – truly a rarity in Leach’s Air Raid offense.
– Minshew’s fourth straight incompletion during the first
11-on-11 drive was a result of inside linebacker Dominick Silvels stuffing the
ball right as it was released.
– Minshew closed his first series with two touchdowns in
three plays – a short dumpoff to James Williams for a 6-yard score, followed by
a 5-yard slant to Travell Harris.
– On the fifth play of Gordon’s series, the QB pitched back
to Jamire Calvin on a jet sweep but junior defensive lineman Misiona
Aiolupotea-Pei sniffed the play out and tagged the receiver in the backfield
for a 3-yard loss.
– The Max Borghi preseason camp highlight reel added another
clip on Thursday. The true freshman running back caught a short pass from
Gordon in the flat, stiff-armed the first defender he saw, Damion Lee, before
shedding Silvels, the next tackler, to the ground. The play went for about
15-20 yards and certainly amped up the offensive sideline.
– Tay Martin, who turned in the top play of fall camp on
Sunday, made another superb grab on Thursday. With the offense about 6 yards
shy of the goal line, Gordon floated a pass to the sophomore receiver, who used
his left hand to pull the ball into his body for a touchdown.
– Linebacker Cole Dubots escaped into the backfield for a
sack on Minshew on the sixth play of the final 11-on-11 drive.
– On the next play, Minshew’s offensive line bought the QB
some time, allowing him to wait for Harris’ route to develop. The receiver
snuck away from his defender and stood wide open in the end zone as Minshew
lasered in a 30-yard touchdown strike.
– Williams scored his second touchdown of the day on a
22-yard rush that saw him sidestep freshman defensive back Tyrese Ross before
chugging into the end zone.
– Minshew’s long run on the day was a 15-yard scramble that
took the QB into the end zone on the fifth to final play of the 11-on-11
period. After he crossed the goal line, Minshew dramatically punted the ball
into the bleachers – though it was more of a mishit than anything and only went
about 10 rows up.
Keeping up with the QBs
Gardner Minshew: On the day, Minshew finished just 5-of-15
passing and had an interception, but his offense still got into the end zone
five times. The grad transfer was streaky, throwing incomplete on his first
four passes on the first drive before connecting on three of the last four,
including two touchdowns. Minshew’s second drive was similar: he completed
three of the first four throws before missing his last four.
Anthony Gordon: The redshirt junior was back into the
rotation and fared much better than he did his last time out (Tuesday) and
during Friday’s scrimmage. Gordon finished 5-of-9 with one touchdown pass to
Martin and was decisive with his feet when he needed to be, scrambling for a
15-yard gain midway through his series.
Quotable
“I was actually trying to go out of the stadium with that
one. Little bit short, little tired after running all over our defense. Nah, we
had a really competitive practice today and it’s fun to get out there and
really go at it with those guys.” – Quarterback Gardner Minshew on his punt into
the bleachers after scrambling for a touchdown during team period.
……………………………….
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WSU FOOTBALL
Once a 6-4, 210-pound safety, Willie Taylor III now thriving
at Rush linebacker for Washington State
UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 16, 2018, 8:47 p.m.
1 / 2
Willie Taylor III (57) runs to the Quarterback during
practice on Thursday, August 16, 2018, in Pullman, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The
Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson
theol@spokesman.com
PULLMAN – Willie Taylor III hadn’t quite reached his current
playing weight when he signed a letter of intent with Washington State in
February of 2017. Not that anyone would mistake him for scrawny – especially at
the position he was playing when WSU recruiters started to zero in on the
Bleckley County High (Georgia) product.
With measurables that might even cause Kam Chancellor to
perform a double-take, Taylor III, at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, patrolled
Bleckley’s defensive secondary as a free safety – blending keen instincts as a
ball-hawker with natural aggression to cultivate 86 tackles and five
interceptions, in addition to two forced fumbles, during his senior season.
“I was the biggest safety I knew,” Taylor III laughed.
“Pretty big.”
When Taylor III arrived on campus, the Cougars didn’t
necessarily have a need at safety, but they still wanted to find a spot on the
field for his physicality and versatility. In that case, the hybrid “Rush”
linebacker role seemed like a good fit. The position requires someone who can
roam the field, freelancing as an edge-rushing defensive end in some packages
while dropping back into coverage as a traditional outside linebacker in
others.
In less than two years, it’s safe to say the project has
been a major success.
Taylor III is now on track to start at Rush linebacker for
the Cougars after spending his redshirt year learning under the tutelage of
Frankie Luvu, whose mastery of the position made him an All-Pac-12 Honorable
Mention choice in 2017 and earned him a training camp spot with the New York
Jets. Luvu’s played sparingly with the Jets’ first-team defense throughout his
NFL audition.
“I learned a lot from Frankie,” Taylor III said. “A lot of
the things I know now, because when I first got here I knew nothing about the
position. I played free safety in high school, so he taught me a lot.”
It’s a lot to grasp for a former defensive back who didn’t
have much experience playing with a hand in the ground. Some of WSU’s blitz
packages pull Taylor III forward to the line of scrimmage and he’ll either act
as a stand-up edge rusher or plant his paw into the turf as the fourth member
of the defensive front.
“Getting off the ball, for one thing” has been an adjustment
for Taylor III. “My stance, getting in the proper stance. Working with my
hands, all that,” he added.
Taylor III was critical of his pass-rush, more specifically
his “speed-rush,” during spring camp and said honing that was a focal point of
his offseason. The redshirt freshman, now listed at 6-4, 235 pounds, has been a
predator during preseason camp and he was responsible for a QB sack during
WSU’s scrimmage last Friday – and plenty of others that went uncharted while
the Cougars were practicing in Lewiston.
“I kind of struggled a little bit in pass-rushing over the
spring,” Taylor III said. “I worked all summer, working on my bend, working on
my moves and I think I’ve been killing it in the pass-rush.”
His safety background – which he believes has “helped me a
lot with my hips and opening up and seeing the ball” – also came into focus
during the first scrimmage. Taylor III recorded two pass breakups during the
first drive, knocking away the second ball thrown by Anthony Gordon before
batting down another one seven plays later.
“Willie’s an extremely talented person and just needs more
and more reps, but he gets better every day,” first-year Cougars defensive
coordinator Tracy Claeys said.
Teammates are beginning to take notice, too.
“He’s a guy, man,” said defensive end Will Rodgers III. “Willie’s
always been a guy since last year. He redshirted, gave him a year to develop
his body and things like that, but I don’t know too many guys who can bend the
corner like he does. Long, athletic, can run. That says it all.”
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