VOLLEYBALL: No. 16 Seed WSU Cougars Set to Face No. 1 Seed
Stanford Friday in California
WSU meets a familiar foe in Sweet Sixteen on the road.
Fri., Dec. 7 5:30 p.m. PT
> Watch | ESPN3
> Live Statistics | NCAA Stats
> Venue |
Maples Pavilion, Stanford University campus, Stanford/Palo Alto, Calif.
(Information from WSU Sports Info)
>> Washington State continued to roll in the 2018 NCAA
Tournament, defeating Tennessee in a second round match-up Saturday evening
inside Bohler Gym, 3-1.
>> The Cougars will now face number one overall
seeded, and region host Stanford, Friday, December 7 inside Maples Pavilion in
a Sweet Sixteen contest slated for 5:30 p.m. PT.
>> This will be the third meeting between the Cougars
and the Cardinal, with Stanford winning the previous two Pac-12 matches 3-0 in
Stanford, and 3-1 overall in Pullman.
How Sweet It Is
Washington State's victory over the Volunteers of Tennessee
to advance into the round of 16 is the third overall appearance in the Sweet
Sixteen for the Cougars. The previous trips came in 1996 when WSU traveled to
Stanford, Cali., 1997 in Madison, Wis., and most recently 2002 when the Cougars
set out to Gainesville, Fla.
::::::::::::::::
WSU Women's Golf Inks Three to National Letters of Intent
12/5/2018 from WSU Sports Info
PULLMAN - Three incoming student-athletes signed National
Letters of Intent to the Washington State women's golf team, head coach Kelli
Kamimura announced earlier this week.
--Darcy Habgood from Nambucca Heads, Australia joins the
women's golf team January 2019. Habgood competed for the Queensland Schools'
Girls Golf team from 2014-16. While competing, Habgood was an Invincibles
Junior Masters Champion and Queensland Junior Girls Amateur runner up. The
Australia native was a state runner-up in 2016. In 2016, Habgood placed sixth
at the Australian Junior Girls Amateur tournament and won the Australian All
Schools Girls Team match play. Habgood competed in the 2016 Katherine Kirk
Classic, taking third overall. In 2017, she was a runner up at the Greg Norman
Junior Masters and Queensland Junior Girls Amateur Champion. In 2018, Habgood
placed third at the AGC Ladies Medal. Habgood was a 2018 New South Wales
semi-finalist and a member of the NSW women's state team. As a member of
Stursura's College team, Habgood was named the 2017 Senior Sports Star of the
Future.
"We're really excited about Darcy joining us in
January," said Kamimura. "I think she will add a nice, fresh face for
the spring season and beyond. She's a good player from Australia who has a solid
junior career resume who looks to come and add some depth to our team."
--Ji-Ye Ham is out of The Regent's School BKK in Thailand.
In 2015, Ham won the International Schools Junior Golf Tournament and was the
first runner up at the Truevisions - Singha Junior Golf Championships. Ham won
the 2015 TJGF and the Indonesia Jakarta Junior World Championship. At the 2015
World Stars of Junior Golf Masters, the Thailand native won the girls division
class B. In 2016, Ham won the TrueVision Singha Junior Golf Championship. Ham
placed second at the 2016 World Stars of Junior Golf Championship. Ham was the
first runner up at the 16th Zhang Lianwei Cup International Junior Golf
Invitational. At the 2016 Hong Kong Junior International Open Championship, Ham
won the girls 15-17. Ham was named the 2016 TrueVisions Singha Best Player of
the Year. In 2017, Ham won the TrueVisions Singha Junior Golf Championship. She
won the 2017 Singha TSGU Junior Future Tour. In 2018, Ham won the TrueVisions
International Junior Golf Championships.
"Ji-ye is from Thailand, originally from Korea, and we
are eager to add her to our roster," said Kamimura. "She is a great
person and is a really talented athlete who has a really decorated junior
career resume. She will bring a lot of experience to the team and will help us
on the course immediately."
--Janine Surge joins Washington State from Holy Names
Academy in Seattle, Wash. As a freshman, Surge was named MVP and helped her
team to a 10-2 record and the tournament title at the Metro Championship. As a
sophomore, Surge won the WGA Western Open and placed third at the IMG Junior
Worlds Qualifier. As a junior, Surge was named team MVP once again and helped
lead her team to the title at the Metro Championships. Surge won the High
School District Championships and qualified for the Women's Amateur. The
Seattle native competed in the 2017 GJAC and 2017 Junior Worlds. As a senior,
Surge was named team captain. Surge placed second at the Metro Championships
and tied for sixth at the Girls Junior Championship.
"Janine is a good player out of Washington," said
Kamimura. "We are happy for her to join us in the fall as a Washington kid
close to home. She also has a strong junior career resume and has played in a
lot of tournaments over the years. She has improved her game every year and
it's exciting to add a local kid to our roster to continue the trend of having
a mix of local and international players."
::::::
Minshew and Leach: Pac-12 football Offensive Player, Coach
of the Year
ByCOUGFAN.com
Minshew is the first Cougar to win a conference yearly award
since quarterback Jason Gesser was named the Pac-10 Conference Offensive Player
of the Year in 2002. Minshew has
completed 433-of-613 passes this season (70.6 percent) and has thrown for 4,477
yards with 36 TDs against nine interceptions. He has quarterbacked Washington
State to a program-tying 10 wins, with the Alamo Bowl to come.
In half of WSU's games this season, he has thrown for
400-plus yards. And earlier today, he
became the 10th Washington State quarterback to named first-team all-Pac-12.
"I think what should be noted is when you talk to Mike
Leach ... I asked Mike this multiple times when calling their games; 'Tell me
about Gardner.' He said, 'He is the
smartest quarterback I've ever coached.'"
LEACH GUIDED THE COUGARS to a 10-win regular season -- his
first 10-win season in Pullman -- despite having the fewest returning starters
in the conference (9) this year.
WSU will appear in its fifth bowl in seven seasons under
Leach, and its fourth straight.
It is Leach's second Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor, after
sharing the award with Stanford's David Shaw in 2015.
Roth pointed to Leach's accomplishments this season
following a tumultuous offseason, with the death of Cougar QB Tyler Hilinski
shaking Cougar Nation to its core.
"He almost took another job [Tennessee], didn't. But lost
five coaches on his coaching staff ... so you had drama, you had heartbreak,
you had turnover, you had uncertainty. And I believe when your back's against
the wall as a head coach, you've got to lean on your philosophy and it better
be clear ... and who would have been shocked if they won four games? None of us
sitting up here thought they'd win 10 games. I think it's the best job in the
history of his career," said Roth.
Note: Cougar true freshman running back Max Borghi was named
honorable mention Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Borghi has appeared in all 12
games and scored 11 total touchdowns -- seventh-most in the conference. The
Arvada, Colo. native has rushed for seven touchdowns, averaged 5.3 yards per
carry and also caught 47 passes, four that went for score.
MINSHEW, THE WINNER of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award,
is also one of five finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, which is
widely considered the second-highest college football honor behind the Heisman
Trophy.
Minshew is also is a finalist for the Davey O'Brien National
Quarterback of the Year, the Manning Quarterback of the Year and is expected to
become the ninth Cougar all-time to place in the top 10 in Heisman balloting —
and the highest WSU finisher ever behind Ryan Leaf (3rd).
Minshew, who threw a WSU record 7 TD strikes in the win over
Arizona, and Cougar left tackle Andre Dillard have been selected to play in the
Senior Bowl, the premier post-season all-star game for NFL hopefuls. But there
may be some more WSU and Pac-12 records to set before that:
Minshew needs 121 passing yards in the Alamo Bowl to pass
Connor Halliday for the WSU record for most air hashes in a single-season, and
he needs 238 to pass Jared Goff for the Pac-12 single-season record.
With three TDs passes in the Alamo Bowl, Minshew will pass
Luke Falk for most scoring strikes in a single season at WSU. He'd need seven
more to tie Goff and Jake Browning for the Pac-12 record.
:::::::::::::::::::::
Commentary: In 1896, Gridiron showdown in Lewiston pitted early
Lewis Clark State College, WSU teams
By STEVEN BRANTING Lewiston Trib Dec 5, 2018
Lewis-Clark State College is commemorating its 125th
anniversary in 2018. This occasional feature highlights dates of interest in
the school’s history.
Dec. 5, 1896: When Edward True surveyed Lewiston in August
1874 for its townsite application, he laid out what we today know as Normal
Hill, with a single street running to the southeast. St. John’s Way is the only
remnant of that wagon road. Based on his notes, the city dedicated two parcels
for special purposes. The local Chinese community received a lot for use as a
cemetery. Today it is Prospect Park.
The other lot contained 20 acres and became known as Plaza
Park, which received minimal care until the city donated the eastern half of
the park for the Lewis-Clark State College campus in early 1893. The expanse
between the brow of the hill overlooking the downtown community and what we
know as Normal Hill Cemetery was so undeveloped that the Sanborn Map Co.
totally ignored the area in its 1888, 1891 and 1896 surveys.
For many years, local athletes would clear away brush and
scythe the long grass in Plaza Park to create a baseball and football field in
the area now taken up by the LCSC Administration Building and the green space
to its north. A football game played on that site on this day was the first
large athletic event to be staged in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.
The Lewiston Athletic Association had scheduled a November
game with the University of Idaho. A complication arose, as reported in the
minutes of the Lewiston City Council: “Diphtheria in a malignant form is
prevalent (in Moscow).” The council authorized the board of health to prohibit
the game, if necessary — which it did.
The cancellation was a blessing in disguise. Washington
Agricultural College, now Washington State University, had given the Lewiston
squad a right good drubbing Nov. 14 in Pullman and agreed to a rematch to be
played on the new campus of Lewiston State Normal. The Tribune commented that “the
Lewiston boys were equally confident of retrieving at least a part of their
lost honors.”
The WSU team arrived Friday afternoon “and were met at the
(Clearwater) ferry by a brass band and large number of citizens” before
checking into their rooms at the Hotel de France, where they were awarded
“numerous courtesies.”
Although the weather did not look promising on the morning
of the game, “the sun came out in all its glory.” Groundskeepers had carefully
chalked out the gridiron, policing it to keep spectators off the field. It was
a wise move on their part, as nearly 1,000 people crowded around to view the
game. The previous June, at the dedication of the campus, organizers had
constructed a grandstand. The best evidence indicates the use of that structure,
as the only surviving photographs show a few onlookers, probably WSU
supporters, standing at the fence line along Sixth Street, the east side of the
field.
WSU came to the contest undefeated but found a vastly
improved Lewiston squad on the other side of the ball. In 1896, touchdowns
added four points to a team’s score, with field goals worth five points and
conversion kicks two.
The first half ended without a score, as neither team could
muster a first down. WSU finally scored at the 12-minute mark in the second
half, making the tally 6-0. Getting the ball back on downs, “the Lewiston boys
realized that some desperate playing must be done to carry the day.” The team
looked to its backfield. Brothers Ferdinand and Louis Roos, along with Thomas
Kitsmiller, brought the ball to inside the WSU 30-yard line. Two penalties and
two plays later put the ball on the 3-yard line.
“The cheering and
enthusiasm of the crowd at this point,” a Tribune writer reported, “was
deafening and spirited. … Hats, overcoats, and colors were thrown in the air
and excitement reigned supreme.”
On third down, WSU pulled in its ends to form a double line
against an anticipated plunge by one of the Roos brothers. With Louis leading
the way, Ferdinand punched his way in for a touchdown. Louis completed the
conversion, and the score was 6-6, with seven minutes to play. The “wild yells
and continued cheering” went on for several minutes.
When the game clock finally ran out, Lewiston was on the WSU
35 and moving steadily toward the goal line.
In an era when football produced many serious and often
fatal injuries from a lack of proper protective gear and formations later
banned, the contest this day was surprisingly uneventful. “Aside from the few
scratches and bruises,” the Tribune reported, “the game was not attended with
any serious injuries.”
In the evening, the teams gathered for a dance, where “the
events of the day were pleasantly discussed.”
:::::::::::::::::::::
From Vince Grippi of the Spokane S-R
(Sorry, no links)
• Speaking of change, you want to know where the balance of
power in Pac-12 football lies these days?
All you need to know is USC, the school synonymous with the
conference’s success the past 7,492 years, placed exactly, let’s check again,
oh yeah, zero players on the all-conference first teams. None. Nada.
The offensive player of the year? That would be Washington
State’s Gardner Minshew. The defensive player of the year? Yep, Washington’s
Ben Burr-Kirven. The freshman of the year? Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson. And
the coach of the year is Mike Leach.
In other words, most of the major players in the conference
this season resided in the Northwest.
As far from the capital of college football these days – in
location and in national attention – as you can get without leaving the
continental United States.
Do you think if all those players wore USC uniforms, the
conference’s national profile would be in the dumpster, even if the Trojans
were no better than, say, Washington State? I would posit if USC was 10-2 and
had Minshew as its star, the Trojans would be Fiesta or Sugar Bowl bound. And
the Pac-12 would have been in the national championship picture until the last
minute.
WSU: It is the season of awards, so Theo Lawson covers all
the hardware the Cougars picked up yesterday. Washington State had a dozen
players make one of the All-Pac-12 teams besides Minshew and Leach picking up
the big awards. … Next year’s football schedules were announced yesterday as
well – Honestly, is the conference silly or what? Why not wait a day so both
the all-conference teams and next year’s schedule have their own news cycles? –
with WSU playing just six home games. The Cougars and most everyone else, have
two byes next season. … There is basketball tonight, with WSU hosting its
longest-running rivalry game: The Battle of the Palouse with Idaho. It’s been
played more than 100 times. Theo has a preview.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, so the two big news releases
yesterday – no seriously, why do them both on the same day? – concerned the
all-conference football honors and next year’s schedules. They dominate the
news from Washington to Oregon State, from Oregon to Stanford and beyond. … The
biggest news in Los Angeles is USC about to bring aboard former Texas Tech
coach – and Leach disciple – Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. And
coach in waiting? … Colorado seems to have zeroed in on its next coach. … Urban
Meyer is “retiring” after the Rose Bowl. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t last
that long back when he coached at Utah. … Yes, it is time for an eight-team
playoff. … In basketball, Colorado picked up a win over South Dakota.
Washington State’s Gardner Minshew named Pac-12 Offensive
Player of the year, Mike Leach named Coach of Year
UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 4, 2018, 6:38 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
Led by Gardner Minshew and Andre Dillard, Washington State
places a dozen on All-Pac-12 teams
Mike Leach and Gardner Minshew may not have drawn it up
exactly like this when the seventh-year Washington State coach recruited his
next starting quarterback over the phone last spring, but by the end of the
Cougars’ historic 10-win season, it was inevitable that the pair would be in
the running for some major Pac-12 Conference awards.
The Cougars double-dipped Tuesday night when the league
handed out its annual honors on the Pac-12 Networks.
Minshew, the fifth-year graduate transfer quarterback who
didn’t arrive in Pullman until May, was named the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of
the Year. For the second time in four years, Leach, who led the Cougars to
their highest win total in 15 season, was named the Pac-12’s Coach of the Year.
Leach and Stanford’s David Shaw shared the award in 2015.
It’s just the second time in school history and the first
time since 1997 that WSU has had a coach and player honored for those awards in
the same season. Quarterback Ryan Leaf and Mike Price were honored together in
’97.
The Pac-12 also announced three other awards Tuesday
evening. Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven won Defensive Player of the
Year, Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson won Offensive Freshman of the
Year and Arizona State linebacker Merlin Robertson won Defensive Freshman of
the Year.
Together, Leach and Minshew produced one of the most
memorable seasons in school history and they can become the first
quarterback-coach duo at WSU to win 11 games when the Cougars take on Iowa
State in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Leach, recognized as a founding father of the Air Raid
offense along with Hal Mumme, needed somebody to lead his passing attack when
he recruited Minshew in March, offering the East Carolina grad transfer an
opportunity to, Leach’s words, “lead the country in passing yards.”
Previously committed to Alabama, where he likely would’ve
been a third-string QB, Minshew jumped at the opportunity and won the Cougars’
starting job in August. By the midway point of the season, the Brandon,
Mississippi, native was a Heisman Trophy candidate and the nation’s leading
passer.
Minshew still leads the FBS in passing yards per game (373),
pass completions (433) and pass attempts (613). He was the only quarterback in
the country to throw for 400 yards in at least six games and led the Pac-12
with 36 touchdowns. Minshew also rushed for three touchdowns and was sacked
only 11 times – once per every 55 pass attempt. He threw nine interceptions.
In addition to finding a diamond in the rough at the QB
position, Leach successfully filled six coaching vacancies. Defensive
coordinator Alex Grinch, longtime strength coach Jason Loscalzo and four
position coaches departed last offseason, but the Cougars improved on defense
under first-year DC Tracy Claeys, giving up 23.1 ppg after conceding 25.8 in
Grinch’s final season.
Leach to replace 60 percent of his offensive line, but
almost every metric indicates that the group improved in 2018. The O-line
allowed 44 sacks in 2017, but only 11 this season, and WSU’s running backs
averaged 3.7 yards per carry after getting only 2.9 a year ago.
Despite a 9-4 record in 2017, the Cougars were projected to
finish fifth in the Pac-12 North at the start of the season. They opened the
year outside of the Associated Press Top 25 and didn’t crack the national poll
until week eight, but eventually rose to No. 7.
The Cougars went 12-25 in Leach’s first three seasons, but
the coach has bumped his personal record at WSU to 48-40 after leading the
program to a 36-15 record the last four seasons.
The other WSU coaches who’ve won Pac-12/10 Coach of the Year
include Jim Walden (1981 1983), Dennis Erickson (1988), Mike Price (1997, 2001)
and Bill Doba (2003).
Minshew joins running backs Reuben Mayes (1984, 1985) and
Steve Broussard (1989), and quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe (1992), Ryan Leaf (1997)
and Jason Gesser (2002).
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
In case you missed it, here’s WSU 2019 football schedule. Of
course, kickoff times not yet determined.
WSU Athletics says dates for WSU's 2019 Homecoming and Dad's
Weekend games will be announced next month.
Aug. 31 – vs. New Mexico State
Sept. 7 – vs. Northern Colorado
Sept. 13 – vs. Houston (at NRG Stadium, Houston)
Sept. 21 – vs. UCLA
Sept. 28 – at Utah
Oct. 5 – BYE
Oct. 12 – at Arizona State
Oct. 19 – vs. Colorado
Oct. 26 – at Oregon
Nov. 2 – BYE
Nov. 9 – at Cal
Nov. 16 – vs. Stanford
Nov. 23 – vs. Oregon State
Nov. 29 – at Washington (Apple Cup)
::::::::::::::::::::::
Led by Gardner Minshew and Andre Dillard, Washington State
places a dozen on All-Pac-12 teams
UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 4, 2018, 3:19 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of Spokane’s S-R
A dozen Cougar football players were recognized on the
Pac-12’s All-Conference teams Tuesday afternoon and it may just be the start of
what could be a banner day for the Washington State program.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew and left tackle Andre Dillard,
the duo that will be representing WSU at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in January, won
All-Pac-12 first team honors on offense, while right tackle Abraham Lucas
earned second team offensive honors and defensive lineman Logan Tago received
second team defensive honors.
Then eight more Cougars were named honorable mention,
rounding out the largest batch of WSU players honored by the conference since
2003.
On the honorable mention list were punter Oscar
Draguicevich, linebacker Peyton Pelluer, return specialist Travell Harris,
linebacker Jahad Woods, center Fred Mauigoa, running back James Williams,
special teams player Kainoa Wilson and safety Jalen Thompson.
At 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks, the conference will
announce its players of the year – offensive POY, defensive POY, freshman
offensive POY and freshman defensive POY – in addition to its coach of the
year.
Minshew, who leads the nation in passing yards per game and
won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Monday, is thought to be a runaway
favorite for Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Leach, who lead the Cougars
to their highest win total since 2002 after being picked to finish fifth in the
Pac-12 North, is a candidate for Coach of the Year.
A fifth-year graduate transfer from East Carolina, Minshew
led the Pac-12 in passing yards (4,477), passing yards per game (373.1),
touchdown passes (36) and total offense (381.7). Luke Falk, Minshew’s
predecessor in Pullman, was the last WSU player to win first team offensive
honors, sharing the QB spot with Cal’s Jared Goff.
Dillard makes his way onto the first team after receiving
honorable mention honors in 2017. He started all 12 games at left tackle for
WSU and is thought to be one of the Pac-12’s top OL Draft prospects.
Lucas, who plays opposite Dillard on the Cougars’ offensive
line, started all 12 games at right tackle his rookie season and was the only
freshman to be named to the All-Pac-12 offensive teams. Only two freshmen,
Stanford corner Paulson Adebo and USC defensive lineman Jay Tufele, were named
to the defensive teams.
It’s the first All-Pac-12 honor for Tago, who had a
team-high 10 tackles-for-loss this season, in addition to three sacks and 27
total tackles.
Of WSU’s honorable mention selections, only Thompson and
Pelluer have been recognized by the Pac-12 before. The junior safety was a
second-team honoree last season while the sixth-year senior linebacker was
named honorable mention in 2015 and ’16.
By school, Utah led everyone in the Pac-12 with 17 players
recognized. For the first time since 2000, USC failed to place a single player
on the first team. Oregon State didn’t manage to get anyone on the first team
or second team, but had four honorable mention choices.
::::
WSU MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Battle of the Palouse turns 114 when Washington State,
Idaho meet on hardwood Wednesday
UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 4, 2018, 6:44 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – To place the Battle of the Palouse into historical
context, the basketball teams at Washington State and Idaho had already been
playing each other for 49 years when Cougars coach Ernie Kent was born in 1955.
Another full decade of Cougars v. Vandals on the hardwood
elapsed by the time Idaho’s Don Verlin was born in 1965.
As far as NCAA Division I college basketball is concerned,
no rivalry game west of the Mississippi River, or outside of the Ivy League,
has had more legs than the one between WSU and Idaho. While it seems feasible
two schools separated by 8 miles of highway could keep this going for another
114 years, stranger things have happened.
At no point did WSU think its rivalry with Gonzaga would
cease to exist, but after 150 meetings, the Bulldogs decided not to re-up after
a 2015 game at Beasley Coliseum. It remains to be seen if GU will make the
80-mile trip to Pullman again, or vice versa, despite the fact Cougs-Zags had
been one of the Northwest’s preeminent hoops rivalries – and one that seemed to
draw respectable numbers every year.
So while Kent cannot control every aspect of the Cougars’
scheduling efforts – “it is not a decision on my end and I would be more than
happy to play (Gonzaga),” the coach reaffirmed Tuesday – he’s vowed not to put
the Battle of the Palouse on life support as long as he holds his position at
WSU.
For the 114th time since 1906, the Cougars (4-2) and Vandals
(3-4) will link up Wednesday night with regional bragging rights on the line.
Tipoff at Beasley Coliseum is set for 6 and the game will air on the Pac-12
Networks.
“A lot of people shy away from games like this, particularly
BCS schools that are playing games like this,” Kent said. “I think it’s
important to play the game, just because of the history of the rivalry that’s
there. I don’t know if we’ll continue to play forever, but it’s an opportunity
right now to play and get ready.”
The Cougars are favored by eight points to beat an Idaho
team that opened the year with an exhibition loss to NAIA Lewis-Clark State and
conceded a neutral-site game to Division II Northwest Nazarene three weeks
later. The Vandals regrouped to beat North Dakota on the road in their latest
contest.
WSU has the nation’s 11th-leading scorer and the Pac-12’s
reigning Most Improved Player in senior Robert Franks (24.8 points per game).
Idaho is struggling to replace six seniors who led the Vandals to a 22-9 record
last season and 62 wins over the last three years. UI, playing without leading
returner Nate Sherwood (psoriatic arthritis) this season, lost 95 percent of
its scoring from 2017-18.
Still, recent history shows the Cougars still need to keep
their heads on a swivel during the game.
“They’ve beaten us three of the last four times,” Kent said,
“so it’s a big significance for us from that perspective.”
The Vandals decimated the Cougars 91-64 last season in
Moscow, posting their third-largest margin of victory in the history of the
series. WSU sneaked out with a 61-48 win in 2017, but Idaho won in 2016 (78-74)
and 2015 (77-71). Prior to that, the Cougars had won 11 in a row.
WSU senior guard Viont’e Daniels is the only player on
either side who’s played in each of the last four rivalry games. Only one Idaho
starter, Trevon Allen – a Clarkston High graduate – played in the 2017 game.
Allen averages 14.1 points and 3.7 assists for Idaho, but to
shut down the Vandals, WSU will also need to keep a keen eye on freshman
sharpshooter Cameron Tyson, who leads UI with 16.4 ppg and tops the Big Sky in
3-pointers made per game (4.3) and 3-point percentage (57.7). Tyson, a Bothell,
Washington, native, is seventh nationally in both categories.
“I think the fact they can sit on top of us and see so many
games that we play over here, they know personnel,” Kent said. “I think before
I got here, the two teams had those open gyms together where they would play
together during the summer before I got here. So there’s a lot of knowledge
that’s there and I think (Verlin) is an excellent coach that really prepares.”
WSU forward Isaiah Wade, a junior college transfer averaging
13 ppg, hasn’t played in the last three games and could miss a fourth. Kent
said Wade will be a “game-time decision” Wednesday.
:::::::::::::::
Matt Brock elevated WSU's football special teams play in 4
major ways
By Braden Johnson, Cougfan.com
PULLMAN – What a difference one assistant coaching hire can
make. Since Washington State special teams coordinator Matt Brock ventured to
the Palouse from Bowling Green last spring, an area that was once an Achilles
heel for the Cougars has turned into one of the team’s best assets. Consider
these statistics:
WSU is No. 4 in the nation in kickoff returns, up from No.
116 in 2017, averaging nearly 10 more yards per return (27.14) than last
season.
WSU is No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 48 nationally in kickoff return
defense, up from No. 107 in the nation last season.
Even in a category -- punt return yards -- where the
improvement looks modest at first glance (the Cougars are No. 93 in the nation
this season vs. No. 116 last season) the statistical difference is notable:
6.43 yards per return on average vs. 4.14.
The only special teams category where the 2018 Cougs haven't
improved upon is punt return defense, dropping from No. 6 in the nation a year
ago (surrendering an average of just 2.89 yards per return) vs. No. 60 this
season (7.92 yards).
Cougar radio color analyst and former standout quarterback
Alex Brink characterized Brock's impact succinctly in a recent interview with
Cougfan.com: "He knows what Coach Leach wants out of those guys and in
general he's a really high-energy personality and the kids really respond well
to him."
Here are the five most impactful contributions Brock has
made to elevate special teams play into a strength for WSU:
1. Recruiting connections: Brock spent extensive time in
fertile Texas. After graduating from Baker University in Kansas in 2011, he
spent three years as a defensive quality control assistant at Texas Tech under
Kliff Kingsbury and developed notable recruiting connections. That's how Brock
secured the Cougars' 2018 punting revelation, Oscar Draguicevich, out of Temple
Junior College. Draguicevich leads the Pac-12, and is sixth in the FBS, in
punting at 46.0 yards per boot.
“It’s really just connections with kicking coaches around
the country,” Brock said of how he first heard of Draguicevich. “Trying to tap
into those resources. And then connections with high school coaches. Trying to
recruit that position while you’re recruiting another is the best (tactic),
I’ve found.”
He also helped sway former 5-star kicking prospect Blake
Mazza to Pullman after he announced his intention to transfer from Arkansas.
Gazza connected on 10 of 15 field goal attempts for the Cougars this season
including the game-winner at Stanford.
2. Experience coaching the position: Brock was nominated for
the Broyles Award -- given annually to the top assistant coach in the country
-- for his work with Bowling Green’s special teams unit in 2017. The Falcons
ranked in the top 20 nationally in net punting return average, kick return
defense and punt defense. The strong
statistical play has carried over to WSU.
3. Energy: Leach said in October that Brock is the most
vocal and animated assistant coach during practices. That’s a special
designation considering Brock is up against the likes of hands-on offensive
line coach Mason Miller and outside receiver’s coach Steve Spurrier Jr., who
packs as much personality into his words as his father and Hall of Fame head
coach.
Often, kickoff and punt returners are the last players to
leave the field during practices. Brock himself will sprint down the sideline
in tandem with Travell Harris, Jamire Calvin and Kyle Sweet on return drills
and shag punts for Draguicevich.
Brock has instilled a friendly competition for reps on
special teams play, especially on returns. It has incentivized the idea of
carving a niche out of excelling in the phase or using the opportunity to
springboard into a consistent role on offense or defense.
4. Personnel groupings: Brock is a firm believer in a
practice Leach and previous special teams coach Eric Mele embraced: using
front-line offensive and defensive mainstays on special teams. Harris, for
example, has returned all but one kickoff for the Cougars -- including his
100-yard dash to the house against Eastern Washington -- and senior wideout
Kyle Sweet arguably has had a greater impact as the team’s lead punt returner
than at receiver.
Additionally, Brock has deployed do-it-all backup running
back Keith Harrington on virtually every special teams set outside of PATs.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Kainoa Wilson has perhaps established himself as
WSU’s most valuable asset on special teams. The Hawaii native has made four
tackles on return coverage and blocked a punt at Oregon State.
THE SORDID HISTORY OF WSU SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY:
That fateful 60-59 loss to Cal in 2014 at Martin Stadium
still rings in the minds of the WSU faithful when special teams play is brought
up. WSU allowed consecutive kickoff returns in the third quarter and shanked a
19-yard field goal attempt as time expired to seal the loss. Leach immediately
fired special teams coach Eric Russell and elevated quality control staffer
Eric Mele to be special teams coordinator.
#
