Coug football: Washington
State reviews film, corrects mistakes in final practice of spring camp
UPDATED:
Tue., April 23, 2019, 9:51 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson, Spokane Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
For years, it’s been an unorthodox staple of the spring football routine for
one of the most country’s unorthodox coaches.
Maybe the
longer you think about it, the more you agree with Mike Leach’s approach and
begin to question why everyone else isn’t on the same page as the Washington
State coach, who will be entering his eighth year in the fall.
All around
the country, college football programs are starting to put a bow on spring camp.
Many that hadn’t already did so last weekend with annual intrasquad scrimmages,
mock games that are used to benefit the athletes but equally designed for the
enjoyment and entertainment of fans.
Players
take the scrimmage seriously, but once it’s over most of them sign autographs,
pose for photos and leave the field. Then, for the next three months, it’s no
position meetings, no film sessions and no team-sanctioned practice until
August, when fall camp opens up.
Leach
doesn’t see the point in that approach, so for the umpteenth year, there the
Cougars were three days after the Crimson and Gray Game going through
individual drills, special teams situations and team periods one last time
before breaking for the offseason.
“I
actually like it because it betters us in the long run, because we get some
more reps, get some more looks and see where we can go going into the summer,”
outside receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. said Tuesday evening.
More than
anything, it’s a way to ensure players don’t rest on their laurels after the
spring game. Leach sees the value in reviewing film from the scrimmage,
dissecting it with players in meeting rooms and atoning for errors a few days
later.
“I do
(like it) because you get to watch the film. It’s pretty simple,” outside linebackers/special
teams coach Matt Brock said. “So you can watch the film with them and try to
clean those things up today. And then from a special teams standpoint, I’ve
always used it as a situational practice, too.”
Leach
didn’t have any major issues coming away from the spring game, offering that
the Cougars just have to improve their “overall execution (and) consistency.”
A review
of the tape also revealed a few things that may have looked better than Leach
had thought initially.
“I thought
the D-line looked good. I thought we ran to the ball good,” Leach said. “I
thought for the most part we caught the ball pretty good. Then I thought it was
competitive. You split it up in half, you’re trading competitiveness for a
certain amount of synchronization as far as consistency. But I thought it was
good.”
Gaining
ground
For the
first time in a padded setting this spring, Eastern Washington graduate
transfer quarterback Gage Gubrud took live repetitions during WSU’s team period
near the end of practice. The Cougars went through four offensive drives during
the team period – two of them quarterbacked by Gubrud and the other two by
Anthony Gordon and Trey Tinsley.
Gubrud,
who didn’t participate in the Crimson and Gray game, went 5 of 8 on his first
series and 3 of 8 on his second. Gordon went 6 of 8 with a touchdown and
Tinsley was 7 of 9 with three touchdowns.
“He did
good,” Jackson Jr. said of Gubrud. “Coming into this offense, it’s not complex,
but if you don’t know what you’re doing, if you don’t have your helmet
straight, you’ll get lost real quick. But Gage came in with his head strong,
knows the plays, knows the checks and all that so I’m really proud of him.”
Leach will
divide the QB reps between all three players when fall camp begins, but he
plans to whittle the race down to two at some point in the first few weeks.
“At some
point, we’ll rep two,” Leach said. “Really, spring was just to get everyone in
a position to compete at as high a level as they could in the offseason and in
camp we’ll have to split them up.”
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WSU Baseball
Cougs fall
short at Gonzaga
Washington
State had a chance to tie it up late, but they couldn’t get the job done in
their regional rivalry at Gonzaga.
By Jeff
Collier
Washington
State brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning with two out, but
they fell short Tuesday night at Gonzaga, 8-5.
The Cougs
made the trip north to renew their regional rivalry. Zane Mills got the start
for WSU, and after a 1-2-3 first, the Zags struck in the 2nd. GU put up 3 hits,
to go along with a walk, a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch, that resulted in
a trio of runs, letting the Bulldogs take a 3-0 lead. That would be the last
inning for Mills who went 2 frames and picked up the loss.
WSU struck
back in the 3rd thanks to an Andres Alvarez RBI single and Dillon Plew
sacrifice fly. Home runs by Gonzaga’s Troy Johnston and WSU’s Alvarez helped
make this one a 5-5 tie through 5... But the Zags took over from there.
GU
regained the lead with a pair of runs on an RBI single and wild pitch in the
6th. They added another in the 7th thanks to the classic combination of an
error, sac bunt, wild pitch and sac fly.
Washington
State had one last chance in the 9th. With two outs, Danny Sinatro reached on a
HBP followed by an Alvarez walk to bring the game-tying run to the plate. Plew
gave the ball a ride, but came up short with a fly ball to deep center field to
end the game, sealing an 8-5 Gonaga win.
The loss
takes the Cougs to 8-28-1 on the season, and 1-8-1 in their last ten. But the
road doesn’t get much easier from here. They’ll continue their road trip in
Corvallis Friday through Sunday for weekend set. All three games can be live
streamed on Oregon State’s website.
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WSU hoops:
Smith offers prolific, but overlooked, scoring threat
ByJamey Vinnick,
Cougfan.com
WASHINGTON
STATE’S Kyle Smith, Coug new men’s head basketball coach, continues to make
tracks on the basketball recruiting trail with the regular signing period in
full swing.
The Cougs
have put another offer on the table, per verbalcommits.com, to a 6-foot-3
shooting guard from Salt Lake City who led the state of Utah in scoring this
past season. He profiles as an absolute sniper from 3-point range.
Jeremy
DowDell averaged a whopping 29.6 points per game this past season, his third
straight season averaging over 20 points. He shot a robust 45 percent from
3-point land, canning a ridiculous 110 treys on the year. In the process,
DowDell set the record for most 3-pointers made in Utah high school history
(breaking the mark held by BYU guard Nick Emery).
DowDell’s
team at Olympus High is a powerhouse and has won two state championships in
DowDell’s tenure. DowDell was huge in Olympus’s 27-0 team two years ago,
winning the 5A MVP while averaging 21 ppg.
But he’s
also shared the spotlight with teammate and point guard Rylan Jones, named the
Gatorade Utah Player of the Year in boys basketball the past two years, rated 4
stars and who is committed to Utah.
SMITH’S
TO-DO list includes not only an elite point guard but guys who can shoot from
distance. With Ryan Murphy no longer in Smith's plans and Carter Skaggs
transferring, DowDell would seemingly fit the bill as the sharpshooter threat
the Cougars need.
DowDell --
surprisingly given his scoring prowess, holds only two other known offers from
Air Force and Dixie State. As such, DowDell also seems to fit what Smith
discussed in Jon Rothstein’s recent podcast regarding his recruiting strategy:
cashing in on the overlooked, underrecruited kid who holds some serious value.
With only
six certain returnees on the roster, Smith has to begin filling spots soon with
the regular signing period deadline of May 15.
In
addition to DowDell, other recruits to keep a close watch on: Noah Williams,
Ronnie DeGray, Kuany Kuany, David Jenkins and as of yesterday in case you
missed it -- Isaac Bonton. Related: WSU hoops: 6-3 PG who fills up the net
visiting this weekend
The 6-10
Kuany recently named his final three: WSU, Cal and Nevada. He is taking a visit
to Nevada this weekend.
:::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
-- Pac-12 Spring: Cougars looking to replace Gardner Minshew
By Anne M.
Peterson, AP Sports Writer Updated 5:41 pm PDT, Tuesday, April 23, 2019
While
Gardner Minshew prepared for the NFL draft, his former team, Washington State,
was auditioning potential replacements.
The
Cougars have a spirited quarterback competition involving a large group of
would-be starters, including seniors Anthony Gordon and Trey Tinsley, Cammon
Cooper, graduate transfer Gage Gubrud and sophomore John Bledsoe.
And yes,
if that last name sounds familiar, it's because John is the son of Drew
Bledsoe, the former Washington State quarterback who went on to have a storied
NFL career. In the spring game last weekend, Bledsoe threw a 16-yard touchdown
pass for the Crimson team, which went on to prevail 25-24 in overtime.
Gordon and
Tinsley got the bulk of the reps, however, with Gordon throwing for 234 yards
and three TDs for the Gray side, and Tinsley passing for 155 yards and a
Crimson score. Gage Gubrud, a prolific graduate transfer from Eastern Washington,
did not participate in the game because of a foot or ankle injury that has
limited him throughout spring camp.
"Things
felt smooth," Gordon told reporters about his outing. "It's a spring
game, they weren't blitzing much. So it's easy to hold on to the ball for a
while."
The
quarterback who eventually wins the nod will have some big shoes to fill.
Minshew, who was among the Cougars' former players at Saturday's spring game,
led Washington State to a school-record 11 wins in his lone season.
He led the
nation in passing yards per game (367.6) while also finishing in the top five
with 38 touchdowns and a 70.7% completion rate. His 4,779 passing yards set a
Pac-12 Conference record.
The
Cougars were ranked No. 10 in the final AP Top 25 after a 28-26 victory over
Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl.
Coach Mike
Leach had a mixed assessment of the team following the spring game. The Cougars
wrapped up camp Tuesday.
"The
guys that played well let it rip and ran to the ball," he said. "And
the guys that didn't — you can call it stage fright, or anxiety or just
tentative — we've got to get rid of that stuff."
Asked how
to get rid of it, Leach replied: "Show it on film and raise hell from here
on out as it happens."
There was
a lot of focus this spring on the QBs — as there always is — across the Pac-12:
HERBERT'S
BACK: One team that doesn't have a quarterback issue is Oregon, which has
Justin Herbert back for his senior season. Some had thought Herbert might leap
to the NFL early, but he announced before Oregon's Redbox Bowl victory over
Michigan State that he'd return.
The
biggest revelation out of Oregon's spring game was the development of presumed
backup Tyler Shough, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 178 yards and a score.
"It
just kind of clicked at the end of the season," coach Mario Cristobal said
about the redshirt freshman's emergence. "There has been tremendous growth
there. We are confident in him going into the season."
COSTELLO'S
STAYING, TOO: Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello also is returning for his
senior year, and the Cardinal can use him. The team embarks on 2019 without
many of its leaders from last year, including running back Bryce Love, wide
receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside and tight end Kaden Smith.
Two weeks
ago, Costello played in his first-ever spring game, going 8-for-15 for 85
yards. He missed prior spring games because of injury. Costello threw for 3,540
yards and 29 touchdowns last year.
"There's
no replacement for experience, and the experience he gained last year was
phenomenal, and he had the possibility to join the draft and go to the
NFL," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "But I think he knew in his
heart, too, there are things he can work on, things he can improve. It's not
just about being drafted, it's about being you best self when you take that
next step."
SO IS
LUTON: Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton won a sixth season of eligibility,
so he's expected to be the starter for Oregon State going into the fall — at
least for now. Luton passed for a team-high 1,660 yards and 10 touchdowns last
season but his career has been marred by injury.
He'll have
competition from sophomore Tristan Gebbia, a transfer from Nebraska who was the
Beavers' scout team quarterback last season.
The Beavers
finished 2-10 overall and 1-8 in the Pac-12 in former quarterback Jonathan
Smith's first year as coach.
GOING
EARLY: Some schools, like Oregon, have more traditional games for fans to cap
spring camp, but some schools prefer to keep it low-key. Arizona State held its
spring game back on Feb. 28, while California went on March 16. USC's game was
on April 6 and drew some 2,000 spectators.
Utah held
its spring game two weeks ago, marking the occasion by announcing a $17.5
million pledge by the Ken Garff family to renovate and expand Rice-Eccles
Stadium.
WASHINGTON
GOES LATE: The Huskies, who won the Pac-12 title last season with a 10-3
victory over Utah in the conference championship before falling 28-23 to Ohio
State in the Rose Bowl, will hold their spring game Saturday. Colorado will,
too, under new coach Mel Tucker.
::::::::::::::::::::
Agencies pitch in so Whitman County staff can
attend memorial service for a former deputy
By Anthony Kuipers Moscow Pullman Daily News April 24, 2019
Local law
enforcement agencies are assisting a shorthanded Whitman County Sheriff’s
Office this week as staff travel across the state to pay respects to a former
deputy who was killed in the line duty.
Sheriff
Brett Myers said in a press release his office will have a limited number of
staff responding to calls through today as deputies drive to Cowlitz County and
Portland for Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier’s memorial service.
DeRosier
was shot and killed near Kalama, Wash., after he stopped to examine a motorhome
that was blocking the road. The shooting was the first line-of-duty killing of
a deputy in the agency’s history.
The
suspect, Brian Dellaann Butts, was killed by police in Longview, Wash.,
following a manhunt.
DeRosier,
a 2012 Washington State University graduate, went through Whitman County’s
reserve academy in 2011 and was hired as a deputy for Whitman County in 2014.
He was
also a member of the Whitman County Regional SWAT team, where he worked with
members of the Pullman Police Department and Washington State University Police
Department.
Those two
agencies, as well as Washington State Patrol, agreed to respond to Whitman
County Sheriff’s Office emergency calls while county staff are away.
PPD Cmndr.
Chris Tennant said officers worked overtime Tuesday evening to cover those
calls, including calls outside of Pullman city limits.
He said
about five members of the PPD’s staff joined the procession to the memorial
service to pay respects to DeRosier, with whom they served on the SWAT team.
The
procession left Colfax on Tuesday morning with cars from the WSU Police
Department, Colfax Police Department, Whitcom Dispatch Center and fire
personnel, and WSP.
WSU police
Assistant Chief Steve Hansen said four WSUPD cars joined the procession, and an
extra staff member was brought on to help respond to sheriff’s office calls.
Hansen
said assisting the sheriff’s office lessens the stress for everyone attending
the memorial service and helps keep the county safe. He also said helping an
agency that is still grieving over one of its own is the right thing to do.
“It shows
we’re all in this together,” he said.
DeRosier’s
memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Portland.
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