Medal of Honor Recipient Ron Shurer – grad of WSU and
Puyallup’s Rogers High School -- to raise the Cougar flag for Apple Cup 2018 at
Martin Stadium
Based on info on Nov 20, 2018 from Pullman Radio News
The Washington State
University graduate who earned the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan will raise the
Cougar flag in Martin Stadium for this week’s Apple Cup football game. Ron
Shurer will be making his first trip back to Pullman since joining the US Army
in 2002 shortly after the 911 terrorist attacks.
Shurer recently received the
Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump in the White House. He served 2
tours in Afghanistan as a Special Forces combat medic in the Green Berets. The
Medal of Honor recognized Shurer’s valor in the Battle of Shok Valley in 2008.
Shurer fought his way to several wounded soldiers. He treated and evacuated the
casualties despite being wounded himself. Shurer now serves in the US Secret
Service.
Shurer also recently
received the WSU Board of Regents Distinguished Alumnus Award. He and his wife
Miranda and their 2 sons will be in Pullman for the Apple Cup on Friday.
::::::::::::::::::
Return of hero Ron Shurer, a Coug, to Pullman
By David Wasson, WSU News at
WSU Insider 11/19/2018
His first year at Washington
State University, a young Ron Shurer helped cheer the Cougar football team all
the way to the Rose Bowl.
“Ryan Leaf was quarterback,”
recalls Shurer, now 39 and making his first trip back to Pullman for Apple Cup
weekend since joining the U.S. Army in 2002, following the 9‑11 terrorist attacks a few months earlier. “I’m looking forward to
cheering on the Cougs, seeing the campus again. I’ve heard a lot has changed.”
A lot has changed, indeed,
particularly for Shurer.
The former Special Forces
combat medic, now serving as a member of the U.S. Secret Service, returns to
his alma mater a national hero.
Shurer did two tours in
Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, and his valor during the 2008 battle of Shok
Valley earned him the Medal of Honor, bestowed last month during a White House
ceremony where the gratitude of a nation was draped literally around his neck.
Not a single U.S. soldier died in the six‑hour battle, despite multiple casualties, as Shurer scrambled through
heavy enemy fire to treat and evacuate the wounded while helping hold the
attackers at bay and being wounded himself.
At this year’s Apple Cup,
he’ll hoist the Cougar flag and be recognized during the annual rivalry between
Washington and Washington State.
He’ll also add another honor
to his impressive list of accomplishments, the WSU Board of Regents
Distinguished Alumnus Award. Regents selected him for the prestigious honor
during their Nov. 16 meeting.
Shurer, for his part, is
taking it all in stride.
He’s humbled by the
recognition but is still uncomfortable with the title hero. “I look at it as I
was doing my job, doing what I was trained to do and was there to do,” Shurer
said recently. “The reason I wanted to be a medic is because I thought what
better way to serve than looking out for my fellow soldiers.”
A family tradition of
service
Enlisting in the military after
college was almost a foregone conclusion. Both of his parents served in the
U.S. Air Force, and his grandfather and great-grandfather served in the
military as well.
But his first attempt ended
in unexpected rejection.
He applied and initially was
accepted for officer candidate school with the U.S. Marine Corps in early 2001,
as he prepared to graduate from WSU with a bachelor’s degree in business
economics. The application later was declined because of a medical issue, a
move that President Donald Trump bluntly described as “a bad mistake,” adding
that the military obviously made up for it.
With his postgraduation plan
scuttled, Shurer enrolled in graduate school at WSU, but just a few weeks after
the fall semester began, the 9‑11 terrorist attacks occurred.
“I couldn’t just sit there,” he said. “I knew
I had to try again.”
This time, he approached the
U.S. Army and by 2003 was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Two years later, he
was accepted for Special Forces training and donned the elite green beret.
In the Special Forces,
medics are part of the offensive fighting capability of their units. Their
medical training is considered a secondary skill similar to how others in the
unit might have demolitions expertise or are trained in radio operations.
Because of that, they receive no special protections that are supposed to be
afforded medical personnel in war zones.
By 2008, Shurer was a staff
sergeant and part of a unit that was hunting terrorist leaders in the rugged
mountains of Afghanistan. On April 6 of that year, the team was part of a
larger force dropped by helicopters into the remote Shok Valley of northeastern
Afghanistan.
The terrain was so rugged,
the helicopters were unable to land and soldiers had to drop about 10 feet into
a river. A short time later insurgents that were part of a force estimated at
over 200 strong opened fire from concealed positions.
Shurer was tending to nearby
wounded when he learned that forward units were pinned down with multiple
severe casualties. He fought his way toward the most critically injured,
stopping at one point to treat a shrapnel wound suffered by a teammate.
Targeted by snipers
When he reached the forward
units, he helped keep the enemy force at bay while stabilizing more than a
dozen wounded soldiers. Snipers targeted him, grazing his arm. A bullet tore
through another soldier’s arm and hit Shurer’s helmet, which he said felt like
someone had bashed him over the head with a baseball bat. He thought at the
time that he wouldn’t survive the battle, paused to say a prayer asking that
his wife and family find peace with whatever might happen to him, but then
returned to developing a mental list of immediate battlefield needs and
methodically working down it.
“Mostly I just kept re‑assessing the situation repeatedly,” Shurer recalled. “As the only U.S.
medic on the ground, I was constantly asking myself where should I be at, where
am I needed. You just have to constantly prioritize your actions, assess
conditions, wounds, identify the most pressing needs and keep working down that
list.”
Eventually he was able to
begin evacuating the wounded, still having to dodge and return gunfire.
Back home, his wife Miranda
knew something was different and was trying not to worry.
Technology has dramatically
improved the ability of deployed soldiers and their loved ones to stay in touch
and the couple talked regularly, even when half a world away from each other.
But Miranda hadn’t heard from her husband in a while. That typically meant he
was on a mission. She had sensed something was getting ready to happen the last
time they talked but knew he wouldn’t be able to tell her anything if she
asked.
“I’m his wife, I know him,”
she explained. “It was the way he told me he loved me.”
Within the tight‑knit community of military spouses, word of the Shok Valley battle had
started to spread. Miranda struggled to remain positive as others began hearing
from their deployed spouses, then felt a sense of relief when his call finally
came. He had been checking on his wounded teammates back at the medical
facilities in Jalalabad before taking time for himself.
Shurer left the Army a
little over a year later and was hired by the U.S. Secret Service, where he
serves as part of the Counter Assault Team, which protects the president from
possible attacks. He and Miranda, along with their two sons, live in Virginia.
Now, he’s fighting another
battle. This time it’s lung cancer, a fight that President Trump said Shurer is
facing with the courage and strength of “a warrior.”
Cheering for the Cougs
This weekend in Pullman,
Miranda and their two sons are looking forward to seeing the university they’ve
heard so much about over the years.
“Ron is always talking about
the Apple Cup — what a big game it is, and how much fun it is to cheer for the
Cougs,” she said. “He used to get super annoyed with me because, for some
reason, I keep calling it the Apple Bowl, and he’s like, `No it’s Cup, the
Apple Cup.’
“I went to a small college
that didn’t have a football team, so this will be a new experience for me,” she
said with a laugh. “We can’t wait for the boys to see WSU and to get a chance
to cheer for the Cougs.”
And if, just like in
Shurer’s freshman year, the Cougs make it to Pasadena this January, Ron
probably won’t be bothered too much if Miranda mistakenly calls it the Apple
Bowl or even the Rose Cup every now and then. He’ll still feel connected to the
WSU community because some things don’t change and, he said, “It’s like being
part of this big family.”
::::::::
It’s Apple Cup 2018 time:
WSU President Kirk Schulz has declared WSU a 'Purple Free Zone
::::
Jack Thompson, before becoming a Washington State
football legend, wanted to be a Husky
Originally
published November 19, 2018 at 1:21 pm Updated November 19, 2018 at 8:06 pm
The Throwin' Samoan graduated from WSU as the NCAA's all-time leading
passer. But if the Husky coach had not stood his family up, he would have gone
to UW.
By Scott Hanson, Seattle Times
Brace yourself,
Cougar fans.
Jack Thompson, the
Throwin’ Samoan and Washington State University icon, almost became a Husky.
In fact, he would
have had Husky coach Jim Owens not stood his family up. Of course, it all
worked out in the end. But it certainly wasn’t how Thompson envisioned things
while growing up just south of Seattle city limits and starring as a
quarterback at Evergreen High School in White Center.
His father loved
the Huskies, and so did he, proudly wearing a Sonny Sixkiller UW No. 6 jersey.
“I wanted to be a
Husky,” said Thompson, 62, who moved from American Samoa to the U.S. when he
was 1 and now lives in Magnolia. “I used to watch the ‘Husky highlights’ on
Sunday, and so I was a big Husky fan and a big Sonny Sixkiller fan. But when I
was being recruited, they knew they had me in the bag. But when it came to a
visit in my home, twice they said they were coming, and Coach Jim Owens said he
was coming, and he never showed.
“It wasn’t a good
deal. I didn’t like that they disrespected my folks. So I had my eyes
elsewhere.”
Washington’s loss
was the Cougars’ gain. When Thompson took his official visit to Pullman, his
host – one of the freshman quarterbacks — did not show up to take him around
campus.
“So I walked the
campus myself,” Thompson said, saying he must have looked lost because several
students offered to help him. “And you could sense this place was different.
You could tell there was a difference, and a friendliness, and it really jumped
out.”
Thompson was sold,
but after playing just sparingly as a freshman in 1975, he was thinking about
leaving WSU. And he most certainly would have, had Washington not won the Apple
Cup that year with a 93-yard interception return and a 78-yard touchdown pass
in the final three minutes to win 28-27.
After the game, WSU
coach Jim Sweeney resigned.
“When that game was happening, myself and
(receiver) Mike Levenseller were on the sidelines, and saying we should
transfer, because we were thinking, what are the chances of us getting on the
field? So we were thinking of going to UPS (Puget Sound) or San Diego State,”
Thompson said. “We were running the option offense and it really wasn’t my
forte.”
Thompson and
Levenseller stayed, forming a great duo before their NFL careers.
Thompson, despite
playing for three head coaches the next three seasons (Jackie Sherrill, Warren
Powers and Jim Walden), became a national star. He threw for 7,818 career
yards, becoming the most prolific passer in NCAA history at the time and
setting nearly every Pac-8 conference passing record. He was ninth in the
Heisman Trophy voting and was the No. 3 overall choice in the 1979 draft by the
Cincinnati Bengals.
He certainly has no
regrets about picking WSU, even though he regrets never winning an Apple Cup
and wishes he hadn’t had to play for four coaches in four seasons.
“As much as I loved
playing for WSU, there is something about the school itself that draws all of
us alums,” Thompson said. “We all have that same feeling for that school we
went to. I loved our football program, don’t get me wrong, but I loved our
school more.”
Thompson played six
seasons in the NFL. He spent the first four seasons mostly as a backup to Ken
Anderson in Cincinnati. In Thompson’s third season in 1981, the two battled for
the starting job in the preseason, and Thompson looked like he might win the
job before suffering a high ankle sprain in the final exhibition game that
sidelined him several weeks.
Anderson went on to
be an All-Pro that season, leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl, which they
lost to San Francisco. After the 1982 season, Thompson was traded to the woeful
Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a first-round choice, starting 19 games before he was
released following the 1984 season.
“It was a great
experience,” Thompson said of his six years in the NFL. “If I regret anything,
it was leaving my good friends in Cincinnati.”
Thompson helped
create the Quarterback Challenge (a skills event for NFL quarterbacks) after
his playing days, calling it his “first foray into marketing” and he said he
returned to Washington around 1988.
“I am glad I did,
and I got back with the Cougar family,” he said.
Thompson became a
partner and a board member of the Java Trading Company before the coffee
company was sold in 2006. Then he got into the mortgage banking business and is
a partner in CrossCountry Mortgage.
Thompson and wife
Molly have been married for 38 years, and have two adult children, Jack and
Tony.
Tony walked on at
WSU and earned a scholarship as a long snapper and tight end, earning three
letters before graduating in 2009.
“Tony’s love for
Washington State rivals mine,” Jack said. “So much so he works there for the
Carson College of Business.”
Son Jack has two
boys, 1 and 3, and lives in Spokane.
“With the two boys
on the east side (of the state), it’s not a matter of if, but when we are going
to move to the WSU side of the state,” the elder Thompson said.
Thompson is on the
board of directors of the Washington State University Foundation and he takes
his role as a representative of the school seriously.
“We all should,”
said Thompson, who is thrilled with the Cougars’ success this season and is a
big fan of quarterback Gardner Minshew. “When you have an opportunity to
represent the Cougs on the field of play, when you are finished, that doesn’t
end. You are always representing our school. We love our school so much.”
The way Thompson
does that has caught the attention of the player he grew up admiring.
“Jack Thompson,
what a great Cougar he is,” Sonny Sixkiller said. “And what a great guy.”
Of course, to many,
Thompson always will be the Throwin’ Samoan, and he is just fine with that.
“I knew the guy who
tagged me with it, Harry Missildine (of the Spokesman-Review), and I didn’t
think anything of it. It was pretty true. I am Samoan and I threw the ball. In
these politically correct days, people might have a problem with it, but that’s
their problem, not mine. I am proud of it, and my dad, frankly, loved it.”
::::::::::::
FOOTBALL: A sweet Apple Cup: ‘Why can’t you be more like the
Petersen boy?’
Originally published November 19, 2018 at 10:25 pm Updated
November 20, 2018 at 7:32 am
By Theo Lawson, Spokane Spokesman-Review. Story appeared in
Seattle Times
PULLMAN – While fans of Washington and Washington State
exchange cross-state jabs at one another over the next four days, the men
coaching the Huskies and the Cougars decided to open rivalry week with a
different type of game.
Dish a compliment, take a compliment, dish another one, take
another one.
“He’s just a great guy,” Leach said of Petersen during a
Monday news conference. “He’s a good guy, he’s the guy that the teachers
probably always liked and got to school early, got his homework done early. And
your parents would occasionally say, ‘Why can’t you be more like the Petersen
boy?’ ”
Earlier in the day, Petersen spoke with the same high regard
for the man who’ll be opposing him Friday night at Martin Stadium, where the
Huskies (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) and Cougars (10-1, 7-1) will be playing to determine
which team gets a date with Utah in the Pac-12 title game in Santa Clara,
California, Nov. 30.
“He just does it his
way,” Petersen told local media of Leach. “I think there’s a lot of ways to
skin a cat, obviously. I think he believes in his way. I think he’s a really
smart guy and he sticks to the script and he can weather the storm. He just
perseveres and comes through it.”
No barbs between the rival coaches approximately 120 hours
before the biggest game of the season for both – just pleasantries.
“He’s a fantastic guy,” Leach said. “I can see why parents
said I should be more like him. At this point, it probably won’t happen, but I
can see their point of view a little bit.”
Leach and Petersen don’t cross paths often outside of the
annual rivalry game, but the UW coach rehashed a comical non-Apple Cup
encounter with his WSU counterpart during Monday’s media availability.
Eleven coaches had already arrived at Pac-12 media day in
July when Leach – In-N-Out Burger bag in hand – showed up to the meeting nearly
30 minutes late.
“We were all looking at our watches thinking, ‘This might
not turn out good for him,’ ” Petersen recalled. “He walks in with this
In-N-Out burger and milkshake and we’re all like, ‘Really?’ And waiting for
somebody to say something. He’s just happy as a clam eating away and we’re
like, ‘Why didn’t we do that?’ That’s really the last time I saw him.”
The story is accurate, Leach later affirmed at his news
conference, but the WSU coach gave an explanation for his tardiness.
Leach had been at his home in Key West, Florida, and the
cross-country flight to Los Angeles was delayed.
Said Leach: “It wasn’t entirely unlike Jeff Spicoli in ‘Fast
Times at Ridgemont High’ when he walked in with the pizza and Mr. Hand says,
‘What do you think you’re doing on my time?’ Well, everyone was there so I felt
like it was our time. So we might as well enjoy some In-N-Out Burgers as long
as we’re all there and getting the edification of the meeting.”
Notes
• Gardner Minshew was named one of three finalists for the
Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the best quarterback in the country.
“I’m super excited about it, super humbled by it,” Minshew said of the
nomination; the honor will be awarded Dec. 6 in Atlanta. “Obviously none of
it’s really possible without the guys around me.”
• Linebacker Jahad Woods was selected as the Pac-12
defensive player of the week. Woods led WSU with a career-high 11 tackles
against Arizona. Woods also had a hand in two turnovers, forcing one fumble and
recovering another
:::::::::::
Washington State offensive line recognized as one of 10
semifinalists for Joe Moore Award
Tue., Nov. 20, 2018, 10:45 a.m.
By Theo Lawson of Spokane’s S-R
The Cougars have thrown the football 583 times this season,
but quarterback Gardner Minshew has been sacked just nine times –
seventh-fewest in the country.
Behind his offensive line, comprised of left tackle Andre
Dillard, left guard Liam Ryan, center Fred Mauigoa, right guard Josh Watson and
right tackle Abraham Lucas, Minshew has led the country’s top passing offense
and has thrown an FBS-high 36 touchdown passes.
“I can’t thank them enough,”Minshew said Saturday after a
69-28 win over Arizona. “Just being able to sit back there and letting the
receivers, giving them more time to work, I think that was a huge part in
letting us be so successful.”
Cougar running backs James Williams and Max Borghi are
averaging 4.69 yards per carry this season and have rushed for 17 touchdowns.
The O-line’s feats are impressive when you consider it lost
three starters, including All-American left guard Cody O’Connell and All-Pac-12
right tackle Cole Madison, who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the
fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Cougars also had to replace longtime offensive line
coach Clay McGuire, who left for Texas Tech in the offseason. McGuire was
replaced by Mason Miller, who came to WSU from Nevada nearly 23 years after
playing running back for Cougars coach Mike Leach at Valdosta State.
“As far as playing together, I think they’re more
synchronized than any other group we’ve had,” Leach said of his O-line in 2018.
According to the Joe Moore Award committee, WSU’s O-line is
“one of hardest units to judge because of pass heavy scheme. But they are
excellent at what they do [pass protection] even though they aren’t asked to do
a whole lot. Pocket holds up really well. Extremely consistent.”
The Power Five average for “clean pockets” (pass protection
opportunities with no pressures allowed by an O-lineman) is 80 percent, but the
Cougars are keeping a clean pocket 86 percent of the time – the best rate in
the Pac-12 Conference.
The past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the
offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa
(2016) and the University of Notre Dame (2017).
::::::::::::::::::::
Washington State assistant football coach, Tracy Claeys,
makes cut as one of 15 semifinalists for Broyles Award which honors the nation’s
top assistant
Tue., Nov. 20, 2018, 11:09 a.m.
By Theo Lawson of Spokesman-Review/Spokane
PULLMAN – The Broyles Award reduced its list of names from
53 to 15, but Washington State defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys is still in
the running for the award given to the nation’s top assistant coach, making the
cut as a Broyles semifinalist Tuesday morning.
Under their first-year DC, the Cougars rank fourth in the
Pac-12 Conference in total defense (33.8 yards per game allowed), fourth in
scoring defense (22.6 points per game), third in pass defense (208.3 ypg) and
third in run defense (125.5 ypg).
WSU leads the conference and is tied for 13th in the country
with 3.09 sacks per game and 34 total on the season.
Claeys’ defense had not been among the Pac-12 leaders in
turnovers forced, but the Cougars have had 11 in their last three games –
including nine in the last two – and are now tied for second in the league with
17 turnovers. WSU recovered seven fumbles in wins over Colorado and Arizona and
had an interception in each game.
Joining Claeys as semifinalists are UAB DC David Reeves,
Alabama OC Michael Locksley, Army DC Jay Bateman, Cal DC/OLB coach Tim
DeRuyter, UCF OL coach Glen Elarbee, Clemson Co-OC/WR coach Jeff Scott, Georgia
OL coach Sam Pittman, LSU DC/LB coach Jeff Aranda, Michigan DC Don Brown,
Mississippi state DC/safeties coahc Bob Shoop, Notre Dame OC Chip Long,
Oklahoma Co-OC/OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh, Utah State OC/QB coach David Yost and
West Virginia OC/QB coach Jake Spavital.
:::::::::::
Rain-snow mix could fall on Washington, Washington State
during Friday’s Apple Cup
Mon., Nov. 19, 2018, 9:55 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of S-R Spokane
PULLMAN – Mother nature could play a factor in yet another
Apple Cup game.
There’s a 70 percent chance No. 7 Washington State and No.
16 Washington will meet under rainy skies Friday night when the Evergreen State
rivals kick off the 111th Apple Cup at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) at Martin Stadium.
According to Weather.com, it’ll almost certainly be a wet
afternoon on the Palouse, with a 90 percent chance of rain. Weather services
say there’s a 70 percent chance of rain come Friday evening, but the forecast
also calls for a rain-snow mix and snow accumulations of less than one inch.
Cold rain pounded the Cougars and Huskies in last year’s
game, which was played on a cloudy Saturday night at UW’s Husky Stadium. Winds
of 10-15 miles-per-hour are projected for the upcoming Apple Cup, with a low
temperature of 30 degrees.
“The thing I think is sort of exciting is in the history of
(the Apple Cup), the weather conditions have always been different,” WSU coach
Mike Leach said Monday. “So that even brings another element and nuance to
things, really.”
WSU fans have fond memories of the 1992 rivalry game widely
known as the “Snow Bowl.” On top of a thick white blanket, Drew Bledsoe threw a
memorable second-half touchdown pass to Phillip Bobo, who dove to track down
the ball before sliding through the snowy slush in the back of the end zone.
The Cougars beat the Huskies 42-23 in one of the most notable cold-weather
games in Apple Cup history.
::::::::::::::
WSU men’s basketball
Robert Franks, tough defense help Cougars hold off Cal Poly
UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 19, 2018, 10:47 p.m.
By Peter Harriman for Spokane S-R
As a lead that had reached 31 points melted to 12 late in
the second half, it highlighted what a different team Washington State is
without Robert Franks on the floor.
But the Cougars drew the line there and held off Cal Poly
for an 84-70 win Monday, which put a spotlight, as well, on what coach Ernie
Kent believes is a special defensive unit.
“It’s the first time in a long time I have had a defense
that can dictate tempo in a game,” Kent said.
When that tempo feeds into an unselfish offense, as it did
against the Mustangs, the Cougars are a handful. They had 25 assists in hitting
33 of 67 shots, 49.3 percent from the floor.
“We are really good when we share the ball,” said Kent.
Also, the Cougars made seven steals and harassed the
Mustangs into 16 turnovers, against only 14 assists, never a good ratio for an
offense.
The Cal Poly rally Kent shrugged off as the result of
emptying his bench to get some game tape of all his players to use for
teaching.
“The game got away from us a little bit,” he acknowledged,
“We had some weird lineups in there. To their credit, they kept chipping away,”
he said of the Mustangs.
Franks contributed 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, and he
was on the floor for all but 3 1/2 minutes. The Mustangs’ placid zone was
hardly an impediment. Franks was able to get the ball unchallenged on the
perimeter and was free then to choose his driving angles or to pull up for jump
shots.
“Everyone can see how important Robert Franks is to us. He
gets 30 and makes it look easy,” Kent said.
Because WSU was able to hit from outside, it forced Cal Poly
to extend its zone and made it even easier for Franks to find room to drive to
the hoop, Kent pointed out.
Franks also got in on the assist bonanza with three.
The Mustangs, in fact, had trouble with several WSU
shooters. Ahmed Ali scored 15 points, including a back-to-back 3-pointers in
the first half to slow a Mustang rally. Isaiah Wade added 14 points and grabbed
eight rebounds.
“Coach dwelled on that 2-3 zone. We ran a lot of plays
against it in practice, so it was not new to us,” Wade said. “We got the job
done.”
The Mustangs had an edge in size in the paint against WSU
but were largely unable to exploit it. Hank Hollingsworth and Tuukka Jaakkola,
each 6-10, led Cal Poly with five rebounds apiece. But Hollingsworth scored
only five points and Jaakkola had two.
This is where the Cougars 1-3-1 defense really delivered
according to Kent. Because WSU’s rangy defenders were quick enough to keep up
with the Mustangs’ guards “it was difficult for them to see over our size to
see their size underneath,” Kent said.
About midway through the first half, Cal Poly was still
hanging reasonably close to the Cougs, trailing 25-15. But WSU turned up the
defensive pressure with its 1-3-1. It built the lead to 19 points over the next
five minutes, 37-18, before Cal Poly mounted a bit of a comeback with six
straight points of its own on a pair of free throws by Donovan Fields, a
3-pointer from the corner by Kuba Nizoil and a slam in the lane by
Hollingsworth to finish a fast break. Kent called a time out. Whatever he said
got the Cougars reengaged. Ali delivered his timely back-to-back threes to put
WSU in front, 46-24, on the way to a 54-27 halftime lead.
Ali, like Kent, pointed to the Cougars making the extra pass
to compile their impressive assist total.
“My team did a really good job of giving up the ball,” he
said.
Fields led the Mustangs with 22 points. He also accounted
for half of Cal Poly’s 14 assists.
The win improved WSU’s record to 2-1. Cal Poly fell to 1-2.
The victory also gives the Cougars confidence going into the holiday break,
said Franks.
“We know what we are capable of on the defensive end.”
:::::::::
(Below is part of story from THE ATHLETIC. News for
CougGroup does not have access to entire story.)
NFL Prospect Recap: The time to take Gardner Minshew
seriously as an NFL quarterback prospect is past due
By Dane Brugler THE ATHLETIC
Like clockwork, the college football season introduces
unheralded stars each season. A few of those stars also emerge as legitimate
NFL prospects.
Washington State QB Gardner Minshew (6-1, 223, 4.78)
qualifies for both categories.
Through
11 games this season, Minshew leads the nation in passing yards per game
(393.2), total offense (401.5) and passing touchdowns (36, tied
with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and Houston’s D’Eriq King). In the lopsided
69-28 win over Arizona on Saturday, Minshew threw seven touchdowns
(school-record), completed 78.2 percent of his passes (43-for-55) and threw for
473 yards.
Washington State is 10-1 and in position to win the Pac-12
North with a victory over rival Washington in the Apple Cup on Friday. The
Cougars are the conference’s lone chance at a College Football Playoff spot.
The gaudy numbers look great on Minshew’s collegiate resume,
which should earn him a trip to New York City for the Heisman Trophy...
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WSU’s Gardner Minshew shows how valuable a grad transfer QB
can be to a team. But you’ll never see that at UW.
Originally published November 20, 2018 at 6:34 am Updated
November 20, 2018 at 11:46 am
Washington State QB Gardner Minshew is one of the latest —
and best — examples of how the grad transfer rule can benefit both the player
and the program, but Petersen says UW's strict standards prevent grad transfers
from coming to Montlake.
By Adam Jude Seattle
Times
A few years ago, the Huskies did their homework on Eastern
Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. At the time, Adams was drawing interest
from a handful of major-college programs who wanted to bring in the QB as a
graduate transfer.
Washington wasn’t one of the programs to offer Adams a
scholarship, and there was good reason for that. (Adams wound up transferring
to Oregon for his final season of eligibility in 2015.)
As Chris Petersen explained Monday, the process for students
to apply to grad school at the University of Washington is stricter than at
other schools, and the December deadline for grad school applications — not to
mention UW’s demanding academic requirements — means it’s unlikely the Huskies
will ever be able to get a grad transfer onto the football team.
“We would love to —
we’ve been involved with a couple (potential grad transfers), but it wasn’t
going to happen,” Petersen said. “We were past the deadline and just how they’re
doing it here is different.”
NCAA rules allow a player who has eligibility remaining and
who has earned his undergraduate degree to transfer as a graduate student to
another program without penalty (meaning he or she can play immediately at
their new school). More student-athletes are taking advantage of that
opportunity; according to the NCAA, the number of graduate transfers in college
football increased almost tenfold from 2011 to 2017, from 17 to 168 in that span.
Washington State QB Gardner Minshew is one of the latest —
and best — examples of how the grad transfer rule can benefit both the player
and the program, which is what prompted the questions about topic with Petersen
ahead of Friday’s Apple Cup.
“It’s a lot harder for us to get transfers. That’s my
problem with this whole thing,” Petersen said. “It’s not all the same, in terms
(of academic standards and timelines). I have no idea about his situation, but
I just know we haven’t gotten one in here (to UW) yet. So it’s really hard to
get that done. At other places it’s not. …
“If everybody is on the same page and a guy is going to come
play football — because let’s be real: That’s what everybody’s going. They’re
not going there to get a degree. They’re going there to play football. Let’s
just all be on the same page, and then it’s all good. I’m happy for the guy. I
really am. It wasn’t working out where he was and he’s having this unbelievable
experience (in Pullman). I think that’s great. I think you’re going to see more
and more of it, but we’re not seeing it here.”
::::::::::::::::::
Link …
… to interview of QB Gardner Minshew on Spokane’s KHQ-TV
::::::::::::::
Leach gets philosophical on arch-rivalries
Cougars coach again downplays hype as critical home game against
UW looms
By DALE GRUMMERT of the Lewiston Trib Nov 20, 2018
PULLMAN - As always, Washington State football coach Mike
Leach refuses to hype the Apple Cup rivalry. On Monday, though, he couched his
refusal in especially philosophical terms.
"You have to have the other guy," he said,
apparently referring to one's opponents in general and one's arch-rival in
particular, "because that's what elevates the whole thing and makes it
exciting."
It was a new twist on a customary sentiment for Leach, who
wants his team to view the Washington Huskies as it would view any other
opponent, even when a divisional championship is on the line.
The No. 7 Cougars (10-1, 7-1) face the No. 16 Huskies (8-3,
6-2) on Friday (5:30 p.m., FOX) at sold-out Martin Stadium in Pullman, with the
winner claiming the Pac-12 North crown and advancing to the league title game
Nov. 30 at Santa Clara, Calif. The Cougars, who are favored by a field goal,
are also clinging to long-shot hopes of a berth in the four-team national
playoffs.
With so much at stake, Leach may be more intent than ever on
tamping down the flames of the intrastate rivalry, since he believes his
players will be sufficiently motivated anyway. He wants them more focused than
keyed up.
A question about fans' Apple Cup zeal is what prompted the
'other guy' response.
"Everybody says, 'We hate this team, we hate that
team,' " Leach said at his weekly news conference. "If you vaporize
that team, they'll immediately be replaced within a couple of weeks by some
other team. So for Coug fans, if all of a sudden you made the Huskies somehow
disappear, they'd maybe be replaced by one of the Oregons. ... The other guy is
a necessary element to the whole exercise."
Leach's quirkiness has become a staple of pre-Apple Cup
story-swapping, and Washington coach Chris Petersen's contribution Monday
focused on his rival's late arrival for a Pac-12 meeting.
"The last time I saw him, I didn't really get a great
chance to talk to him because he was a half-hour late to our head coaches
meeting," Petersen said at his weekly news conference at Seattle,
according to the Seattle Times, "and we we're all looking at our watches
thinking, 'This might not turn out good for him.'
"He walks in with this In-N-Out burger and milkshake
and we're all like, 'Really?' And waiting for somebody to say something. He's
just happy as a clam eating away and we're like, 'Why didn't we do that?'
That's really the last time I saw him."
A true story, said Leach, adding that his tardiness was the
result of a delayed airline flight and a confusing scene at the hotel where the
meeting was staged. Finally a janitor directed him to the right place.
"I was flying from Florida - my plane got
delayed," he said. "I was starving. ... If I didn't get something to
eat, I wasn't going to be any fun to anybody. So I figured it was in my best
interests, and the other people I'd be around and associate with, that I got
something to eat. And it wasn't entirely unlike Jeff Spicoli in "Fast
Times at Ridgemont High" when he walked in with the pizza, and Mr. Hand
says, 'What do you think you're doing on my time?' Well, everybody was there,
so I felt like it was our time. ... Yeah, I had me some In-N-Out burgers."
Leach and Petersen have been friends for a few years. The
WSU coach, reiterating comments he's made in the past, imagined what Petersen
was like as a youngster in northern California.
"He's the guy that the teachers probably always liked
and got to school early, got his homework done, and your parents would
occasionally say, 'Why can't you be more like the Petersen boy?' " Leach
said. "But, no, he's a fantastic guy. I can see why my parents thought I
should be more like him. At this point it probably won't happen, but I can see
their point of view a little bit."
PAC-12 HONOR FOR WOODS - Cougars linebacker Jahad Woods was
named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in a 69-28
rout of Arizona on Saturday night in Pullman.
Woods made 11 tackles and forced a goal-line fumble that
denied an Arizona score and resulted in a touchback. It was his third strip for
a turnover in two games. He also recovered a fumble Saturday.
It was the second league Player of the Week award for Woods,
whose first came after a win over USC last year.
MINSHEW MAKES FINALS - Gardner Minshew of WSU was named one
of three finalists Monday for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.
The other finalists are Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama and Kyler
Murray of Oklahoma. A fan vote played a role in the selection process.
:::::::::::
TD machine is giving me hope in the Apple Cup
Very few teams get into the end zone at a higher rate than
the Cougs.
By Zane Murfitt Coug Center Nov 19, 2018
I’ve got a daily
reminder on my phone for Apple Cup week that goes off in the morning saying,
“whatever you do, don’t get excited about the Cougs’ chances.” It’s only
Monday, and I’m really struggling to listen to my own advice. This is the first
time in a few years where the numbers are trending in the direction of my
heart. Buckle up, I think this Apple Cup is going to be a wild ride.
This is the third year in a row that the Pac-12 North
division title is on the line, and it’s the first time in those three seasons
where WSU is facing just a really good UW team rather than a fantastic UW team.
The main area that has the confidence creeping in is how great Gardner Minshew
II and the Cougar offense is at converting possessions into touchdowns, and how
much the Jake Browning-led Huskies have struggled to do the same in 2018. In
terms Bill Connelly's “Finishing Drives” statistic — how many points do you get
once you cross your opponent’s 40 yard line? — the Cougs are 10th in the
country, while UW is 93rd.
The below chart (sorry, not included with this News for
CougGroup posting) looks at how many possessions per game a team gets and what
% of those possessions result in a touchdown for 2016-2018. I like this stat
because it shows how much pressure an offense puts on their opposition and if
the game is about scoring points, it’s worthwhile to look at how often an
offense gets 6.
UW’s gone from looking like this year’s West Virginia, in
2016, to being on par with Coastal Carolina, Navy and Virginia in how often
they get touchdowns in 2018, with 32% of their possessions resulting in a
touchdown (54th nationally). They also are turning the ball over way more than
usual for a Chris Petersen-led team, going from 5th in 2017 to 52nd in
percentage of possessions that result in a turnover (7.4% to 11%).
Conversely, the Cougs have been touchdown machines this
year. They already have more trips inside the red zone at this point in 2018
than they did in all of 2017. James Williams and Max Borghi lead the way with
25 touchdowns between them and the Cougs have scored 60 touchdowns thus far in
2018 (they only had 48 last year). That has WSU 5th nationally in percentage of
possessions resulting in a touchdown, getting a touchdown 46% of the time.
If you’re on mobile tilt your phone horizontally; if you’re
on Apple News or Google AMP, click this link to open the chart in a new tab and
return to the story.
To think that it’s almost a coin flip that WSU will score a
touchdown every time they have the ball is wild to me. Mike Leach has his
offense performing on par with Georgia, UCF, Clemson and Ohio State in scoring.
The general vibe from the fan base is that this team just
feels different, that they’re not afraid of anyone, especially UW. The Huskies
are formidable on defense, but I’ll be digging into some of their troubles
later this week. This game is strength on strength — UW is 12th on defense in
points per scoring opportunity, WSU is 10th on offense. Gardner is feeding his
running backs when the defense takes away the usual Air Raid magic that Dezmon
Patmon and company deploy. It’s going to It’s going to be tight, but this team
seems free and they’ve been converting big moments into 6 points.
Time to go update that reminder to alert me twice a day to
not get too excited about our chances this Friday.
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November 20, 2018
Football: WSU TO PLAY HOUSTON IN 2019 ADVOCARE TEXAS KICKOFF
GAME AT NRG STADIUM in Houston
From WSU Sports Info
HOUSTON, Texas (Nov. 20, 2018) - The University of Houston
Cougars and the Washington State Cougars will meet for the seventh installment
of the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The game will be broadcast on an ESPN network.
The two teams will meet for the first time since the 1988 Aloha Bowl
when Washington State won 24-22.
"The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff has become a premier early
season college football tradition and the 2019 event is no exception,"
said General Manager of Lone Star Sports & Entertainment David Fletcher.
"We look forward to welcoming the University of Houston Cougars, the
Washington State Cougars and their respective passionate fan bases to NRG
Stadium for this special Friday night lights edition of the AdvoCare Texas
Kickoff."
Washington State leads the all-time series, 2-1, with WSU
winning 32-18 in 1959 and Houston capturing a 21-7 victory in 1966. Both of
these games took place in Houston.
"We are very pleased to showcase these two outstanding
programs in the early season 2019 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff game," said Pete
Derzis, ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming and ESPN
events. "Both schools have dedicated alumni and engaged fan bases and the
expectation is a great crowd on hand for the Kickoff matchup."
This season, Houston is 8-3 overall, with a 5-2 conference
record. The Cougars are bowl eligible for the sixth straight season, the best
streak in program history. With one of the nation's top offenses, Houston ranks
second nationally in total offense with 546.1 yards per game while ranking
fourth nationally in scoring offense with 47.8 points per game. It has three
games this season over 600 yards of total offense.
University of Houston Head Coach Major Applewhite is in his
second season after finishing the 2017 season with a record of 7-6 including an
appearance in the Hawaii Bowl. Applewhite, who has 14 years of coaching
experience including seven as an offensive coordinator, has coached in 12 bowl
games, four of which have been the New Year's Six variety including the 2010
BCS National Championship. Applewhite's first season as a head coach started
off with adversity as Houston was hit with one of the nation's most devastating
natural disasters in Hurricane Harvey. Applewhite rallied his team to a
seven-win season and finishing second in The American West.
"We are honored to receive the invitation to
participate in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff," said University of Houston
Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman. "We have fond memories from our
last action in the event and look forward to creating more in front of our
hometown fans in a primetime nationally-televised game."
Washington State ranks seventh in the Associated Press
Top-25 with a 10-1 overall record and a 7-1 record in conference play. The
Cougars are 10-1 for the first time since 1997 which matches the program record
for wins. The team leads the nation in passing offense with 400.5 yards per.
Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach is in his seventh
season and finished the 2017 season with a 9-4 record. In 2015, Leach was named
the Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, WSU has had three
nine-win seasons in the past four years, one including the 2018 season where at
least two games remain. He has guided the Cougars to four bowl appearances in
his first six years, a first for a WSU head coach, and the only head coach to
lead WSU to three-straight bowl games. The Cougars opened the 2017 season with
six-straight victories and posted wins over No. 5 USC and No. 18 Stanford. Once
again, the Cougar offense ranked among the national leaders in passing offense
(2nd) while the defense ranked in the national top 25 in seven categories.
"We are excited to face a quality program such as the
Houston Cougars next year in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff Game at NRG
Stadium," said Washington State Director of Athletic Pat Chun. "It
provides our fan base the opportunity to see a tremendous nonconference
opponent in a great part of the country, while giving our student-athletes the
chance to play in a world-class stadium."
The game will mark the seventh year of the partnership
between Lone Star Sports & Entertainment and ESPN Events, a division of ESPN,
to bring a top early season college football events to NRG Stadium each year.
A special presale for advance tickets will start today,
Tuesday, Nov. 20 and fans can visit www.advocaretexaskickoff.com for more
information. Initial ticket prices will range from $30-125. Fans can also call 832-667-2390 for more
information on suites, group tickets and premium hospitality.
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Cougars Volleyball announces the addition of six new players
during early signing period
From WSU Sports Info on 11/20/2018
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State Volleyball Head Coach Jen
Greeny announced the addition of six phenomenal players who will join the
volleyball program for the 2019 season.
The Cougars volleyball class of 2019 includes Reagan Cooper,
Alexcis Lusby, Magda Jehlářová, Mykayla Myers, Pia Timmer, and Weronika
Wojdyla.
"The 2019 class will be the most experienced group of
recruits that we have signed," head coach Jen Greeny said. "From high
level US clubs to national teams, this group of freshman in 2019 will be a very
fun group to coach. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Cougar Volleyball
family!"
Reagan Cooper is a 6-1 outside hitter from Dallas, Texas. She
is currently a senior at Parish Episcopal School of Dallas where she was named
an AVCA Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention, along with being the
current leader in total kills for Texas Association of Private and Parochial
Schools (TAPPS) 6A District 2. Cooper has found success throughout her high
school career earning a First Team All-District selection in 2016, and was
named the defensive most valuable player. Reagan continued to thrive the
following year, being named the TAPPS 1-6A MVP, and earned herself First Team
All-State, and First Team All-District selections. Cooper has been a part of
various club programs in her career including playing for Texas Assault,
Blocksport, and most recently with MadFrog.
Alexcis Lusby is a 6-5 outside hitter from Sparks, Nev. She
is currently looking to graduate from Reed High School in 2019, and is a member
of Northern Nevada Juniors Volleyball Club where she has been a part of a
program that has seen multiple successes with her on the court. Lusby helped lead
NNJ to second place finishes at the Pacific Northwest Qualifier, and at the
Power League Regionals, along with a third place finish at the Golden State
Qualifier. Alexcis was named First Team All-League during junior year at Reed
HS, and is also a member of the judicial board at the high school. She will
look to pursue psychiatry while attending Washington State as well.
Magda Jehlářová is a 6-3 middle blocker from Přerov, Czech
Republic. She is currently member of the volleyball program at Gymnázium Olomouc
– Hejčín where she has seen quite the impressive early volleyball career.
Jehlářová was named the best opposite of
the tournament at the Grand Prix of Přerov during her senior season, along with
earning best middle blocker of the same tournament as a sophomore. Magda has
been a part of numerous team successes including placing second two times and
third once at the MEVZA Tournament during her career. During her sophomore
season, she helped lead her club to a first place overall finish at the Olympic
Hopes Tournament with the Czech Junior National Team U17 as well. Magda will
look to study human services, case management, and administration while
attending Washington State.
Mykayla Myers is a 6-0 middle blocker from Coppell, Texas.
She is looking to graduate from Coppell High School in May of 2019 where as a
member of the volleyball program was named to the First Team All-District, and
First Team All-Academic teams. Myers found success at the club level as well,
playing for Texas Advantage Volleyball, the number one overall volleyball club
in the state of Texas for 13 straight years. Mykayla was a part of the TAV
program that won the GJNC National Championship, and has numerous individual
accolades including being named to the AVCA Phenom Watch-list, named to the
Prep Volleyball Watch-list, and also earned multiple All-American selections
from Prep Volleyball. She will look to pursue a medical sciences degree while
attending Washington State as well.
Pia Timmer is a 6-2 outside hitter from Emlichheim, Germany.
She is a senior at Lise-Meitner-Gymnasium where the volleyball program
currently stands in fifth place overall in the 2. Bundesliga-Nord. Timmer has
had a solid final year thus far with receiving two MVP medals, along with a
second place finish at the Under-20 Championships in Germany. Pia has totaled
23 overall MVP medals throughout her career, and helped lead her squad to a
second place overall finish in the Under-18 Championships of Germany a year
ago. She is currently a member of the club program SCU Emlichheim as well.
Weronika Wojdyla is a 6-2 outside hitter from Kraków,
Poland. Weronika saw multiple success during her freshman year with her high
school, including taking third place at the Polish Cadet Cup Championships.
Wojdyla also helped lead her club team, Sparta Karow, to claim the Małopolska
Junior Championship as well which saw the program qualify, and then advance to
the quarter-finals of the Polish Championships. During her sophomore season,
Weronika participated in both the second, and third tier volleyball leagues,
until she earned the appointment to the broad team of the Polish National
program. She was named the Most Valuable Player while participating in the
International Volleyball Tournament for the Director's Cup ZSOS No. 2 while
playing for UKS Sparta Volleyball Karkow. Wojdyla most recently played for the
club program Muszyna Wisła Krakow.
:::::::::::::::::
Jim Moore: To keep storybook season going, WSU Cougars have
to snap Apple Cup skid
BY JIM MOORE KIRO ESPN Sports Radio 710 Seattle
NOVEMBER 19, 2018 AT 11:35 AM
On Friday the Huskies and Cougars will play in an Apple Cup
that figures to be one of the most memorable games in the long history of the
in-state rivalry. You know what’s at stake – the Pac-12 North title and a
chance to play for the Pac-12 championship Nov. 30 against Utah.
For Washington, it’s a chance to salvage a season that
started with hopes of returning to the championship picture in the College
Football Playoff. For Washington State, it’s an outside chance to play in the
national-championship playoff, but there’s much more on the line than that.
In fact, as a WSU alum, I don’t care about the remote
possibility of making it to the final four as much as simply beating the
Huskies. If we beat the Huskies and don’t make it to the CFP, fine. If we beat
the Huskies and lose to Utah, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll take that over
losing to the Huskies and not having the chance to play Utah. And if we beat
the Huskies and beat Utah and don’t make it to the national championship
playoff but go to the Rose Bowl instead? Sign me up for that
best-of-both-worlds scenario, particularly if we face Michigan and have a
chance for revenge after losing to the Wolverines in Pasadena in 1998.
Washington State is expected to move ahead of LSU and into
the No. 7 spot in the CFP rankings when they’re released Tuesday afternoon, so
the Cougs would be making progress but would still need quite a few things to
happen to get to No. 4. Maybe there’s a shot if we see some upsets in
conference championship games.
The other day I heard a guy from a sportsbook in Las Vegas
say that the Cougs are “a fraudulent team from a garbage conference.” He had
them at No. 17 in his power rankings, but that was before the Cougars crushed
Arizona 69-28 Saturday night, an absolute mauling that featured 55 points in
the first half.
I bristled when I heard that, but then I thought maybe he’s
not too far off. I don’t feel like the Cougs are fraudulent in any way – you
can only play who’s on your schedule, and if the conference is down, which I
agree that it is, it’s not their fault. They’ve had two close calls against
Utah and Cal and pretty much disposed of everyone else with ease. If Vegas guy
thinks he’s so smart with his evaluations and the Cougars are that bad, why
have they covered all but one point spread all year long?
Doesn’t matter, we’ll find out one way or the other in the
next two weeks. In the Apple Cup, if you’re a Husky fan, you’re banking on the
fact that you’ve owned the Cougs in the last five games and hold a large
historical advantage in the series too. Since 2013, the Cougars have been
non-competitive in their biggest game of the year, losing to the Huskies by an
average of 24 points and not scoring more than 17 in any of the Apple Cups.
If you’re a Coug fan, you’re thinking WSU has the better
team this year based on what we’ve seen from the Cougars and the Huskies.
Washington has played OK at times, but no one thinks the Dawgs have played
well. More often than not, the Huskies have played below expectations.
Meanwhile the Cougs have exceeded everyone’s expectations. I thought we’d go
6-6 at best, and when I saw that San Jose Mercury News reporter Jon Wilner
predicted a 3-9 season, I could see that happening too.
No one saw 10-1 coming, yet here it is, and now those guys
in Vegas think 11-1 is definitely within reach – the Cougs are favored by three
points in the Apple Cup.
I honestly don’t know what to think about the game. I go
into it feeling like we have the better team and should have an advantage
playing at home. But I’ve felt that way so many times before, and the Huskies
blew our doors off anyway. I’m also concerned that the Huskies’ defense might
be better than the Cal defense that limited the Cougs to 19 points earlier this
month.
I do know how I’ll feel at the game. If we’re behind, I’ll
be thinking: “Uh oh, here we go again.” If we’re ahead, I’ll be thinking: “Man,
I hope we don’t blow it.” I’ve been watching Apple Cups from a Coug perspective
for 44 years now, and it’s hard to shake the dread and doubt that goes with
being a Coug fan, always hoping for the best and too frequently getting the
worst in the Apple Cup.
What will make it different this year? Gardner Minshew,
Washington State’s Heisman Trophy candidate. The kid who started mustache mania
in Pullman. The kid who does not appear to have a care in the world. He’s just
having a great time playing college football. I was sitting on a couch nervous
as heck when we were tied 13-13 with Cal, and then I watched Minshew dancing on
the sideline to “Mo Bamba” before the Cougar offense went on the field in the
fourth quarter.
Minshew’s carefree attitude is one of the reasons why I like
our chances. Nothing will faze him. And from a more tangible point of view, I
like that the Huskies’ pass rush has been so-so at best this year, perfect for
the Air Raid and an O-line that has allowed only nine sacks. Plus I think
first-year defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys will come up with a game plan
that should pester UW quarterback Jake Browning and cause him to throw an
interception or two.
This isn’t really objective analysis, so bear with me, but
there’s a big part of me, the crimson-and-gray part, that feels like the Cougs
are going to win in decisive fashion. Remember how the Huskies scored 70 on the
Ducks to end their 12-game losing streak in 2016? It was an emphatic end to the
Ducks’ dominance.
I’ll straddle the fence, early in Apple Cup week anyway, and
say this – it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Huskies win again. But I
won’t be surprised if the Cougs win by 40 either.
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