Back on
Track, Soccer Cougars Run Past Cal, 4-2
From WSU
Sports Info 10/15/2018
PULLMAN,
Wash. - On a wet night on the Palouse, the Washington State soccer team (11-5-0,
4-5-0) used a second half surge to beat California (5-10-2, 1-7-1) as the
Cougars scored two unanswered goals to take a 4-2 win Thursday evening at Lower
Soccer Field.
Despite an
early advantage, the Cougars fell behind early as Cal opened the game scoring
in the 13' on their first shot of the contest. Despite the sudden deficit, WSU
needed responded, needing less than two minutes to score the equalizer. Senior
Maddy Haro got things going as she capitalized on a rebound off the crossbar,
on a shot by junior Morgan Weaver, in traffic to net her third goal of the
season.
The Cougs
took their first lead of the night in the 36' when Weaver caused havoc in the
back field, forcing an errant pass that was picked off by Alysha Overland, who
slotted it back to Weaver for the easy goal. After giving back the goal in the
43' minute and entering halftime tied at 2-2, the Cougars wasted no time out of
the break reestablishing themselves out front with a goal just :43 seconds into
the new half, never looking back.
The offensive onslaught started with Sydney
Pulver scoring her first of the year, as the sophomore cleaned up the mess in
front of the Bears' net after Hanna Goff settled a free kick in the box from
Haro. WSU cemented the win in the 82' on a blast from Brianna Alger just inside
the box off the assist from Weaver.
The
Cougars outshot the Bears 18-6 overall including 11-3 in the second half.
The Cougs'
snapped a five-match skid and moved WSU to 11 wins on the season, one better
than a season ago.
WSU's four
goals tied a season high for the Cougars who also scored four against Cal Poly
on Sept. 16.
The win
was the first for WSU over Cal in the last four matches.
Maddy Haro
became the Cougars' all-time single-season leader in assists with her 12th on
the year. She leads the country in assists per game at .80 apg.
Morgan
Weaver snapped a four-game pointless streak posting four points on one goal and
two assists. She leads the team with eight goals on the year while her two
assists marked her first multi-assist game of her career.
Sydney
Pulver scored her first goal of the season. She became the 11th Cougar to score
on the year and 7th to record a game-winner.
Hanna
Goff, making her first start of the season, recorded her first-career assist on
the Pulver goal.
NEXT WSU
SOCCER MATCH SUNDAY IN PULLMAN
The Cougs
take on No. 1 Stanford Sunday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network. The
game is also WSU's senior game where the Cougars will honor seven seniors.
::::::::::::::
Record
aside, Stanford isn't quite looking like Stanford these days
By Dale
Grummert, Lewiston Trib, 10/26/2018
They're
still huge. They still think "spread formation" refers to the array
of condiments at their training table. They still stubbornly run the ball on
passing downs.
But the
Stanford Cardinal are lugging around an embarrassing statistic at the moment:
They're fourth-to-last in the country in rushing yardage.
We're not
talking about the Stanford of John Elway and Paul Wiggin. We're talking about
the Stanford of Bryce Love and David Shaw.
OK, a big
part of the problem is the injury that has repeatedly limited Love, the senior
tailback who made the Heisman Trophy finals last year. Still, it's strange to
see a latter-day Cardinal team averaging 3.1 yards a rush.
Raising
that stat will be among No. 24 Stanford's several objectives Saturday (4 p.m.,
Pac-12 Networks) in a critical football game at Stanford, Calif., against No.
14 Washington State.
The
Cardinal's new identity crisis hasn't reached critical mass yet. After all,
they're 5-2 overall, 3-1 in league play, and favored by a field goal over a
Cougar team (6-1, 3-1) that sits atop several Pac-12 power rankings this week.
But
Stanford looked a bit lost while suffering back-to-back losses to Notre Dame
and Utah, then scarcely reassured its fans with the way it "turtled"
to a 20-13 win last week at Arizona State.
Shaw, the
avowedly old-school coach who has led the Cardinal to three league titles the
past six years, managed to pay tribute to traditional power football in the
late stages of that win without actually displaying much power.
Leading
20-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal retreated into their schematic
shell and tried to run the ball on 10 of their final nonpunting plays - for a
total of 8 yards.
Arizona
State, hardly breaking any efficiency records itself, mustered a touchdown to
make it a one-possession game and, with no timeouts remaining, later advanced
to the Stanford 20-yard line before mismanaging the clock and running out of
time.
In his weekly
news conference Tuesday, Shaw didn't come close to second-guessing his end-game
strategy.
"It's
not conventional, nowadays - it was conventional not too long ago," he
said. "We get in that situation, we're going to try to bleed the clock and
make them call their timeouts. You see all around college football and the NFL,
that's not what people are doing. They're doing other things, which is fine.
But if we didn't do what we did at the end of the game, they might have had a
timeout left and (got) two shots at the end zone."
"Or
you might have won by three touchdowns," a reporter said.
"You
want to play the percentages on that?" Shaw said.
Earlier in
the game, an ASU defender had accidentally stepped on the throwing hand of
Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello, who left the field for a play to have the
bloodied hand treated. But Shaw insisted Costello was throwing the ball
effectively and the injury played no role in his late play-calling.
In any
case, Costello (1,842 passing yards) has been the Cardinal's most reliable
weapon this year, especially when he's throwing to tight end J.J.
Arcega-Whiteside (37 catches, nine touchdowns). That could be true again this
week. The talented Love is questionable again with his left-ankle problem and,
on the other side of the ball, linebacker Joe Alfieri is out for a few weeks
with an unspecified injury.
Despite
Shaw's reluctance to use Costello's arm in crunch time last week, the coach
thinks highly of the 6-foot-5 junior quarterback. And by no mean is it unusual
for the Cardinal to have a talented pass-slinger. But it's highly unusual for
them to be ranked 126th in the nation in rushing yardage and 80th in total
defense.
One can
perhaps gauge Shaw's level of concern with his state of affairs by the number
of times he flashes one of his signature facial expressions, one of vague
sardonic contempt. Or maybe that's a comment on everybody else's worries.
"I
have no idea of what anybody's record is (in the Pac-12 North)," he said.
"That may surprise you. Why should I care? We have one loss in the
conference, and typically whoever wins our conference has one loss. I know if
we win the rest of our games we'll be in the Pac-12 championship game. If we
don't, it's a toss-up, because I have no idea what is going on anyplace else.
And I don't have the time or energy to care."
POPULAR
COUGS - Washington State ranks No. 1 in college football in percentage of
favorable remarks on Twitter, USA Today reported. The rankings were done by
Block Six Analytics, based in Chicago.
:::::::::::::
Pac-12
recommends disciplinary action on WSU-USC football noncall
League
likely referring mainly to Woodie Dixon, general counsel and vice president of
business affairs
By Dale
Grummert, Trib of Lewiston25 Oct 2018
An
internal review by the Pac-12 Conference recommends taking disciplinary action
against "certain" league personnel who influenced the verdict of a
video review during Washington State's football game at USC last month, the
conference said in a news release Wednesday.
The league
is likely referring mainly to Woodie Dixon, general counsel and vice president
of business affairs.
School
athletic directors endorsed the findings and recommendations of the internal
review Wednesday, the release said.
On the play
in question, Dixon dissuaded video-review officials from penalizing WSU
defensive end Logan Tago for targeting after he'd tackled Trojans quarterback
JT Daniels. So Tago was flagged only for a late hit.
The review
"found that administrator Woodie Dixon's call into the conference's
centralized replay center was a mistake and influenced the replay officials'
decision, though it also found the influencing of a replay decision was an
isolated incident."
Authors of
the review reiterated remarks by Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, who announced
two weeks ago he was streamlining the league's protocol for video reviews to
assure that only certified officials, as opposed to administrators or anyone
else, are contributing input.
Long
before news broke of Dixon's role in reviewing the Tago play, WSU coach Mike
Leach was recommending to reporters they contact Dixon about certain
officiating calls during Cougar games. At the time, it was unclear why he was
singling out Dixon.
Three days
after the WSU-USC game, Leach was asked for his opinion of another noncall in
that contest, after Trojans linebacker Porter Gustin had appeared to make
helmet-to-helmet contact while tackling Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew.
"I'm
not allowed to comment on it," Leach said, alluding to league policy
prohibiting coaches from criticizing officials. "But I'll tell you the guy
that can. I think you ought to call Woodie Dixon at the Pac-12 offices."
The play
involving Gustin occurred several minutes after the one involving Tago, and may
have been pivotal in the Cougars' failure to produce a tying or winning score
late in the fourth quarter. They lost 39-36.
In the
weeks following Leach's first mysterious reference to Dixon, he made a few
more. After a WSU win over Utah on Sept. 29, he was asked about a targeting
call on Cougars safety Skyler Thomas.
"If
you have any questions on it, I think you ought to call Woodie Dixon at the
conference office," he said, "and one of these days I'm going to
start carrying around a phone number and an email."
Last
Friday night, Yahoo reported that Leach had sent text messages that harshly
criticized Dixon and Pac-12 officials. The online outlet had obtained the
messages through a public-records request.
In a text
to conference president of officiating David Coleman, Leach wrote, "Woodie
is a total coward and is afraid of USC. I look forward to telling him in
person."
The Pac-12
internal review of the video-review issue also recommended "the
development of a comprehensive manual governing all aspects of instant replay
officiating."
::::::::::::::::::::::
No. 14
Cougs face No. 24 Cardinal
WSU takes
on conference football opponent Stanford for North Division supremacy, both
teams are 3-1 in Pac-12 play
By JOHN
SPELLMAN
Evergreen
October
26, 2018
There are
two games No. 14 WSU football is hoping to win in Northern California this
year. One is the Pac-12 Conference Championship in Santa Clara, California, but
in order to get there they will need to first get a victory against No. 24
Stanford University on Saturday.
“Stanford
has kind of changed their style of play,” Head Coach Mike Leach said.
“Offensively they are throwing it a bunch now. They used to be grind, grind,
then play-action. Now they are throwing it quite of bit, so offensively it is a
different Stanford team than ones we have played.”
The
Cougars are second in the Pac-12 North Division and the only one-loss team left
in the conference. If WSU wants to remain in the playoff picture, Saturday is a
must-win game for the Cougs against the Cardinal. Even with the added pressure,
the Cougs have the pieces to keep up their 6-1 start.
WSU is led
on offense by quarterback Gardner Minshew II, who leads the nation in average
passing yards per game and is second in total passing yards. So far Minshew has
thrown for 23 touchdowns this season.
Minshew
and the Cougs are coming off a big win at Martin Stadium against then-No. 12
University of Oregon, who the Cougs dominated in the first half before the
Ducks came back and made it close. However, with the game on the line, Minshew
effectively closed the game with a 22-yard touchdown pass to junior wide
receiver Dezmon Patmon.
Stanford
on the other hand is coming off its bye week. In its last game it was handed a
tough loss at the hands of the University of Utah 40-21. Currently ranked No.
24 in the country, Stanford was ranked as high as No. 7 earlier this season
with notable wins coming against University of Southern California and Oregon,
but they also have losses to No. 3 Notre Dame University and Utah.
Despite
the two losses, the Cardinal will be a very tough opponent for the Cougs. The
team is led on offensive by junior quarterback KJ Costello, who has completed
64.5 percent of his passes and has thrown 13 touchdowns to six interceptions.
His
favorite target is senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who has 37 catches
and has scored nine times this season. Arcega-Whiteside is currently third in
the nation in receiving touchdowns through seven games and has also picked up
632 receiving yards on the way.
“He is
super big, physical and fast, and he makes big plays so we need to be ready for
that,” WSU redshirt sophomore linebacker Jahad Woods said.
The other
big name on the Stanford offense is senior running back Bryce Love II, who is
arguably one of the top running backs in all of college football. However, he
has faced some injury trouble this season, only playing in a handful of games.
The tricky
part is that Stanford has decided to wait until the start of games to announce
whether he will play or not all season, so the Cougars will have to prepare for
multiple Cardinal running backs. Defensively, Stanford has a very good unit and
Leach is expecting them to give his offense a tough challenge.
“Their
defensive front is always the toughest part of their team,” Leach said. “They
have some new faces, so we will have to see how they are this year. Overall,
their defensive front is the most impressive part of their team. Their defense
is like spark plugs, you take out old ones and just put in new ones.”
Stanford
currently leads the all-time series against WSU with a 40-27-2 record, but the
Cougars have won the last two matchups including last year’s 24-21 victory at
Martin Stadium on Dad’s Weekend.
The winner
will gain a decisive advantage in the Pac-12 North since both teams come into
this game with a 3-1 record in conference play.
The
Cougars face off with the Cardinal 4 p.m. Saturday at Stanford Stadium and the
game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
:::::::::::::::::::::::
VOLLEYBALL
No. 19
Cougars meet Colorado on road trip
Cougars
battle Pac-12 foe in Boulder looking for fourth straight win
By SIGMUND
SEROKA, Evergreen
October
26, 2018
No. 19 WSU
volleyball will take on University of Colorado on Friday in Boulder.
This will
be the second time the two teams have met this season as the Cougars defeated
the Buffaloes 3-1 in Bohler Gym on Sept. 30.
WSU (16-5,
7-4) is riding a three-match win streak after defeating No. 14 University of
Southern California and No. 20 University of California, Los Angeles, at home
this past weekend and University of Utah on Wednesday in Salt Lake City. The
victories against the Trojans and Bruins helped maintain the Cougars’ perfect
home record and improve it to 7-0 on the season.
Coming
into this week, redshirt junior middle blocker Jocelyn Urias has been a key
player for the Cougars. She was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for
the week of Oct. 15. This was Urias’ first time winning the award, but she and
the team are likely both looking forward to seeing her continue this level of
play as the season continues.
Urias has
been making an impact on the floor, especially with career-highs. She landed
the match-winning kill against USC last Friday and then provided a career-high
14 match kills against UCLA on Sunday.
It’s a
given that Urias will be a main part of the team’s game plan going forward
against Colorado. Although the Cougars just beat two high-ranked opponents over
the weekend and Utah, the Buffaloes received six votes in the latest American
Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches Poll.
The
Buffaloes (12-9, 4-6) are coming off a 3-1 victory over Arizona State
University on Sunday in Tempe. The Sun Devils won the first set, but in the
second set the Buffaloes turned up their offensive tempo and started a 12-4 run
to come back and win the second set.
After that
momentum-shifting second set victory, Colorado continued to pour it on
offensively and won the next two sets after that to walk away with a 3-1 match
victory over the Sun Devils.
“ASU is a
really good team — to win on anyone’s home court in this conference is hard to
come by,” Colorado head coach Jesse Mahoney said after the game against USC.
“Our passing got better and we made the switch to [senior] Gabby Carta-Samuels
to libero. From that point on we played with a lot more poise and confidence
which was good to see.”
The
Cougars face the Buffaloes at 6 p.m. Friday in the CU Events Center in Boulder,
Colorado. The game will also be available on Pac-12 Networks.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU Soccer
snaps 5 game losing streak against Cal Berkeley
Cougars win
4-2, pick up first win in Pac-12 play since late September
By JOHN
SPELLMAN, Evergreen
October
25, 2018
WSU soccer
beat University of California, Berkeley, 4-2 Thursday night on the Lower Soccer
Field to end a five game losing streak.
Head Coach
Todd Shulenberger said this victory means more as the NCAA Tournament looms.
“It is
playoff soccer right now, every game matters from here on out,” he said. “We
are still in the driver’s seat, and we still control our own destiny, but we
got to defend our home turf out here.”
The Cougs
opened the game with some offensive pressure, getting an early corner kick that
almost gave WSU the lead in the second minute. Despite the strong start on
offense for the Cougs, the Golden Bears took a 1-0 lead on their first shot of
the game from freshman midfielder Paige Metayer in the 14th minute.
The
Cougars have had to face adversity all season, with three starters getting
injured in their last game who were unable to play against the Golden Bears.
WSU answered quickly in the 15th minute, tying the game on a goal from senior
defender Maddy Haro, who was assisted by junior forward Morgan Weaver.
The Cougs
kept up the offensive pressure and looked to take the lead on a Weaver shot in
the 33rd minute before Cal goalie Amanda Zodikoff made a diving save in the
33rd minute. However, Zodikoff was unable to stop Weaver four minutes later as
she found the back of the net after sophomore defender Hanna Goff stole the
ball allowing Weaver to take a nice shot that curled in just past the Cal
goalkeeper.
WSU looked
like they were going to take a 2-1 lead into the half, but were unable to close
when Cal tied the score at two in the 43rd minute on a goal from junior forward
Abi Kim that just barely got past WSU redshirt-junior goalkeeper Rachel
Thompson.
Both teams
went into the half tied at two, but the Cougars were able to change that early
in the second half on a goal scored by sophomore midfielder Sidney Pulver, her
first of the year. The Cougars were almost able to extend their lead to two
goals in the 69th minute but Zodikoff made another phenomenal save on Weaver.
However,
WSU got its fourth goal in the 82nd minute from sophomore forward Brianna
Alger, her second goal of the season, which was assisted by Weaver.
That would
be all the scoring for the night as the Cougars snapped their five game losing
streak with the 4-2 victory over the Golden Bears.
Now WSU
turns its attention to the big matchup this Sunday where they will take on No.
1 Stanford University, as the Cougars look to get back to the postseason.
“That is a
bonus game,” Shulenberger said. “They are the number one RPI [team] in the
country, so we can only get better out of that game and we will give them our
best and we have done that the last three years here.”
The
Cougars will look to pull off the upset victory over Stanford at 2 p.m. Sunday
on the Lower Soccer Field.
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Coach’s
Corner: Stanford’s Vertical Passing Game
You read
that right; we’re talking about Stanford using the forward pass
By Jesse
Cassino
Coug
Center
Oct 25,
2018
Many words
have been written about the Stanford Cardinal and their ability to run the
football. Some of them were even written in this very space. But with the
lingering injury to Bryce Love limiting his effectiveness, the Cardinal have
had to rely a bit more on the passing game this season. They are no Air Raid
team, by any stretch of the imagination, but they are nonetheless efficient
when they put the ball in the air. Their offense is predicated on a vertical
passing scheme that can be just as devastating as their running game. We’ll
take a look at a couple examples of how Stanford’s passing game exploits the
natural spaces created in a couple common defensive schemes.
3rd and
23? Sounds like an I-formation down to me.
Stanford
is decidedly not an Air Raid team, as is abundantly clear. However, there are
some Air Raid-esque principles at play in their vertical passing game. To whit,
stretching the field horizontally to create seams which their receivers and
tight ends can then exploit. In this case, USC is playing Cover 4, which means
a split safety look. Stanford counters with three receivers running
verticals—the two outside receivers pulling the safeties a step or two off the
hashes to help over the top based on down and distance. This opens up the
middle of the field for the tight end running vertical. He gets the linebacker
with man carry responsibility on him twisted around (probably an inside/outside
option on the route here) and runs into and through the void created naturally
by the defensive call. It’s a simple play perfectly executed, as you would
expect from Stanford and David Shaw.
In the
above play, Stanford ran three receivers at four defenders, the middle receiver
exploiting the space between the two safeties. In the next play, Stanford is
going to flip that and send four receivers on vertical stems at three deep
defenders, again in the hopes of exploiting the space in between defenders. But
in this case they also have JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who is good at catching the
football.
Just to
note, there is a receiver and a defensive back just off the screen at the top.
I am assuming he runs a vertical, mirroring Arcega-Whiteside’s route on the
bottom. The tight end and the slot receiver both run hitches at about ten
yards. So it’s not a vertical route as such, but it’s a vertical stem. Colby
Parkinson is the tight end, and he curls up inside the the hook/curl defender
for USC. Underneath the Cover 3 (or Cover 1 man concept, possibly) Clancy
Pendergast has a combo coverage on Parkinson in this case, so while it looks
like he comes open, it’s not a clean read as the outside linebacker/nickel
defender trails him in man coverage. The slot receiver at the top of the screen
never really separates from his coverage either. But the two hitch routes also
serve the purpose of holding the safety in the middle of the field, allowing
the receivers on the outside to demand single coverage from the cornerbacks.
I don’t
know that any of that really matters in this case because it seems like
Stanford quarterback KJ Costello only has eyes for Arcega-Whiteside anyway.
Which isn’t a bad way to operate. The big receiver gets on the corner’s toes,
beats him outside, and runs past him to get open. He does close a little more
of the space in the alley than I would like, if I’m a Stanford coach and I’m
nitpicking. It forces a little tighter throw from Costello. But
Arcega-Whiteside has his defender beaten enough that it’s still a relatively
easy pitch and catch.
What it
comes down to is whether there’s a safety in the middle of the field (Cover
1/3) or not (Cover 2/4). If there is, four vertical stem routes are the better
play. If there is not, then three verticals with the tight end/slot receiver
splitting the deep safeties is a better. Four beats three and three beats two.
Football is easy.
The
vertical passing game has been an important part of Stanford’s offense since
Jim Harbaugh righted the ship over a decade ago, though it has always played
second (or third or fourth) fiddle to the run game. With the struggles in the
run game in 2018, in large part due to the injury to Bryce Love, the passing
game has been elevated to the forefront. Stanford will never be a primarily passing
team under David Shaw. But if Stanford wants to win on Saturday night against
Wazzu, they are going to have to beat the Cougar defense through the air. JJ
Arcega-Whiteside, a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft, gives them a
threat on the outside that can win consistently, both by taking the top off the
defense and by outmuscling a defender for the ball. In the interior, Trent
Irwin at the slot receiver, as well as Colby Parkinson and the other
twenty-four tight ends on Stanford’s roster, will occupy safeties in the middle
of field and make some plays of their own.
For the
Cougar defense, the mindset still has to be to take away the run game first.
Stanford’s offense wants to stay on schedule and ahead of the chains as much as
possible, and they are only going to deviate so much from the formula that
makes them successful. So we should see a heavy box look for most of the night
from Tracy Claeys. That’s going to leave our secondary in some one-on-one
match-ups against the Stanford receivers. It will be up to the secondary to
make plays and limit the effectiveness of Stanford’s passing game.
::::::::::::::
WSU Coug
Football
The Pac-12
added a PR nightmare to its officiating problems
Officiating
is about perception, and the Pac-12 continues to bungle its handling of a game
that happened a month ago.
By Brian
Floyd
Coug
Center
Oct 25,
2018
We’re now
past the one-month mark since Washington State and USC played in a Friday night
game whose fallout won’t go away. Twice in the game — once late during
Washington State’s final drive and earlier as JT Daniels took a knee after a
botched snap — officials were caught in a targeting mess. Those two calls have
unfurled into accusations of bias, the revelation that the replay process
included the Pac-12 head of football, a bunch of angry text messages between
Mike Leach and commissioner Larry Scott, and, now, a change in protocol and
some kind of discipline.
That’s a
lot to unpack! So let’s do just that.
The first
hit
The
immediately noticeable controversy came on the Cougars final drive, when
quarterback Gardner Minshew took a shot to the head from USC linebacker Porter
Gustin. Play went on without a stoppage for replay or otherwise, despite the
hit exhibiting all the indicators of targeting.
Because it
was a Friday night game, there was a nearly-immediate opportunity to ask Scott
about the hit on Minshew. The next night, during his weekly scrum at the Pac-12
game he travels to, Scott told reporters that the Minshew play was close, but
ultimately not targeting. He also mentioned that you could assume the replay
officials followed the process and it was determined not to be targeting.
This set
off another uproar — with many who have seen the play wondering how it didn’t
fit the textbook examples of targeting. Desmond Howard even questioned Scott’s
sobriety.
Scott
later clarified that he was speaking generally and that his comments were
misinterpreted. This gave the call days more of life, and did nothing to quell
a growing controversy.
Leach
drops a name
This part
didn’t make a ton of sense at time, but is important. On Monday after the game,
Leach was asked about the targeting call and, in an effort to avoid a fine,
declined to comment. But he did mention a name: Woodie Dixon, the Pac-12 head
of football, VP of Business Affairs, and General Counsel.
"I'm
not allowed to comment on it - but I'll tell you the guy that can. I think you
gotta call Woody Dickson at the Pac-12 offices. I'd love to comment on it if I
was allowed to, but I'm not allowed to."
There was
a second hit, and a worse problem
There was
another hit in the same game that mostly flew under the radar until later. At
the end of the third quarter, Washington State linebacker Logan Tago awkwardly
hit Daniels high during a botched snap as the USC quarterback kneeled down.
Tago was flagged for a personal foul and the play was reviewed for targeting,
with officials ultimately announcing that no targeting was called. And then
everyone forgot about the hit for a while.
And then a
review document from the game showed up. In it, the official writes:
“Both the
replay booth and the command center agreed this was a targeting foul, but
unfortunately a third party did not agree so the targeting was removed and we
went with the ruling on the field of [roughing the passer] with no targeting.
This didn’t play well on TV. Reversed my stoppage for [targeting] to not
[targeting].”
Suddenly,
Leach’s comment made a ton of sense. The “third party” was Dixon, who phoned in
his opinion to the replay center that the hit wasn’t targeting. Officials
apparently took this as overruling the decision they’d all come to (that Tago’s
hit was targeting) and went with Dixon’s opinion.
This was,
the conference admits, part of the process, though Scott later said that Dixon
was not meant to have power to overrule everyone but to add his opinion to the
mix. Scott also correctly noted this past Saturday that involving someone with
the seniority and stature of Dixon creates a situation where officials may feel
like they have to go with his opinion.
There’s a
human part to this, too: adding an executive that can, in theory, overrule a
review creates a natural hesitation for the rest of the officials involved.
Being overruled impacts performance reviews and the officials themselves. If an
officiating crew all agrees a play is targeting but hears a counter-opinion
from an executive in the moment, would that same crew subconsciously lean
towards not calling targeting later as the same executive looks on?
Also of
note: That vicious shot to Minshew’s head by a player just coming off a
targeting suspension two quarters earlier was left unaddressed in any
meaningful way.
Mike Leach
sent some text messages
Leach has
been leaving breadcrumbs this whole time, starting with mentioning Dixon after
the USC game. And because coaches can’t speak about officials without being
fined, Leach found a way to speak out that sidesteps the rules (he’s a lawyer,
remember): He sent text messages from his work phone to Scott, Dixon and Pac-12
head of officials David Coleman. Leach, like any reporter covering college
football, likely knows what’s covered by public records requests, including any
text messages sent from a university phone.
So Leach
unloaded on Scott and two of his top officials via text, lambasting the
conference’s commitment to player safety and calling Dixon “scared” of USC.
Nearly a month after the USC game, those text messages were released in a
records request by Yahoo. They were the unfiltered thoughts Leach had been
hinting at, left right there in plain sight to be found.
Whether it
was his intention or not, Leach's actions are also a commentary on the threats
of fines for speaking about officials and a lack of transparency into the
officiating process. If Leach didn’t leave crumbs to scoop up, while also
sidestepping a fine, it’s likely the public wouldn’t know about this. Same with
the official report following the USC game that was leaked to the press, which
shed light on Dixon’s involvement in the process.
Changes
are announced, and so are some unknown punishments
On
Wednesday, the conference announced the results of its internal review into the
non-targeting call on Tago along with a joint statement from the athletic
directors and Scott.
The review
recommendations to be implemented are: (i) a protocol that clearly states that
the instant replay supervisor in the San Francisco centralized replay facility
has final decision-making authority, and that no administrator shall play any
role in the deliberations, (ii) the development of a comprehensive manual
governing all aspects of instant replay officiating, including detailed
protocols and procedures, and (iii) disciplinary measures imposed on certain
Pac-12 personnel responsible for the inadequate procedures and involved in the
inappropriate influencing of the replay official’s decision in the USC vs.
Washington State game.
The Pac-12
Athletic Directors jointly stated: “The safety of our student-athletes has been
and will always be a priority with the Pac-12 Conference. The Conference office
has acknowledged that mistakes have been made in our football replay process
specific to the USC vs. Washington State game played on September 21, 2018. The
Conference office has taken action with the personnel involved with the game
and have made important changes to the replay process and protocol. These
revisions have been presented to the Athletic Directors and we support the
changes that have been implemented. Moving forward, we have confidence in the
integrity of our process and the personnel charged with monitoring the
process.”
Pac-12
Commissioner Larry Scott said, “It is clear that a mistake was made and that
action needed to be taken, as nothing is more important than the safety of our
student-athletes and the integrity of our competition. We have been leaders in
both of these essential areas. We are determined to learn from this episode and
strengthen our officiating processes as a result.”
It remains
unclear what disciplinary measures were imposed, and on whom, as a result of
the decision to implement the replay protocol and procedure used in the
Washington State vs. USC game.
This
probably isn’t a conspiracy
Leach is
leaving breadcrumbs that seem to point to a conspiracy or bias. And while the
conspiracy theories are fun — and the conference rigging football for USC is
one that’s easy to latch on to — I tend to think things are a little more
simple.
It’s not a
conspiracy, but a series of bungling mistakes that point more toward ineptitude
in this specific case.
The Pac-12
likely put senior officials in the replay booth to attempt to combat potential
officiating mistakes with more in-the-moment oversight. The fact that the
replay involved targeting is also important: It’s a point of emphasis, a player
safety issue, and the most existential crisis football faces, and it’s also
likely that the conference wanted to do everything it could to ensure it was
clear it was taking targeting seriously. You can talk yourself in to putting
more opinions and oversight in the booth under the guise of making sure you
have enough eyes to get a call right.
It’s no
secret that the conference’s officiating crews can be very hit or miss, and
it’s not a new thing for Pac-12 officials to be maligned by the media and
public. It’s also worth noting that the Friday night USC-Washington State game
was the first big, primetime matchup of the season, where all eyes were on the
Pac-12.
But by
layering in the head of officials and head of football, the Pac-12 created a
situation where the officials whose job it is to call a game had some of the
most powerful people in the conference looking over their shoulder, explicitly
empowered to give feedback in real time. It undercuts the authority of the
officials who should know the rules and how to apply them best, and opens the
conference up to accusations of undue influence. When people in charge of the
business are involved in the process of officiating the game, you have a
problem.
There’s a
wall that’s talked about somewhat romantically in media between advertising and
journalism. It’s the job of the journalists to do the day-to-day work and
reporting, to tell stories and create content, and the job of a sales team
that’s walled off from that to create revenue in the form of sales to agencies and
corporate clients. If that wall doesn’t exist, the potential for bias and undue
influence on the actual product — paying, essentially, for influence — goes up
exponentially.
That’s
basically what happened here in a way. The conference put someone in charge of
the business into an officiating process, and the perception that creates
either never came up or was ignored. It’s an extreme error in judgment that
opens the conference up to accusations of bias or worse, even if the intent was
to improve an ailing officiating process.
Scott
keeps making this worse for the conference
Larry
Scott’s job is, primarily, to protect the interests of the conference and its
member institutions and make money for the conference. He, like all sports
commissioners, serves the members, and works at their pleasure.
In the
face of serious accusations from his own officials and member institutions,
including from a current coach, the Pac-12 continues to hide the ball and
produce vague and varying statements. This has caused the controversy from a
game that happened over a month ago to drag on and on, with still no end in
sight.
There has
yet to be full and upfront transparency, with any insight only coming after
coaches and media have uncovered documents or records that prompt questions.
The hit on Minshew has yet to be explained. A replay manual only turned up
after a lot of digging by John Canzano, and it doesn’t appear Scott knew that
manual existed in the first place. The fact that an executive was involved in
the replay process was only known after Leach mentioned a name and a replay
report from the game was leaked. While Dixon’s involvement in the process was
passively deemed a mistake, any punishment resulting from the decision-making
process has been shielded behind vague, general statements meant to appease
without saying much.
All of
this opens the conference up to accusations of impropriety. Even if the Pac-12
isn’t actually hiding anything — and, again, this probably isn’t some grand
conspiracy — the above actions lend themselves to the perception that the
conference is hiding something.
Perception
is everything in officiating. It’s an incredibly hard job to do, especially in
football with action all over the field happening at high-speed. It’s important
to get high-impact calls right, but even more important to explain, in a
transparent way, the rulings and thought process behind controversial calls.
Fans and administrators can disagree with the ruling, but it becomes a lot
harder to call into question the integrity of the game when an explanation is
given in a clear, public way.
This hasn’t
happened in a consistent way in the month since the USC game, and any messaging
only came about after being pressed repeatedly to reveal more while presenting
evidence that had to be responded to. That’s on Scott as the leader of the
conference. He’s found himself positioned against parts of the membership that
employs him while both protecting executives he employs and undermining the
officials who do the difficult job of protecting the integrity of the game on
the field. That’s a problem that’s going to be hard to make go away at this
point.
::::::::::::
Gardner
Minshew’s NFL Draft stock is not only existent, but soaring at midpoint of
Washington State season
Fri., Oct.
26, 2018, 5 a.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s S-R
PULLMAN –
The list of people enamored with Gardner Minshew seemingly grows just about
every time the Washington State quarterback unleashes a pass.
Mike Leach
was the first one to latch on to the Mississippi-born graduate transfer who’d
spent two seasons at East Carolina after winning a national junior college
championship at Northwest Mississippi. By now, the pitch Leach made to Minshew
– who’d previosuly been committed to Alabama – is world-famous: “Do you want to
lead the country in passing yards?” Leach proposed.
The 6-2,
220-pound fifth-year senior won over Leach and his staff a few weeks into fall
camp, when they privately named Minshew the Cougars’ starter, and subsequently
won over thousands of WSU fans with his Southern charm, trademark mustache and
trendy aviator shades.
And as
someone who’s thrown 2,745 passing yards this season – his 392 yards per game
lead the FBS – and led WSU to a 6-1 start, not to mention the nation’s No. 14
ranking, he’s begun to win over NFL scouts, draft analysts and QB gurus who
wouldn’t have known how to spell his name two months ago.
The
Spokesman-Review caught up with three experts to glean more insight on Minshew,
his soaring NFL stock and even his … Heisman Trophy candidacy?
Trent
Dilfer was a 13-year NFL quarterback who started for the Baltimore Ravens’
Super Bowl XXXV-winning team in 2000. Dilfer is a former ESPN analyst and the
head coach of the Elite 11 quarterback camps. Yogi Roth is a Pac-12 Networks
analyst who hosts the “Yogi Roth Show” podcast and more than a decade ago,
spent time on Pete Carroll’s USC staff as an assistant quarterbacks coach. Rob
Rang is an NFL Draft analyst who’s work can be found at NFLDraftScout.com.
♦ ♦ ♦
Trent Dilfer
Spokesman-Review:
You’ve written a few things about Gardner Minshew in The Athletic – when did he
first cross your radar?
Trent
Dilfer: Yogi told me about him early and I remember him from high school. I
pulled out my old Elite 11 report and I have access to all the college film, so
I watched some film of the early-season games and I was blown away. He’s
really, really good. Like I said, he’s a poor man’s Darnold or a bigger Baker.
He’s the real deal.
S-R: Did
he attend any of the Elite 11 camps?
TD: He was
at a regional camp, we have about 725 kids do the regional camps then narrow it
down to 24 and I didn’t remember this, but our director of ops, Joey Roberts –
my right-hand man – he went back through his notes and he was like our 25th or
26th guy and he was right on the outskirts of getting an invite.
S-R: Had
you seen him play in person then?
TD: I saw
him in person. I remember him being a really, really good passer. My notes just
said pure passer, great feet, great eyes, clean stroke. Then we’re doing 750
kids, or more than that, so we don’t really get into the weeds until further
down the process.
S-R: Troy,
where he ended up playing for one season, was one of his only real offers. Why
didn’t he get more looks?
TD: It’s
very common these days that if you don’t get sizzle early on and you don’t fit
all the metrics that people are looking for, that you kind of get left behind.
I hate it, it drives me nuts, I work really hard on trying not to be like that.
There’s tons of examples of where we’ve gone and found the David Bloughs of the
world and they have one or two stars. Gardner … he wasn’t 6-3, he didn’t have
long arms, he didn’t have massive stats, didn’t have a ton of hype around him,
so sometimes those guys don’t end up getting as many offers. It’s not uncommon.
♦ ♦ ♦
S-R: Is it
rare especially for a transfer to be able to come in right away and pick up an
offense and succeed so quickly off the bat?
TD: At
this level, I think it’s pretty exceptional. I don’t think it’s unusual to see
a fifth-year guy have success and be better than the option they have on their
present team, but to be dominant – that’s what he’s done, he’s been dominant
this year. The quarterback of that system carries a very large weight. You’re
doing a lot and he’s done it exceptionally well. And what I like, listening to
people who’ve been around the program, it’s more than just how he’s playing,
it’s his leadership, it’s his charisma, it’s his energy. Things that are really
quantify, but equal wins. And he has all that stuff. And I’d probably put a
higher weight on any of that stuff than any evaluator out there.
S-R: What
are the physical tools and quarterback attributes that could make him an NFL
Draft pick?
TD: From a
skill standpoint, he’s just a really good passer. He has what I call passing
proficiency, he has passing traits. He sees it, he throws it early, he can
change speeds on the ball, he can deal with people in his lap. He has movement
skills, what I call second and third reaction accuracy. So think of second
reaction as one violent move in the pocket, kind of put off your spot but
you’re still playing from in the pocket but not off-balance. And think of third
reaction as something where you made a move to get out of the pocket and now
you’re playing kind of in third reaction mode. Not many guys maintain their
accuracy in those two things and he does. I coined this phrase here, if you
could tie your feet to your eyes. So think of a string going from your eyelids
to your shoelaces. And as one moves, the other moves with it. That’s the thing
a next-level quarterback does – something only half of NFL quarterbacks do now.
He does it naturally. So there’s a lot of stuff you like.
S-R: You’d
said you were intrigued to watch him play Jim Leavitt’s Oregon defense. What
did you see from last Saturday’s game against the Ducks?
TD: I had
to listen to it on the radio because I was driving. … He throws the early pick,
which I end up seeing on the highlights. It was awful. He bounces back shows
the grit, what I call PACE – plays after critical error. I put a lot into that
because it shows whether a guy is shook by his mistake or whether he doesn’t
look in the rearview mirror and only looks forward. And he performed very well
after that first interception. I like that he kind of carried a lot of water in
the game. There was a lot of third downs and stuff, listening on the radio,
that were tough situations and the next thing you know the announcer – who I
happen to know very well, who’s a great quarterback guy – was like, great job
by Gardner to step up there or throw it early or great accuracy off the
sideline route.
S-R: What
would he need to shore up or improve upon before taking the next step? What
else will scouts want to see?
TD: They
need to see more physical traits, more power in his arm, they’re going to need
to see more physicality in his game, which I think is overrated in today’s
football because the game is more about being twitchy and precise than it is
about being powerful these days. They’re going to say a lot of the same things
they said about Drew Brees.
S-R: Do
you see him being a potential fifth to seventh round guy, or could he climb?
TD: I rate
guys with the backdrop where other guys in other years got drafted, not based
on need and narratives. So what happens in the NFL Draft is needs and
narratives end up taking over. Guys get overdrafted, guys get underdrafted. A
lot of really bad people are evaluating quarterbacks and making decisions that
really have no business doing it. So saying all that, I have him as a late
second, third-round pick.
S-R: Late
second or third?
TD: Yeah,
I think he’s a potential NFL starter. That’s where I put those guys that don’t
have extreme traits. But I’ve seen a lot of guys lesser than him go in those
rounds the last few years.
S-R: Are
you interested to see how he handles the Stanford defense he’ll face Saturday?
TD: I
think all of them with him will be just because he has to prove so much more
than everybody else, unfortunately. Think of how this thing goes. If they
didn’t know about you going in, then they looked dumb for not knowing about
you. So because nobody had talked about Gardner Minshew up until now, they
won’t want to admit that they didn’t know about him. So what he’s fighting is
narratives. He’s fighting skepticism. Everybody’s going to look for what he
can’t do instead of what he can do. And I’ll give you a comparable: Jarrett
Stidham, who I know very well, who’s probably similarly talented and not nearly
the player right now. But because Jarrett Stidham got on the radar a couple
years ago and people are trying to look smart and put him out there early, they
will defend their Jarrett Stidham narratives and the narrative was never there
on Minshew. So if you’re going to talk about this, make sure you talk about it
at 30,000 feet. This is the reality of quarterback evaluations, it doesn’t
matter how good you are to a certain degree. It matters how much momentum you
have, so he’s fighting negative momentum.
♦ ♦ ♦
Yogi Roth
Spokesman-Review:
You’ve already called a few WSU games this year, right?
Yogi Roth:
Yep, so I’ve got a little beat on (Minshew) I think. I’d like to think.
S-R: Had
you heard much about Minshew or was he on your radar before arriving in
Pullman?
YR: You
heard about him for sure, just in terms of ‘Who’s this guy that’s committed to
Alabama?’ You kind of like went down that road. So you’re like, let me Google
this guy. Who is this? … I knew Gardner could play after watching Eastern
Washington and talking to Brent Brennan at San Jose State, their head coach,
but I didn’t think he was going to be what he’s become. And I think that anyone
that did is utterly lying to you. Because I think he’s exploded onto the
college scene and probably most importantly I think, I think he’s the best
story on the field in the last five to seven years. And I don’t say longer
because I can’t think of one and I want to respect the game, because there
probably is one. … And of course he had to win the job, but the psyche of him
and the approach of him allowed him to win it earlier. And I think that’s really
special and I’ve always said this this year about this team, man, is that if
there’s one team I could follow all year long it would be this one. Based on
what happened with Tyler (Hilinski), based on the small community, based on
Mike Leach and his personality, and based on this transfer quarterback. Now you
see what he’s doing on the field and with his persona. It’s like the football
gods said, you need to go to the place that needs you the most. And that’s
Pullman, Washington. And that’s what he’s done. And I really think it’s
beautiful, the whole story.
S-R: Does
playing in an Air Raid system hamper him or has the NFL adjusted enough?
YR: Well I
think the NFL’s completely shifted. I felt it five years ago when Marcus went
into the NFL, four or five years ago. I see it in high school, what high school
kids are doing every year at the Elite 11, and when talk about it in college.
At some point the NFL’s going to have to adjust, and now we’re seeing thast
exact thing happen and we’re seeing more Air Raid principles in the NFL and
most importantly, we’re seeing Air Raid quarterbacks who were taught to not
necessarily be, Mike Leach quote here, “coverage scientists” which have to go
through a pure progression system, which means one to two to three to four. …
The stat I always go back to is that Goff, Mahomes, Mayfield, combined in
college took 14 snaps under center. Now that might not shock people because
majority of guys aren’t under center, but I think because they’re from the Air
Raid, and they’re thriving it just points a picture that you can now walk in
the NFL and your knowledge on a 0-10 scale could be at a two and be Jared Goff.
S-R: What
attributes instantly stick out when you watch Gardner play in person or on
film?
YR: I
think my number one trait I enjoy about him as a quarterback is his eyes. And I
believe that your feet follow your eyes. A lot of people talk about his feet in
the pocket and how active he is and I couldn’t agree more. … I think if your
eyes can be disciplined and match up timing wise with the scheme, your feet are
naturally going to get there. Versus you’re racing through your progression,
your feet are never set. A lot of people say that’s bad footwork in the pocket.
I say, well look at his eyes first. If you look at the touchdown against Utah
(to Dezmon Patmon) where he works the safety to the right … he manipulates the
safety and the safety’s running all the way to his right, doesn’t even see the
receiver coming, the receiver catches the touchdown. I think his second and
third reaction game is as good as anyone in this conference. By that I mean
first reaction’s when the pocket’s clean, second reaction is when the pocket
gets dirty, third reaction is when you’ve got to get out of the pocket. You
look at the touchdown to Easop Winston against SC, he’s got to avoid the
defensive lineman, move to his right, off his back foot rips a post route. That
type of anticipatory skill is special. One guy’s opinion, but I watch every
snap and I just think that’s where he’s different.
♦ ♦ ♦
S-R: And
how about his persona?
YR: You
drop into his moxie, I talked to him yesterday preparing for the (Stanford)
game and asked about coming in and becoming a guy who came into a situation
that nobody would’ve idealized with the loss of a starting quarterback and here
you are and you’ve been able to galvanize this team. And in beautiful fashion,
he flipped it and said, I think it’s the team. And they were so tight because
of that, I just had to fit my role and I think when you see the sunglasses or
talk to him or see him without his shirt on, whatever it is, you might not see
the humility. I see that in him and I think that’s why he’s a next-level
prospect. And I think he should be a Heisman candidate.
S-R: He’s
really able to balance his confidence with humility…
YR: Yeah
and look at Baker. I remember interviewing Baker at the Heisman and I remember
him in high school. There’s nothing wrong with having a massive chip on your
shoulder and how you exude that is to each your own. And Baker’s way is one way
and Gardner’s way is the other. But I’d say this … if you did a blind case
study and said, OK take the jersey off, take the helmet buckle off and let me
just watch 400 throws of Baker last year and Gardner this year. I think you’d
be hard-pressed to say there was a dramatic difference. Now Baker’s difference
is he played dramatically more football, he’s been on much larger stage. But
you watch them in a bubble – they’re in a vacuum – operating their similar
systems, I don’t think it’s dramatic. … I’ve been around all the guys, Jarrett
Stidham, Trace McSorley, Drew Lock – I’m with them every summer – and Gardner
would fit right in. And does his ball spin like McKenzie Milton’s? Maybe not.
But he’s also a little bit thicker. Does he have the verbage maybe of Tua
Tagovailoa in terms of a system grasp? Maybe not because he’s not asked to do
that. But when all things net out – does he win, does he complete the ball,
does he move the chains – and I don’t think he’s a system quarterback. Yeah, I
think he checks all the boxes.
S-R: Is
there an easy NFL comparison for Minshew? Ryan Fitzpatrick maybe?
YR: It’s
tough for me because the knowledge Fitzpatrick has is ridiculous. What he’s
dong at the line of scrimmage, Gardner can’t even fathom doing right now. And
there’s not one kid in college could. I think Baker’s like a very fair
comparison. He’s an inch and a half taller, but that’s who I’d compare him to.
S-R: Are
there any weaknesses, or areas he could shore up before going to the next
level?
YR: Well
you’re going to see him try to answer that question this week. His last three
big games – or three of his last four games is probably the better way to say
it – he’s faced a Utah defense which is special, but they play what they play,
they’re very consistent at what they play. Then Oregon State, passed that test.
Then you look at the Oregon game, you saw a team with an elite defensive front,
but the back end is still developing. And now in Stanford, you’re going to see
NFL linebackers and I think multiple players on the back end that’ll be able to
play at the next level and most importantly a defense that is an NFL scheme. So
this game to me is going to be the one of three to four … obviously the Apple
Cup being another one where you’re going to say, OK what does he do when teams
make it challenging and change the picture on him.
S-R: Have
you seen another QB like this who’s gone from obscurity to potential NFL Draft
pick in such a short amount of time?
YR: Not to
the NFL, I don’t think so. Matt Cassel might be a guy, but nobody started
talking about him until his Pro Day. It’s a totally different scenario. I
remember when Collin Klein kind of burst onto the scene, but most of the time
you see transfer quarterbacks – you can go down the list, a lot of times they
don’t thrive. Baker was one. Who else has? I’m sure you could research a list
and disprove me. But I’m just trying to think off the top of my head.
S-R: He’s
really been a godsend for the Cougars, though…
YR: I know
the Hilinskis, I’ve been around that family and I know your program, I’ve been
around that program. I went to the funeral and the celebration of his life. For
this kid to show up, it’s almost like they needed somebody from the outside to
come in, to a certain degree, and just blend in and take over when it naturally
worked. And I really think that’s a special thing, and I know everybody doesn’t
want to address because they’re in the middle of the season and super focused,
but I’m going to talk about it at the start of the game on Saturday. We’ve
never seen it and his persona makes it great. This guy could easily be a “me
guy.” My mustache is everywhere, my shades are everywhere, my Instagram page is
blowing up. But he’s not, and I think that’s unique.
♦ ♦ ♦
Rob Rang
Spokesman-Review:
What was the first game you saw him play? First impression?
Rob Rang:
First game I saw him play, I don’t remember the exact opponent. It was the
second or third week of the year. It was a game that was on television, so I
took a peak. The first thing I noticed is I thought the ball came off of his
hand with a little bit better velocity than Luke Falk. So that surprises me
right off the bat. With every game I’ve watched of Washington State so far,
I’ve been impressed with Minshew’s accuracy. So the combination of that
accuracy – which I thought Falk had good accuracy, but didn’t have that elite
arm. And Minshew’s improved arm strength, I think that’s one of the reasons
he’s stood out basically every time I watched him.
S-R: Had
he been on your radar at all before he came to WSU?
RR: Not as
far as being an NFL prospect. Anytime there’s a junior college player who wins
a national championship, all that kind of stuff, as a quarterback, you know
you’re going to pay attention a little bit to where they go. And then it was a
little bit brow-raising when you had a guy I thought was going to sign at
Alabama, then decided to go to Washington State. You don’t always see that
transition. But no I was not expecting to be having a conversation about
Minshew’s NFL Draft stock based on what I heard prior to the season.
S-R: He
doesn’t have bad height, but he’s not necessarily tall either. Is his stature a
concern as far as the NFL goes?
RR: I
think the lack of prototypical height is a little bit of a concern. But at the
same time, we’re seeing so many quarterbacks be successful in today’s NFL
despite the great height. So I think it’s less of a concern now than it
would’ve been 10 years ago, and I don’t see a large number of his passes batted
down at the line of scrimmage. So because of those factors, I don’t think that
it will be something that will keep him from being drafted or getting his NFL
opportunity.
S-R: Does
he remind you of anyone currently in the NFL?
RR: You
know who he reminded me of – and now it’s going to sound even cliché because of
the way they’re dressing – but it’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. He a little bit shorter
and he’s got kind of a thick build, he’s got an underrated arm and he’s just
got some moxie to him that has always stood out. So the reason I hesitate with
that comparison is because there’s a lot of people out there that are going to
suggest Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t very good. But when you’re going from Harvard to
the NFL and you’ve played as long as he has, then that’s a heckuva football
player. And so the same thing with Minshew, he’s had success wherever he’s gone
and he does have some moxie, does have some personality to quickly win over his
teammates, so I like all those things. And then just physically speaking,
they’re similar type players in terms of their build, in terms of their arm, in
terms of their accuracy and their touch.
S-R: How
will his mobility help him?
RR: I
think that is one of the things that’s appealing about Minshew is that, you
have some quarterbacks – Lamar Jackson a year ago – who are so athletic that
some would suggest they should change positions. You don’t necessarily need a
quarterback to be that athletic, you just want them to have that functional
athletic ability to be able to buy some time in the pocket, preferably keep
your eyes downfield and if they need to scramble for a few yards to keep the
defense honest, they can do that. And that’s what I’ve seen from Minshew, is
that he doesn’t fall in love with his athletic ability and then leave the
pocket and scramble willy nilly. When he decides to do it, it’s because either
he is being forced out of the pocket, or the defense just left three yards. To
me that just shows he’s an instinctive player.
♦ ♦ ♦
S-R: After
watching Minshew the first time, did he become a player you felt like you had
to watch every week?
RR: When I
watch a player and I’ve never seen them before, but I get a positive first
impression of them, I literally just highlight their name in my notebook. And
then the next time I watch them, I want to see if they can still be impressive
and knowing that Washington State plays the quality of opponents that they do,
I was kind of eager to see how he’d perform throughout the year. I kind of
already anticipate your next question of being what game do you want to see the
most and that would probably be the University of Washington. Not only because
of the Apple Cup feature and the rivalry game, but just the fact that
Washington’s secondary is as gifted as it is. Washington’s secondary is the one
that I graded Justin Herbert on and the one I’ll grade every other top
quarterback that faces them.
S-R: Did
it help Minshew to play well against Oregon – a game many NFL scouts were
watching to see the Ducks’ Justin Herbert?
RR: I can
assure you, the NFL scouts knew all about Gardner Minshew. And they knew about
him before the matchup with Oregon. The fact that the Senior Bowl had made him
their offensive senior prospect of the week for the entire country a couple
weeks ago, that was a statement and that surprised me honestly. That he would
already get that type of recognition. So that’s interesting and then the fact
that he did play as well as he did, especially in the first half of course, because
that’s when he was spectacular. But then when Oregon made that comeback and for
Minshew to make the throws he did down the stretch to win that game, I think
that absolutely NFL teams know exactly who he is and I would not be surprised
at all at this point to see Minshew get an invitation to one of those prominent
Senior All-Star games.
S-R: Where
do you think he could fall in next year’s NFL Draft?
RR: I
think he’s probably fifth to seventh round right now, but I think a month ago
he wasn’t even that and a month from now he could be more in that third to
fourth round range. That’s the thing, entering the year I thought this was a
pretty poor quarterback class. It’s better than I thought. There are some
players like Minshew that are kind of moving up the board over the course of
the season. And that’s to be expected, it’s quarterbacks, there’s always going
to be some players who are going to replace the talent lost.
S-R: Would
there be any other “weaknesses” that come to mind when you think about how Minshew
will be perceived by scouts?
RR: Just
keep being successful. He’s having a heckuva season so far. There were some
throws against Oregon where I thought, he got pretty fortunate on that one. The
shorter receiver ripping the ball away, that could’ve easily been an
interception. He had a couple of throws. So just making each play one by one,
not getting too wrapped up in all of the hype that’s going to be created by his
success, by Washington State’s success. That’s the thing, there’s a million
quarterbacks out there – or a million players out there – who splash. Who show
you some talent. But it’s the ones that are consistent throughout the course of
the year are the ones that are going to wind up getting themselves drafted.
Editor’s
note: These Q&A’s have been edited for brevity.
:::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Pac-12
picks: Aside from Washington State-Stanford, not much intrigue on Week 9 slate
UPDATED:
Wed., Oct. 24, 2018, 4:51 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson, Spokane Spokesman-Review
The
oddsmakers aren’t anticipating too many riveting games across the Pac-12
landscape this weekend – at least not compared to last week, when five games
were expected to be decided by eight points or less. After faring just 2-8
against the spread these last two weeks, let’s hope that means good things for
these picks.
(23) Utah
at UCLA
Utah by 10
– With nine touchdowns and 639 all-purpose yards in the last two games, Utah’s
Tyler Huntley could be the hottest quarterback in the conference – the
exception obviously being Washington State’s Gardner Minshew. Nonetheless,
Huntley and the Utes should be eager to feast on a UCLA team that’s allowed 30
points or more in six of seven games. The pick: Utah 38, UCLA 24.
Oregon
State at Colorado
Colorado
by 24 – With the next-closest thing to a bye week on deck for Colorado, the
Buffaloes ought to give wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. another week of
rest. The Beavers haven’t won a Pac-12 game since the 2016 season finale and
haven’t won a game on the road since Oct. 4, 2014. The pick: Colorado 48,
Oregon State 17.
Arizona
State at USC
USC by 6
1/2 – The Trojans, as shaky as they’ve been this season, are protecting one of
the country’s longest home winning streaks (19 games) and the Sun Devils have
been abysmal on the road (0-3) under first-year coach Herm Edwards. USC is
turning to a third-string quarterback here, but the Trojans should still eke
out a win. The pick: USC 31, Arizona State 30.
(15)
Washington at California
Washington
by 12 – Cal signal-caller Chase Garbers looked as comfortable as he has all
season last weekend against Oregon State, but it won’t come so easy for the
freshman Saturday against a Husky team that’s known for making QBs
uncomfortable. Perhaps the UW offense can finally break loose, too. The pick:
Washington 44, Cal 20.
(14) WSU
at (24) Stanford
Stanford
by 3 – Both teams would sure love a win here for end-of-the-season Pac-12 North
tiebreaker scenarios. The Cardinal haven’t been as competent on offense without
Bryce Love and the defense looked more than vulnerable during a three-game
stretch against Oregon, Notre Dame and Utah. Pulling a full game ahead of
Oregon and Stanford – and beating both – would give the Cougars some leeway
down the stretch. The pick: will be in Saturday’s paper.
(19)
Oregon at Arizona
Oregon by
9 1/2 – When the year started, this projected as an intriguing North vs. South
duel featuring two of the Pac-12’s Heisman hopefuls. Neither Justin Herbert or
Khalil Tate is in the picture at this point. To decrease the allure of the game
in Tucson, there’s a chance only one of the quarterbacks will be playing. The
pick: Oregon 45, Arizona 28.
Theo
Lawson’s records
Last week:
3-3 overall, 2-4 against the spread
Overall:
44-15 overall, 23-27 against the spread
::::::::::::::::::::
Leach
tweet could have million-dollar price tag
Some
donors threatened to withhold contributions over coach's post
By Anthony
Kuipers, Moscow Pullman Daily News 10/26/2018
A rash of
donors threatened to withhold millions in donations after Mike Leach,
Washington State University head football coach, tweeted a fake video of a
speech from former President Barack Obama in June, according to documents
obtained through a Daily News public records request.
In the
documents, several donors made it clear if Leach makes more
"disgraceful" or "racist" comments, they will consider
pulling back pledged donations and stop supporting the university.
Leach's
June 17 tweet stirred backlash on social media and was reported by multiple
national media outlets. It also occurred the same week Leach sent an annual
appeal to WSU fans to join the Cougar Athletic Fund and donate money to support
WSU Athletics.
In the
doctored video, Obama is made out to say "ordinary men and women are too
small-minded to govern their own affairs, but order and progress can only come
when individuals surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign."
With the
video post, Leach tweeted, "There is a lot of disagreement on government,
so I think that an open discussion is always in order. Tweet your thoughts.
Maybe we can all learn something."
When told
the video was "a hoax," Leach replied in a tweet, "prove
it." For several hours, Leach defended his posting.
He later
deleted the tweet and tweeted: "I agree that the video was incomplete.
However, I believe discussion on how much or how little power that our Gov
should have is important."
The
backlash from the tweet
The
university athletic department, president's office and WSU Foundation released
to the Daily News 196 pages of documents containing emails from WSU employees,
many forwarding messages from angry donors. The university is still gathering
the second installment of the request.
The
morning after Leach's post, one donor threatened to withdraw a $1 million
donation out of his or her will to the WSU Foundation if the university did not
condemn the tweet. Several others followed suit. The foundation redacted the
names of the donors.
"We
are not happy with Leache's (sic) racist twitter activity and are withdrawing
our $1,000,000.00 plus estate proceeds we gifted to WSU in our Will (sic),
unless there is a much stronger response coming from the University condemning
his actions. Cougs are better than this and I am extremely upset by his actions
and WSU's tepid response," one donor wrote in an email to the president's
office June 18.
According
to an email from Trevor Durham, associate vice president for the office of
strategic communications and donor engagement, to WSU President Kirk Schulz,
the foundation identified at least 18 donors who required an email response in
late July.
Public
records indicate another 60 emails complaining about Leach were sent to the
Cougar Athletic Fund - WSU's fundraising arm for intercollegiate athletics.
In an Aug.
1 email from Raegan Harvey, Cougar Athletic Fund director, to Michael Connell,
senior associate vice president of University Development with the WSU
Foundation, Raegan wrote it was unfortunate Leach's email went out after his
tweet.
A donor emailed
Jeff Pilcher, director of philanthropic engagement, saying he would rescind his
$25,000 pledge to WSU and instead donate that money to his wife's scholarship
fund at Oregon State University.
"At
this point, my estate plan calls for WSU to receive about 1.6 million dollars
and I hope to keep my estate plan as is. However, this type of stunt is
offensive enough to me that were something like it to happen again, I would be
more than willing to rededicate that portion of my estate to Oregon State University,"
the donor wrote.
"I
will not give anything to WSU until Mike Leach is no longer associated in
anyway with the university. He recently disgraced himself and the university by
posting a patently false video that went beyond being merely despicable,"
a June 25 email to the foundation read.
The WSU
Admissions Office also received emails.
"You
are supporting racism and the attack on facts by employing Mike Leach. And you
are a university!!!! What is education without facts???" a June 23 email
to WSU admissions stated.
Durham
wrote in an email to the Daily News on Thursday that private support for WSU
"continues to be strong."
"Through
the first three months of Fiscal Year 2019, philanthropic activity to benefit
WSU students, faculty, research and programs is on pace to meet or exceed
FY18's year-end total of $145.1 million," he wrote.
WSU's
response
A July 30
correspondence from Durham to Schulz included a prepared email response the
president's office could use to send to donors who responded to Leach's tweets.
The email
to donors stated Schulz and Athletic Director Pat Chun planned to sit down and
visit with Leach in person to "discuss the broader impacts his Twitter
posting had on the university as a whole."
The email
also stated the university would bring in "an outside person to work with
senior university leadership and head coaches on what is the appropriate use of
social media."
Phil
Weiler, vice president of WSU marketing and communications, confirmed that
meeting between Schulz, Chun and Leach took place.
Weiler
expressed his own disappointment in Leach's tweet in a July 3 email to an upset
donor, writing he "found it deeply disturbing that a member of the
Washington State University athletics department would post a doctored video on
social media."
After the
tweet was picked up by media outlets, Weiler said in a statement, "As a
private citizen, Mike Leach is entitled to his personal opinions. Coach Leach's
political views do not necessarily reflect the views of Washington State
University students, faculty and staff."
In a June
20 email from Weiler to Schulz, Weiler calls the situation an
"imbroglio" and was tracking how many potential people saw the story.
"Since
this report was run, Leach has continued to spar with a reporter from USA Today
and this has generated additional coverage in the last 12 hours. (We will run
another report at the end of day today to capture the latest coverage.) As of
June 19, the Leach story generated 51 mentions with a total combined reach of
up to 304,000,000 potential readers," Weiler wrote.
More about
the request
The names
of all donors were redacted from public records. Weiler said donor names are
not public information.
According
to the WSU Public Records Office, "the WSU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and, as such, is not obligated
to respond to public records requests made to the university. The Foundation
can provide documentation voluntarily and as a courtesy to WSU, but Foundation
records may or may not be provided to WSU."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
COUG LIFE
Student
leaders encouraged by Campus Culture and Climate working groups progress
Student
leaders ask questions and provide feedback during a Campus Culture and Climate
working group update.
By
Chantell Cosner, Division of Student Affairs
WSU
Insider 10/16/2018
Student
leaders from the Associated Students of Washington State University, the
systemwide Student Government Council and the Graduate and Professional Student
Association are encouraged by the progress being made by the five Campus
Culture and Climate working groups.
Chairs
from each group shared during a recent meeting the progress made in identifying
and recommending solutions for creating a more inclusive and welcoming
community at WSU campuses systemwide. Co-chairs and other administrators were
also present to listen to student feedback and answer questions.
Hannah
Martian, Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSU) Senator and
editor-in-chief of the Chinook Yearbook, said many students are aware of the
committees but not what they are accomplishing. She appreciated the opportunity
to learn more.
“I didn’t
know so much work has already been done,” said Martian. “There are so many
exciting things happening.”
Donna
Arnold, associate director for Multicultural Student Services and co-chair of
the Cultural and Resource Centers working group provides students with an
update of the progress being made as part of the Campus Culture and Climate
initiative.
The Campus
Culture and Climate working groups have been meeting since the spring with
charges of reviewing and addressing needs as related to Executive Policy 15;
cultural competency; campus cultural and resource centers; diverse faculty and
staff and gender inclusive and trans* support. During the meeting the working
group chairs shared the following highlights:
The
Washington State University building code has been updated to ensure
gender-neutral restrooms are included in new buildings constructed across the
system.
An
assessment of existing cultural competency training being offered across the
system is nearly complete and has identified eight different departments
offering different levels of training.
40
resource centers have been identified across the WSU system. This data is now
being reviewed to identify gaps in resource areas and underserved student
groups.
The
revitalization of faculty and staff affinity groups is in progress which
provides a sense of community and connection for underrepresented groups.
The
development of resources and guidelines for students to better understand free
speech law and how it intersects with WSU campus policy and climate.
Jaime
Nolan, associate vice president for Community, Equity and Inclusive Excellence,
said sharing what the groups are working on is part of an ongoing process.
“Working groups will report their progress regularly, and we are planning to
meet with students to share those updates.”
One thing
Zachary Harper, ASWSU Tri-Cities president, appreciated about the presentations
is learning that the committees are working on behalf of students at all WSU
locations.
“One of
the more important things for the administration is to listen to student issues
and help find a resolution to them no matter where we are located,” he said.
“These working groups show they are committed to changing the university
culture for the better.”
Nolan
reiterates that the WSU community can continue to expect frequent updates as
the working groups continue to make progress on their initiatives and
recommendations.
Students
who are interested in serving on one of the groups are encouraged to submit
their information here along with the name of the group in which they feel they
can bring valuable insight.
“We are
looking for more student representation on the working groups,” said Nolan. “It
was, in part, student concerns around these issues that have informed some of
our most recent initiatives. Students have been the catalyst for making a
number of concerns visible.”
Students
systemwide who are interested in serving on one of the working groups are
invited to check out the Campus Culture and Climate website.
For
students not serving on the working groups, the presenters emphasized the
importance of keeping them part of the process and encouraging them to provide
feedback. Student leaders play a crucial role in facilitating this process.
“I plan to
share what I learned at our senate meetings, with my constituents, and even
with my friends,” Martian said.
Karen
Ngigi, ASWSU senator and president of the African Diaspora Association, was
also inspired to spread the news and wants to work with organizers to bring
more registered student organizations into the conversation.
“This work
is worth every minute and second members put into them,” Ngigi said. “This
change is needed for our future students, faculty, and staff and it does make a
difference in the quality of education we receive.”
About
Campus Culture and Climate working groups
All told,
the groups are comprised of more than 110 students, staff, and faculty from
across all six campuses.
Those
interested in learning more about the progress to date can visit the working
group website where overviews, meeting minutes and links to resources are
published at
studentaffairs.wsu.edu/initiatives/campus-culture-climate
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