WSU men’s basketball travels to play New
Mexico State
After
100-point game, Cougars compete against another one-loss team
By SIGMUND
SEROKA, Evergreen
Nov 30, 2018
Nov 30, 2018
WSU
men’s basketball will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to take on New Mexico
State at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Cougars’ last game was Tuesday which resulted in
a 103-94 win against California State Northridge.
The
Aggies (5-1) are on a three-game win streak and are 3-1 at home this season.
Coming off a win over University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State is
looking dominant offensively in the second half of games. Aggies Head
Coach Chris Jans said the Miners were a tough opponent.
“We
expected kind of what we got,” Jans said. “I was curious to see how we would
be. I was curious what our mindset was and I thought it was really good.”
The
Aggies have been victorious in the last nine meetings against the Miners.
The
first half of the game was full of mistakes and missed shots. The Aggies had
multiple turnovers and UTEP was able to capitalize on this throughout the first
half. However, New Mexico State managed to stay ahead by going on a 9-0 run,
taking the lead 28-26 at the half. The Aggies would go on to win 62-58.
On the
other side of the court the Cougars (4-1) are coming off a high-scoring game
over CSUN. Looking back at the game against the Matadors, WSU’s confidence
should be riding high.
The
team defended its home court with a 103-94 win over CSUN and it was the first
time since 2002 that the Cougars broke the 100-point mark in a game.
Contributing
to the team’s success was a career-high performance from freshman forward CJ
Elleby. He finished with a double-double, racking up 23 points with 4-6
shooting from three-point land and grabbing 11 rebounds. He also collected four
assists.
Head
Coach Ernie Kent has been emphasizing ball movement in the team’s offensive
game plan, Elleby said.
“[Kent]
harps on us all the time in practice about it,” he said. “We got to move the
ball and get off the top and get the ball out and move and cut.”
Senior
forward Robert Franks Jr. had 22 points and seven rebounds against CSUN and
senior guard Viont’e Daniels had 14 points while shooting 50 percent from
behind the three-point line.
This
win over the Matadors helped improve the Cougars’ win streak to three and help
maintain a perfect 4-0 home record this season.
WSU will face the Aggies
at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Pan American Center. The game can be seen on the WAC
Digital Network.
:::::::::::::::::
WSU Women's
Hoops plays hosts to Boise State Saturday
Cougars
play their final home game of the calendar year against the Broncos.
From WSU
Sports Info 11/30/2018
Boise
State (5-1) at WASHINGTON STATE (3-4)
Sat., Dec.
1 7 p.m.
Friel
Court at Beasley Coliseum
OPENING
FIVE
> The
Cougars look to even their overall record with a chance to win their
third-straight game. The game against Boise St. is the final home
non-conference game for WSU.
>
Chanelle Molina, fresh off an all-tournament team selection at the Warner
Center Marriott Thanksgiving Basketball Classic, continued her stellar play
with a 28 point, seven assist, five rebound, five steal performance against
USF.
>
Borislava Hristova, a Cheryl Miller Watch List nominee, sits third in the
Pac-12 in scoring at 20.9 ppg having scored double-figures in all seven games
including four 20-point efforts.
> Maria
Kostourkova is second in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 9.9 rpg but is day-to-day
with an injury.
>
Alexys Swedlund continues her impressive start defensively as she is third in
the Pac-12 in steals per game at 2.57. In addition, the sharp-shooter is
averaging 10.9 points per game on 2.57 3-ptFG per game, 5th best in the Pac-12.
GAME
INFORMATION - VS BOISE STATE
The
Cougars close out their home non-conference schedule against the Broncos
Saturday when the two teams meet for the 39th time. The two have been evenly
matched throughout the years as the all-time record stands at 19-19. WSU has a
slight edge at home, 9-7, but Boise took the last matchup in Pullman, 77-73, in
overtime two season's ago as the last five games have alternated wins between
the two teams. The Broncos come into Saturday's game 5-1 on the year with their
lone loss coming to #4 Louisville, 74-55, on Nov. 19. Boise and the Cougs have
one common opponent, CSUN, who the Broncos defeated 74-62 to start the season
in Boise while WSU fell on the road to the Matadors last week during the
Thanksgiving break.
Last
season, Borislava Hristova led the Cougs with a 13 pt, 9 rbd performance while
Alexys Swedlund chipped in 11 pts off the bench in Boise.
LAST TIME
OUT
Behind a
record run in the second quarter and a commanding performance out of their
dynamic duo the Cougars ran past San Francisco, 91-61, Thursday night. Leading
by 15 after one quarter, the Cougars poured it on in the second quarter of
play, scoring a program-record 34 points including 12 from Chanelle Molina,
running away from the Dons and never looking back en route to their win. Molina
scored a season-best 28 points in 28 minutes of action while Borislava Hristova
added 20.
MOLINA
TAKING HER GAME TO ANOTHER LEVEL
Once the
first five-star recruit in WSU history, junior Chanelle Molina has continued to
progress as one of the best all-around point guards in the Pac-12 in now her
third season. Having refound the magic she showed as a freshman preinjury,
Molina enters today's game ranked in the Pac-12 11th in scoring (16.9), 5th in
assists (5.4), 4th in steals (2.43) all while grabbing a career-best rebounds
(5.0).
Molina has
scored in double-figures in 6 straight games including three 20 point efforts
all while shooting over 50% (52.3) from the floor and behind the arc (50.0).
:::::::::::::::::::
WSU Women’s
Basketball from Thursday 11/29/2018
Score By
Periods
San
Francisco 12 14 16 19 = 61
Washington
St. 27 34 17 13
= 91
Cougars
Pour It On In 91-61 Win Over San Francisco
WSU scored
a record 34 points in the second quarter to pull away from the Dons.
From WSU
Sports Info
PULLMAN -
Behind a record run in the second quarter and a commanding performance out of
their dynamic duo the Washington State women's basketball team (3-4) ran past
San Francisco (2-4), 91-61, Thursday night at Beasley Coliseum.
Leading by
15 after one quarter, the Cougars poured it on in the second quarter of play,
scoring a program-record 34 points including 12 from Chanelle Molina, running
away from the Dons and never looking back en route to their win. Molina, who
would score a season-best 28 points in 28 minutes of action, nearly outscored
the Dons on her own in the first half of play as she posted 21 points to the
Dons' 26 at the break. With Molina firing on all cylinders, the Cougars proved
to be too much for the Dons to handle as Borislava Hristova chipped in 16 in
the opening half while finishing the game with 20 points, one shy of her
scoring average for the season. Wreaking havoc on the defensive end, the
Cougars forced 14 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action, turning those
Don mistakes into 23 points. While the pace would slow in the second half the
Cougars defense continued to press forcing 14 more turnovers that resulted in
14 more points as over a third of WSU's points in the game came from forcing a
season-high 28 turnovers including picking up 16 steals. In all, the Cougars
would push their lead to as much as 41 points midway through the third quarter
before expanding their rotation and closing out the game with a season-best
30-point victory.
WSU Coach Kamie
Ethridge Quotes
"It
was a great game for us. I think the first half was obviously one of the better
halves we've had in our young season. I really liked us the last week after the
loss to CSUN and how we responded against Jacksonville State and since we've
been home was a good sign for this team. It's great to see them see some
success, feel some success, and see when you do the right things in practice
and you're consistently what you need to be sometimes good things happen in a
game."
Info:
The Cougs
won back-to-back games for the first time on the year while picking up their
seventh-straight win over the Dons including three in the last three seasons.
WSU's 34
points in the second quarter were the most scored in a single quarter in
program history beating the 31 put up in the fourth quarter against UCLA Jan.
6, 2017.
The 91
points were the most for the Cougars since scoring 92 points against Loyola
Marymount, another WCC opponent, to begin the 2016-17 season. The 30-point
victory was the largest for the Cougars since beating the same Don team by 38
(73-35) on Nov. 20, 2016 in Pullman.
The
Cougars hit double-digit three-pointers (11-of-21) for the first time since
going 11-of-20 against Oregon on Feb. 11, 2018.
Chanelle
Molina led the way with a season-best 28 points including hitting 4-of-5 from
distance. She would added five rebounds, seven assists, and a career-best five
steals. Her 28-points marked her sixth-straight double-digit scoring game and
third 20+ point game of the season.
Borislava
Hristova scored in double-figures for the seventh time in as many games and hit
the 20-point mark for the fourth time on the year.
Jovana
Subasic scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed a career-best seven rebounds
in a career-high 20 minutes of action.
Freshman
Michaela Jones scored her first collegiate points late in the second quarter as
the first-year Cougar went 5-for-5 at the line in the final seconds of the
first half. Fellow freshman Cherilyn Molina added a season-best seven points to
go with two rebounds and three steals.
USF put
three in double figures with Julia Nielacna leading the way with 21 points on
10-of-14 shooting. Marta Galic added 14 while Kia Vaalavirta posted 11 points.
:::::::::::::
Former
administrator receives threat after Gesser story in Evergreen
Uri Farkas
told ‘you can run but can’t hide’ following investigation
By IAN
SMAY, Evergreen Nov 30, 2018
Uri
Farkas, a former WSU athletics administrator who was heavily cited in the WSU
Office for Equal Opportunity’s original investigation into alleged sexual
misconduct by Jason Gesser, received a threat via email following The Daily
Evergreen’s reporting of the allegations.
A public
records request filed by the Evergreen contained a letter sent by Markus
Louvier, Farkas’ lawyer, to WSU in response to the fallout of the Gesser story.
The documents also included a copy of an email sent from Craig Angelo, who
Louvier claims is a WSU trustee in his letter to the university. A profile on
Craig Angelo by Bloomberg lists him as a member of the WSU Foundation Board of
Trustees.
The
message contains a subject line reading “You can run but can’t hide!!!,” and was
sent on Sept. 17 to Farkas’ email at Northern Arizona University, where he has
served as a senior associate athletic director since leaving WSU in December
2017.
The email
begins, “Hey Uri, you know who I am and now I know who you really are.” Angelo’s
message goes on to state his motto is to “keep your friends close but your
adversaries closer” and that “us Cougs take care of their own.” The message
also references something “is coming,” but a part of this sentence was cut off
in the digital copy.
Angelo
could not be reached via email for comment. The Evergreen also attempted to
contact Angelo via The Al Angelo Company, a real estate agency. Bloomberg lists
him as a co-managing partner of the agency.
Phil
Weiler, vice president of marketing and communications for WSU, said he had
heard of people attempting to contact Farkas after the article came out via
email and message boards.
“I
certainly had seen places where Jason Gesser had people who were stalwart
defenders of him, who would swear up and down that ‘I know this person, there’s
no way he could do this,’” Weiler said. “They were wrong. They were absolutely
wrong. For whatever reason, he had the ability to convince people that his
actions were on the up and up when in fact, they weren’t.”
Louvier sent
the letter on Farkas’ behalf on Sept. 19, the day after Gesser resigned and six
days after the Evergreen broke the story of his alleged misconduct, which
heavily cited Farkas’ interview with the OEO.
Weiler
said WSU could not act on Farkas’ concerns until he brought names, which is
what led to the OEO looking into the claims. He also said the university is not
responsible for looking into alleged consensual affairs.
Although
they had names, Weiler said the people identified and interviewed by the OEO either
did not want to answer questions or did not raise concerns of wrongdoing.
However, investigators did pass the information to the Office of Internal Audit
and Human Resource Services to look into possible policy violations by Gesser.
This led
to Director of Athletics Pat Chun having a meeting with Gesser on March 26 to
discuss a set of talking points made by HRS regarding his “behavior in the
workplace,” according to a timeline created by Weiler.
Louvier
declined to comment on Farkas’ behalf, stating in an email that it was their
understanding that “WSU is looking into the issues raised in my letter” and
that neither of them wanted publicity in relation to the story.
Weiler
said he had not personally reached out to Louvier or Farkas.
In his
letter, Louvier requested that WSU publicly acknowledge that Farkas had acted
appropriately in reporting the concerns over Gesser’s actions. Weiler agreed
Farkas had done the right thing.
“He did
exactly what he should have done,” Weiler said. “He did exactly what was asked
of him as an employee, he contacted his Title IX coordinator.”
While
Farkas received the threatening email from an alleged trustee, Weiler said this
is not representative of what WSU encourages.
“There is
no reason why the university would want to push [him] out,” he said. “I don’t
know why people would think that’s the case because trying to hide something
like this is so much worse than dealing with it.”
In
situations where employees have concerns about coworkers’ or superiors’
behavior, Weiler said WSU would rather they come forward than try to withhold
worries.
“That’s
the thing that really caused me to scratch my head,” he said. “Why would you
defend inappropriate behavior? They aren’t protecting the university, they are
doing the opposite.”
He also
said the university had no reason to not believe the allegations brought
forward by Alyssa Bodeau, a former WSU volleyball player who went by Alyssa
Wold during her college career. The Evergreen published a piece outlining
Bodeau’s allegations on Sept. 17, the day before Gesser’s resignation.
Leading up
to Bodeau coming forward, Weiler said Gesser still had defenders who believed
he was innocent, but this changed after her story broke.
“That
pretty much shut everything down,” he said. “People realized that their faith
in [Gesser] was misplaced. That he had not been truthful to them. What I heard
was a combination of shock and anger.”
In
addition to the email Farkas received, Louvier stated in his letter to WSU that
another trustee had made a post to a subscriber-only forum on the CougFan
sports blog. WSU has no official affiliation with CougFan.com.
The post,
which Louvier claims was made by a trustee using the username “boomersg,”
suggested the accusations reported by the Evergreen were false and asked people
to write letters to WSU defending Gesser, who was “in [their] opinion the
victim of internal politics under the prior regime in WSU Athletics.”
The
Evergreen messaged the CougFan user through the website, but did not receive a
response by the time of publication.
Weiler
said he had not seen the post prior to meeting with the Evergreen on Tuesday
due to the forum being behind a paywall. However, Louvier included a screenshot
of the posting with his letter.
Louvier, a
WSU alumnus, said in his letter that he agreed with the ideas of defending
fellow Cougs, which were brought up in both the email and the forum posting.
“We should
not turn a blind eye toward wrongdoing,” Louvier wrote. “We should protect our
own when they are victims and we should hold one another accountable.”
Numerous
messages supporting Gesser and calling the allegations against him into doubt
were released as part of the Evergreen’s public records request. Many of them
came from people saying they knew Gesser personally and did not believe he
would do what he stood accused of in the OEO report.
However,
Weiler said people were upset once Bodeau and a masseuse from Moscow came
forward with their claims.
“People
who knew him personally felt 100 percent that there was no way this could be
true,” Weiler said. “Then when they found out it was true, they couldn’t
believe they had been duped and they were really angry, because he had said
[the allegations] weren’t true … and he had the opportunity to be truthful and
he chose not to be.”
After the
Gesser story came to a close, Weiler said the situation brought additional
attention to the OEO and that he wants people who have experienced harassment
or are the victims of wrongdoing to make reports anonymously if they do not
feel comfortable using their names.
He also
said this helped show the importance of the mandatory harassment training WSU
requires its faculty and staff to go through regularly.
“I think
this reinforces the fact that the requirement is appropriate and necessary,”
Weiler said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gardner
Minshew (WSU) vs. Brett Rypien (Boise State)?
Yes,
please: Five intriguing football bowl matchups for Washington State
UPDATED:
Thur., Nov. 29, 2018, 8:58 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s S-R
Where to?
National
media outlets guess where the Cougars will spend their Christmas – or perhaps
New Year’s – holiday.
CBS Sports
– Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia
ESPN –
Fiesta Bowl vs. Michigan (Bonagura), Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia (Sherman)
Sports
Illustrated – Fiesta Bowl vs. UCF
Yahoo! –
Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia
USA Today
– Fiesta Bowl vs. UCF
Sporting
News – Fiesta Bowl vs. UCF
Bleacher
Report – Fiesta Bowl vs. UCF
The
Athletic – Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia
247Sports
– Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia
SB Nation
– Alamo Bowl vs. West Virginia
PULLMAN –
Most Washington State fans sunk their heads into their hands when the College
Football Playoff committee released its most recent rankings on Tuesday.
Heading into conference championship weekend, the 10-2 Cougars sit right on the
bubble of a New Year’s Six bowl berth – and behind four teams who’ve lost one
more game than them.
Depending
on what happens in title games across the country Friday and Saturday, and how
CFP voters are feeling about the Cougs when they get out of bed Sunday, WSU
will either earn a bid to a major bowl game for the first time in 15 years or
“settle” for an above-average non-NY6 game.
The
official word comes Sunday, so while you wait, here are five intriguing bowl
matchups we’ve drawn up for the 2018 Cougars – a few of them more realistic
than the others.
1. WSU vs. Boise State in
the Fiesta Bowl
How it
could happen: On Boise State’s end, the Broncos would have to take care of
business against Fresno State in the Mountain West championship game. Bryan
Harsin and his crew will also be big Memphis fans this weekend. To reach the
Fiesta Bowl for the fourth time in school history, BSU would need the Tigers to
beat UCF in the AAC title game and the Knights would need to drop below the
Broncos in the College Football Playoff rankings. And for WSU to reach a NY6
bowl? Well, the Cougars need even more help. A quartet of three-loss teams –
Washington, Penn State, LSU and Florida – sits above WSU in the rankings and
only one of them, the No. 11 Huskies, plays a game this weekend. Committee
members would have to reevaluate the Cougars’ resume and decide to bump WSU
ahead of at least one of the three-loss teams to give Mike Leach a shot at his
first NY6 bowl as the coach in Pullman.
Why we’d
like it: First and foremost, because it would be the rubber match in an
entertaining series between the Mountain West Broncos and Pac-12 Cougars. Each
of the last two meetings were decided by three points, with BSU edging WSU
31-28 on the blue turf two years ago and the Cougars outlasting the Broncos
47-44 in a triple-overtime thriller in Pullman last season. Brett Rypien, the
Spokane native and Shadle Park grad with some well-documented ties to WSU, has
thrown for more than 13,400 yards as a four-year starter for the Broncos and
will be playing his final game in the BSU blue.
2. WSU vs.
West Virginia in the Alamo Bowl
How it
could happen: At No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the
Mountaineers are completely out of the picture when it comes to a New Year’s
Six bowl. The Cougars, now No. 13, no longer control their NY6 destiny after a
28-15 loss to Washington in the Apple Cup. With Oklahoma and Texas in NY6
bowls, it seems most likely the Alamo Bowl would grab WVU. If WSU can’t secure
a trip to the Fiesta or Peach Bowl, the Cougars would become the most
attractive choice for the San Antonio game.
Why we’d
like it: There’d be a storyline just about everywhere you look. Two Heisman
Trophy candidates – WVU’s Will Grier and WSU’s Gardner Minshew – squaring off
in the Alamodome might be the best QB matchup of the postseason, barring a
potential CFP meeting between Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa. Just as
fascinating, the reunion of Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen and Cougars coach
Mike Leach. Holgorsen played for Leach at Iowa Wesleyan, then coached alongside
Leach at Valdosta State and spent seven more seasons with the former Texas Tech
boss in Lubbock. Since then, Holgorsen has worked to spread the Air Raid gospel
at Houston, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. Leach returning to Texas gives us
another subplot here. Sovereign immunity, anyone? Both of WSU’s specialists,
kicker Blake Mazza and Oscar Draguicevich, also hail from the Lone Star State.
3. WSU vs.
UCF in the Fiesta Bowl
How it
could happen: Even without standout QB McKenzie Milton, the Knights of UCF are
still favored to beat Memphis by three points in the AAC championship game. If
they do, they’ll lock down a NY6 bid for the second time in as many years. WSU,
as mentioned above, needs plenty of help from committee members on college
football’s “Selection Sunday,” but enough of the prognosticators are
recognizing the Fiesta Bowl as a potential destination for WSU – and UCF as a
potential foe – that we’ll give it some ink, too.
Why we’d
like it: Earlier this year, Leach revisited the still-popular 1999 Red River
Rivalry game between his Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. Leach, OU’s
offensive coordinator, devised a fake call sheet and left it on the field prior
to the game for Longhorns coaches to find. As the story goes, a UT grad
assistant picked up the bait and on the first OU drive, quarterback Josh Heupel
fired a 44-yard touchdown pass, executing a play that was opposite of the one
on Leach’s mock call sheet. Heupel is the coach at UCF, so Knights vs. Cougars
would give us another matchup between Leach and an old pupil. We’d definitely
scan the turf for stranded playbooks beforehand, too.
4. WSU vs.
Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl
How it
could happen: The Buckeyes are a heavy favorite to beat Northwestern in the Big
Ten title game. If they do, this possibility would be null, because Ohio State
would head to the Rose Bowl. If – a big, big “if” – the Wildcats can pull off
an upset, they’d fly to Pasadena and OSU would settle for another NY6 game,
perhaps the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, we understand that also makes it more difficult
for WSU to secure an NY6 spot, but perhaps CFP voters decided to knock the
three-loss teams below the Cougars. Lots of “perhaps” and “ifs” here, but where
there’s a will, there’s a way.
Why we’d
like it: The reunion with former WSU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, a
first-year co-DC/safeties coach in Columbus, is an obvious plot line here. The
Buckeyes rank just No. 67 nationally in total defense and as much Air Raid as
Grinch saw over the years in Pullman, they’re just No. 77 against the pass. If
Minshew doesn’t get a trip to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony,
OSU QB Dwayne Haskins is probably the one getting his ticket. The matchup
between two high-caliber passers also gives this matchup intrigue.
5. WSU vs.
Michigan in the Peach Bowl
How it
could happen: If the Cougars are fortunate enough to nab a New Year’s Six spot,
it’d almost surely be the Fiesta Bowl. The Peach Bowl is another option,
however. Most already expect Michigan to be courted by the Atlanta-based game.
The Wolverines, at 10-2 and No. 7 in the CFP rankings, don’t play this weekend
and therefore won’t slip out of the top 12. If CFP committee members get out of
bed Sunday and somehow fall in love with the Cougars again – and fall out of
love with the Nittany Lions, Tigers and Gators – WSU could face the Big Ten for
a third consecutive postseason.
Why we’d
like it: The press conference might draw bigger numbers than the game itself.
On one side of the podium, Jim Harbaugh, who once climbed a tree while
recruiting a top cornerback prospect. On the other, Leach, who last year during
a pre-Holiday Bowl presser, elaborated on his experience owning a pet raccoon.
Two of college football’s most riveting interviews, Harbaugh and Leach are also
a few of the sport’s most innovative minds and Michigan and WSU respectively
rank No. 21 and No. 15 in scoring offense this season.
And just
for kicks…
6. WSU vs.
Northwestern in the Holiday Bowl
How it
could happen: OK, now we’re really stretching, but stretch with us here. If
Utah ekes out a win in the Pac-12 championship game, the Utes would be Rose
Bowl-bound and the Pac-12 would presumably be shielded from a second NY6 berth.
The Alamo Bowl could technically grab UW at this point, because the Huskies
would still be within one conference loss of the Cougars. The Holiday Bowl,
theoretically, could take Stanford if the Cardinal avoid a fourth conference
loss this Saturday against Cal. But 10-win Wazzu still is the more attractive
option – yes, even for the Holiday Bowl.
Why we’d
like it: Behind Leach and Minshew, Northwestern strength coach Alex Spanos
would be the third-most recognizable character in this game. Spanos’ tight
purple polo shirts and jacked up biceps have become virally famous – far more
so than any player or coach on Northwestern’s roster. That’s about all we have
here.
:::::::::::::
Cougfan.com 11/30/2018
Unsung: 11 football Cougs out of the
limelight who've come up big in 2018
A TEAM DOESN'T go
10-2 only because of its stars. Washington State's 2018 squad featured a number
of players in the regular season who, while out of the limelight, were key to
the Cougs' success. With the Cougs in reach of a program-best 11 wins, here are
11 Cougs whose contributions this season should not be forgotten.
SAFETY DEION SINGLETON
The fourth-year junior came off the bench, and came up huge, in
the win over Utah. When starter Skyler Thomas was ejected early in the game,
the Utes looked to target his replacement. But Singleton racked up eight
tackles, including five solo stops. On the season, Singleton has played in
seven games posting 13 tackles (10 solo) and has an interception to his credit.
CB GEORGE HICKS III
Hicks saw more time in rotation at corner as the season went
along. He played in eight games and with WSU losing both its senior starting
corners after this season, the second-year sophomore is on the rise and one to
watch.
NICKEL KEDRON WILLIAMS
The true freshman looks to be the heir apparent to senior Hunter
Dale at the nickel spot. He's played in seven games and has posted seven
tackles, all but one being of the unassisted variety. He also has an
interception and pass break up to his credit.
LB FA'AVAE FA'AVAE
The second-year freshman has been solid on special teams, played
in eight games and has six tackles on the year. But 2 1-2 of those
tackles have been sacks. He's another young defenseman on the rise for
the Cougs.
WR ROBERT LEWIS
The sixth-year player, who missed all of last year with a torn
ACL, is no longer a starter in the slot with Renard Bell taking over at the
H. Some former starters might not react well to no longer being "the
man" but Lewis, who has posted 22 starts and played in 45 games at WSU,
has been an exemplary and encouraging teammate. He has played in eight game and
has one catch on the season -- this touchdown.
RB KEITH HARRINGTON
Another exemplary teammate, Harrington, who has played in every
game, has embraced his special teams role as a fifth-year senior. But he has
also seen turns in the backfield to spell James Williams and Max Borghi, with
14 carries for 45 yards and 9 receptions for 57 hashes. Washington State
will miss the leadership of both Harrington and Lewis next season.
NT JESUS ECHEVARRIA
The second-year freshman walk on was one of the early season
surprises, putting together a banner start to the season and carving out a role
in rotation -- he posted four tackles in his first five games. Alas, Echevarria
has only played in five games this season for the Cougs. Wazzu doesn't comment
on injuries but Cougar fans should look forward to Echevarria's career path in
2019 and beyond.
DL MISIONA AIOLUPOTEA-PEI
The third-year junior has played in 10 games this season and
posted six tackles, including 1 1-2 for loss. Having come from junior college
and with this being only his third season playing American football, look for
him to take a big step forward in 2019.
RUSH TRISTAN BROCK
WSU's special teams in 2018 have been much improved under
first-year assistant coach Matt Brock and special teams mainstays like Brock
are a big reason why. The fourth-year junior walk on has played in all 12
games, with three tackles including one for loss.
LB COLE DUBOTS
The second-year freshman has played in 11 games and has been
another special teams asset this season. He has 8 tackles to his credit (7
solo) including two for loss, with his speed being his greatest asset.
LB KARSON BLOCK
11 tackles (8 solo) this season, including four tackles for loss
and a sack. With this being his first year playing for the Cougs, it's
intriguing to think what he might bring to the table in 2019.
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DON’T MISS THIS
Link to another story in the series John Canzano of the
Oregonian has researched/written about the Pac-12 Conference:
Closing the door on the Pac-12 Conference headquarters: Is Larry
Scott willing to make changes?
…
ALSO, this from “The Athletic”
‘You have to let it go, but it will always haunt me’: The
hard-won lessons of Matt Kegel as a WSU quarterback
The link above to The Athletic story only gives you the opening
part. It’s blocked unless you are a subscriber.
But, below is a link to a full story about what (in 2016) Matt was
doing. It included mention of the 2002 Apple Cup ..
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