You will
enjoy this photo. It’s the Coug QB Group Christmas Card
Info here
based on posting(s) at Cougfan.com
Sent out
Dec. 21, 2018, by Cougar QB Gardner Mishew via his Twitter account, the photo
includes Mishew and Mike Leach, head coach.
Who’s who
in the photo:
=Back row
(l-r): Player Anthony Gordon, player Connor Neville, player Casey Brink, player
Gardner Minshew, player John Bledsoe and player Cammon Cooper. They are all
holding Coach Mike Leach
=Front row
(l-r): player Trey Tinsley and quality control assistant Drew Hollingshead.
Text by
Minshew included in the Twitter tweet reads: “Here is your Coug QB Group
Christmas Card (featuring our fearless leader)! Merry Christmas ya filthy
animals!”
Leach said
he was honored to be involved in the photo.
"These
guys have great taste in sweaters, and they wanted everybody to see them,"
Leach said. "So I was lucky enough to be a part of it."
The photo
was taken Friday, Dec. 21, after the Cougs' final practice in Pullman as they
prepare for next Friday's Alamo Bowl against No. 24 Iowa State, said Cougfan.
After focusing on fundamentals and younger players through the first half of
bowl practices, Leach said WSU will be back to a normal game week with quicker
practices when it gets to San Antonio. Leach said he's looking forward to
visiting the historic city.
"I'm
gonna tour the Alamo for sure," Leach told Cougfan. "That'd probably
be the biggest thing. ... I've studied a lot about it, and it's right across
the street. And then I've put off going to the museum, and so I'll definitely
go this time. I'll also go to the Menger Hotel."
P.S. from
News for CougGroup”
When will
the Coug football team arrive in San Antonio? Info weeks ago said either Dec.
22 or Dec. 23
::::::::::::::::
WSU men’s
basketball in Las Vegas
Cougs lost
82-75 to San Diego in the Continential Tire Las Vegas Classic.
::::::::::
Prior to
the game reported immediately above, Dylan Haugh of Cougfan posted a story part
of which reads as follows:
THE 7-3
WASHINGTON STATE men’s basketball team is in Las Vegas this weekend for what
figures to be a bellwether on where the team is headed this season. Senior
starters Robert Franks and Viont’e Daniels see the Continental Tire Las Vegas
Classic as a golden opportunity lock in their course before wrapping up
non-conference play next week in Spokane against Santa Clara.
“Viont’e
and I have been harping on these guys that this is a business trip, this isn’t
a vacation, this is a trip where we can pull this team in the right direction,
“ Franks says of the trek to Sin City.
“If we can
go back home 9-3 with a championship under our belt it would be huge for us
going into conference play. So, me and Viont’e have been trying to just get
everyone focused and keyed in on the ultimate goal, which is a championship.”
Four teams
are in the tourney and all are off to solid starts this season. The Cougars
open tonight at (FS1) against 9-3 San Diego of the West Coast Conference.
“It’s
going to be a hugest test, San Diego is very disciplined looking at film, very
experienced,” said Franks. “We want to be able to use out length to bother them
and mix up our defenses as well.”
On Sunday,
the Cougars will play either 9-2 New Mexico State (which defeated WSU in Las
Cruces in a tight one on Dec. 1) out of the Western Athletic Conference or 8-3
Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference.
:::::::::::
WSU
BASKETBALL
Gonzaga
Prep’s Carter Sonneborn commits to Washington State basketball team
UPDATED:
Fri., Dec. 21, 2018, 6:16 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
Another member of the reigning State 4A champion Gonzaga Prep basketball team
has received an opportunity to play at the next level.
Carter
Sonneborn, a shooting guard/small forward who’s also starred as a linebacker
for the Bullpups football team, orally committed to play for the Washington
State basketball team Friday afternoon.
In a
Twitter post, Sonneborn wrote, “When I was little I always want to play college
basketball. Playing in the Pac 12 has been a dream of mine, and with all of the
support with family, I am excited to announce that I am fulfilling my dream to
play college basketball at Washington State University #GoCougs #WO.”
The “#WO”
indicates Sonneborn might be joining the Cougars as a walk-on.
When I was
little I always wanted to play college basketball. Playing in the Pac 12 has
been a dream of mine, and with all of the support with family, I am excited to
announce that I am fulfilling my dream to play college basketball at Washington State University
Sonneborn
will be used to playing alongside Division I talent by the time he gets to WSU
– he’s been doing it for two years at G-Prep. Bullpups forward Anton Watson is
headed to Gonzaga next season and shooting guard Liam Lloyd, the son of Zags
assistant Tommy Lloyd, received an offer from Eastern Washington in June and
another one from Air Force two weeks ago.
The
Bullpups went 27-0 last season on their way to a state championship and have
only lost one game this season, 54-52 to national powerhouse Bishop Gorman
(Nevada).
Sonneborn,
who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 190 pounds, averaged 12 points per game playing
for the AAU Griffins team coached by John Stockton.
He’s
averaged 7 points per game this season for G-Prep.
Playing
linebacker for the Bullpups football team, Sonneborn earned All-Greater Spokane
League 4A honors this season, leading G-Prep to a 9-3 record.
:::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State linebacker Peyton Pelluer accepts invite to NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
UPDATED:
Fri., Dec. 21, 2018, 6:44 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
By Theo Lawson
PULLMAN –
Peyton Pelluer will have one more opportunity to compete with other collegiate
players in January when he takes part in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, designed
for seniors hoping to play at the next level.
The
Collegiate Bowl announced Thursday that Washington State’s sixth-year senior
linebacker had accepted an invitation to play in the game, scheduled for Jan.
19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Running
back Jamal Morrow, Rush linebacker Frankie Luvu and kicker Erik Powell all
accepted invitations to play in the game last year, but only Luvu and Powell
competed as Morrow was still recovering from an injury suffered in the Holiday
Bowl.
Pelluer is
the longest-tenured player in Washington State history and will appear in the
54th game of his career when the Cougars take on Iowa State in the Valero Alamo
Bowl on Friday in San Antonio.
The
All-Pac-12 honorable mention linebacker led the Cougars in tackles during the
regular season with 86, also posting nine tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, four
quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Pelluer is
one of 11 Pac-12 players who will play in the Collegiate Bowl. He’ll join
Washington quarterback Jake Browning, Colorado receiver Juwann Winfree,
Colorado running back Travon McMillian, Cal linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, Arizona
State quarterback Manny Wilkins, Stanford cornerback Alijah Holder, Stanford
punter Jacob Bailey, Stanford receiver Trenton Irwin, Stanford linebacker Bobby
Okereke and Stanford running back Bryce Love.
Eastern
Washington cornerback Josh Lewis and defensive tackle Jay-Tee Tiulu were also
selected for the game.
Pelluer is
the third WSU senior to accept an invite to a postseason all-star game.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew and left tackle Andre Dillard already got
invitations to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which will be played on Jan. 26 at
Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
:::::::::::::
Some of
what appears in Vice Grippi’s GRIP ON SPORTS blog of the Spokane S-R on
12/22/2018
Why is the
Pac-12 so poor in basketball this year?
Sorry,
some questions have no good answers. At least no good answers that cover all
contingencies.
Part of it
is like football. When USC is down, the conference feels down, at least in the
eyes of those around the country. In basketball, when Arizona and UCLA are
playing poorly, the conference suffers the same fate. However, this season it’s
not just Arizona and UCLA that is struggling. Everyone is. There are no good
wins. There are no great teams. There is only mediocrity.
The best
teams on the West Coast reside in the Mountain West (Nevada) and the WCC
(Gonzaga). Heck, the WCC is home for half of the western teams with double
digit wins.
There are
six schools west of the Rockies with at least 10 wins – none in the Pac-12 –
and three of them (Gonzaga, USF and Loyola-Marymount) play in the West Coast
Conference. (The other three? Sixth-ranked Nevada, Jim Hayford’s Seattle U team
and my alma mater, UC Irvine.)
Not all
schedules are created equally, of course, but it’s not as if the Pac-12 schools
are playing a Murderer’s Row every week. The best records in the conference?
Five teams have eight wins, with Colorado (8-1) and Arizona State (8-2)
probably the best.
•••
The story
behind why Mike Warren decided to stay at Iowa State
By Tommy
Birch, Des Moines Iowa Register
AMES, Ia.
— One by one, each member of Iowa State’s senior class talked during fall camp
to the entire Cyclones football team about their football journey. When running
back Mike Warren strolled to the front of the team’s meeting room of the
football complex, the former star had quite the story to tell.
Three fall
seasons earlier, he was one of the top freshman in the nation and was named the
Big 12's Newcomer of the Year. Warren was also one of the few bright spots of a
struggling Iowa State football program. But as Warren stood before his
teammates on this day earlier this fall, he wasn’t the face of the Cyclones. He
wasn’t even a starter.
That only
made his message that much more powerful for his teammates.
“I just
want to remind people that if things aren’t going your way, it doesn’t hurt to
stay and help the next person,” Warren said.
That’s
exactly what he's done.
Warren
battled injuries and scarce playing opportunities. He listened to a public
challenge by his head coach Matt Campbell and watched as David Montgomery not
only took his starting spot but essentially the role in the program and within
the conference that people had earlier envisioned for Warren.
Through it
all, Warren stayed at Iowa State and looked for other ways to have an impact.
“It hasn’t
always been an easy road for Mike,” Campbell said earlier this month. “I’ve got
a lot of respect for how he’s handled not only himself but how he’s worked to
continue to get better and better our football team.”
Mike
Warren was once one of the brightest stars for Iowa State, including in 2015
'The sky
was really the limit for him'
The 2015
Iowa State football season was full of disappointments for the Cyclones. They
went 3-9 and missed out on a bowl game for the third-straight season. There was
in-fighting among the coaches during the season. Eventually, Ankeny native Paul
Rhoads, a popular head coach among Iowa State fans, was fired.
The bright
spot that season? Mike Warren.
Warren, a
redshirt freshman at the time, had a breakout season, rushing for 1,339 yards—
the fifth-best total in Iowa State history and tops by an Iowa State rookie. It
was one of the best freshman seasons for a running back in Big 12 history.
The awards
quickly came in for Warren: a handful of freshmen All-American teams and he was
named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.
“Every
week, you saw him get a little bit better and better,” said former Iowa State
running backs coach Lou Ayeni, who's now at Northwestern. “The sky was really
the limit for him if he continued to work hard and continued to do the right
things. But he was really special that year. It was fun to watch. It was fun to
be a part of.”
Campbell
was hired to replace Rhoads. He had had recruited Warren to come to Toledo when
he was the head coach there and talked early about his excitement to coach him.
Warren was even among his first calls when he arrived in Ames. Ayeni said NFL
teams that came to Ames were watching with interest.
"It
was exciting but we were more excited he was able to show everyone else what we
had seen since he was a little boy," Warren's mom, Barbara, said.
"Having excelled in high school football does not always translate to
success in college. He was successful when given the opportunity."
'I didn't
want to quit on those guys'
When the
2016 season kicked off, there were questions all around Iowa State’s football
team.
Could Joel
Lanning handle the starting spot at quarterback?
Could Iowa
State’s offensive line hold up?
And what
about the defensive line?
There were
even doubts about Campbell bringing virtually his entire staff from Toledo.
Could they handle the leap from the Mid-American Conference to the Big 12?
One of the
sure things, people thought, was Warren and the running back spot. He entered
the season as the clear-cut starter and fans were expecting another big season
from him.
It never
happened.
Warren was
dinged up during the season. Montgomery and fellow true freshmen running back
Kene Nwangwu started getting chances in his place. Even Campbell called out
Warren following a lackluster effort during a blowout at Iowa in Iowa State’s
second game of the season.
When it
was all said and done, Warren played in 11 games and started eight. He
eventually lost his starting job to Montgomery, who developed quickly into one
of the nation's top running backs.
What went
wrong? Injuries played a part. So did Montgomery's success. Ayeni believes
Warren may not have been ready for the success that came so fast. And While
Montgomery's role got bigger and bigger, Warren’s diminished more and more each
season. He finished the 2016 season with 559 yards on the ground.
In 2017,
he played in nine games and rushed for 105 yards. Campbell thought Warren might
transfer away for his final season. So did Ayeni.
But Warren
insisted he never thought about it, even when his parents asked him if he
wanted to.
"The
way that we have always conveyed to both our boys is that regardless of the
struggle or the obstacle, you always find a detour to go around it,"
Barbara Warren said. "That you never deviate from whatever the end goal is.
Michael's end goal was always to graduate."
He stayed.
The biggest reason why?
"The
biggest thing was the guys around me," Mike Warren said. "I didn't
want to quit on those guys. They were there for me at the end of the day when I
was going through hard times. So, the least I could do is be there for them
until the end."
Mike
Warren has found other ways to help Iowa State out even though he hasn't gotten
the playing time he used to.
'I just
want to make a bigger impact off the field'
When the
2018 season started, Warren's name was buried on the depth chart, battling
Nwangwu, Johnnie Lang and Sheldon Croney Jr. for the backup spot.
He was so
far off the radar that Iowa State got Warren reps at safety during fall camp.
That didn't pan out, though. Neither really did running back. Warren has gotten
some reps on special teams and has been used in some blocking situations, but
his role is as small as its ever been on the field.
But he
didn't sulk about it. Instead, he found other ways to help, becoming a mentor
to the room of young backs. He even helped guide Montgomery along the way.
"I
know football is everything to some people, but it's going to end some day, so
I just want to make a bigger impact off the field," Warren said.
"It's not all about the touchdowns or the numbers or anything like that.
(It's about) being a good teammate and being someone that people can come to
whenever."
That's the
message Warren passed on to his teammates during his fall camp speech. Warren
wanted his teammates to see that when tough times hit, he didn't give up. And
they shouldn't either.
"That's
how life works," said Iowa State linebacker Willie Harvey. "You're
not guaranteed your hopes and dreams. Never get comfortable in your situation.
You've always got to keep working. That's really what he hit on."
The
message hit home to Iowa State's youngsters. Soon, some of them started coming
up and asking Warren questions. They wanted his advice on how to do things.
Warren wasn't going to be impact player for the Cyclones, but he wanted to make
sure he could help others.
"It's
not easy," Warren said. "Those guys that are coming in, it may not be
for everyone but I'm here to make sure that they can stick it out and rind it.
It's not the end of the world."
Warren is
proof.
Earlier
this month, he graduated with degree in liberal arts and double minor in human
health and family services. And while he played little, Ayeni believe Warren
was key in turning around Iowa State's football culture.
"He
probably didn't play as much as he would like," Ayeni said. "But he
was a big part of it and got to help a pretty successful room in there."
:::::::::::::::::
WSU
Football
WSU's Andre
Dillard illustrates crapshoot of football offensive line recruiting
From
Cougfan.com Dec 21, 3:24 PM
BRUCE
FELDMAN OF "Swing Your Sword" fame wrote an interesting story this
week in The Athletic about why the offensive line is the toughest position for
college football recruiters to evaluate, and Washington State’s standout senior
left tackle Andre Dillard was prominently featured as a prime time example of
the uncertain nature of recruiting o-linemen.
Feldman
noted that the average star ranking of the 15 offensive linemen voted to the
NFL Pro Bowl last year was 2.4 when they were coming out of high school. “The
online recruiting sites do a good job of ranking high school prospects, but the
trickiest position to evaluate — even more than quarterbacks — is the offensive
line,” Feldman writes.
“And it’s
not just the recruiting analysts who have such a hard time. Coaches have a
pretty rough time of evaluating them, too.”
Feldman
talked with former Cougar offensive line coach Clay McGuire and came away with
some interesting and entertaining commentary about Dillard.
When the
Cougars signed Dillard out of Woodinville High five years ago, the big man had
240 pounds on his 6-4 frame and the Cougars’ only competition for him was Idaho
and EWU. Today, as a third-team AP All-American and first-team All-Pac-12
performer, Dillard stands 6-5 and weighs 306.
“We never
worried about weight. We felt like we did a good enough job in our strength and
conditioning and nutrition program that the weight would come. So we looked for
length, height and athleticism,” McGuire, who just joined Texas State’s staff
after being swept out with Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, tells Feldman.
At the
time, with WSU’s rebuild still underway, the Cougars were “getting their asses
whipped in recruiting,” McGuire notes. The staff was desperate, he said, “so we
had to take a chance, and we took a chance on frame and athleticism.”
McGuire
joked that when he stopped by Woodinville High a few months after LOI Day to
evaluate younger players he thought, “Oh, sh*t! We’re in trouble,” when he
spotted Dillard, who hadn’t gained a pound since fall.
Once in
Pullman, Dillard — nicknamed “Starvin’ Marvin” by WSU coaches — climbed to 265
as a redshirting freshman and then hit 280 in 2015, when he played in three
games and started the Apple Cup. He’s been a steady force at around 300 pounds
for the last three seasons, starting every game for the Cougs.
“The kid
really busted his ass, and he’s a freak in the weight room,” McGuire says. “It
wouldn’t surprise me if he ran the 40 in the 4.8s at the combine.”
McGuire
tells Feldman the offensive line is the most over-recruited position in college
ball because every team is trying to sign three to six each year.
“It’s not
like a quarterback where you only take one,” McGuire says. “We were also able
to evaluate off senior tape. That was huge for us. I was able to evaluate more
tape and kids at an older age, so that means you get an added nine months of
growth and development. What helped us is we had a profile. My advantage was
(Mike) Leach always allowed me to take five. So you could take a shot on a kid
like Dillard and be willing to miss. I’ll probably hit on two or three.”
Feldman’s
story is comprehensive and includes interesting insight from UCLA head coach
Chip Kelly, LSU head coach coach Ed Orgeron, Texas line coach Herb Hand, and
former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman, among others.
#
