SB Nation - J.T. Levenseller

UNIT PREVIEW: Quarterbacks

Nuss — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:11 -0000

Sophomore Marshall Lobbestael is doing his darndest to win the starting quarterback job after moments of brilliance in 2008, but he's so far been unable to separate himself from senior Kevin Lopina. (via images.smarter.com)

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The last in a seven-part series previewing the Cougs' offensive and defensive units.

8/15: Offensive Line
8/17: Defensive Line
8/19: Running Backs
8/21: Linebackers
Monday: Wide Receivers
Wednesday: Defensive Backs

Overview

We saved the quarterbacks for last because we figured by now the coaches would have made a decision on who was going to start the opener against Stanford on Sept. 5. Instead, we're left to continue to speculate on a situation that needs to resolve itself pretty darn quick.

When it comes to which quarterback should start the season in the backfield, there are no easy answers. The coaching staff has said again and again that the guy who gives them the best chance to win will start, which would be great, except it's proven very difficult to figure out who that guy is. Both senior Kevin Lopina and sophomore Marshall Lobbestael each have distinctly different strengths and weaknesses, which can be difficult to quantify.

Lopina can be a remarkably accurate passer and is mobile enough to occasionally escape the rush and move the chains out of the pocket. However, his decision making can be questionable at times (one interception every 14 attempts in 2008) and his arm strength is questionable. Lobbestael, on the other hand, has the bigger arm and demonstrated an ability last year to make an array of throws that Lopina can only dream of. He's younger, and a more ideal fit for rebuilding, since the lumps he takes this year would presumably pay off in the future.

It would be a lot easier if either guy had played poorly in camp, but by all accounts, both guys have played well. Lopina seemed to pull ahead out of the gate as Lobbestael worked to shake off the rust from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last year, but Lobbestael has appeared to come on as camp is stretching into its fourth week. It's an odd quandary: Lopina probably would be a better quarterback behind a suspect line and seems to possess the leadership intangibles to make those around him better, but Lobbestael probably is the only one of the two able to lead a Pac-10 caliber passing attack.

My guess? The coaching staff goes with the intangibles of Lopina in the hopes that he can muster a competent passing game. But they won't be shy about turning to Lobbestael if Lopina falters, as they did with Lopina in replacing Gary Rogers three games into last season.

And we can't forget about true freshman Jeff Tuel, who has impressed coaches and observers alike with his cannon arm and athletic ability. He's scheduled to redshirt, but with the transfer of J.T. Levenseller -- brought on by the emergence of Tuel in camp -- he'll be the No. 3 QB heading into the opener. Injuries or extreme ineffectiveness by Lopina and Lobbestael could force him into the lineup.

Projected Depth Chart

String	Name
1st	Kevin Lopina (6-3, 234, #Sr.)
2nd	Marshall Lobbestael (6-3, 206, #So.)
3rd	Jeff Tuel (6-3, 207, Fr.)
4th	Dan Wagner (5-11, 217, #So.)

Key Player

Lobbestael. There's no doubt he possesses more potential than Lopina, and my guess is that the coaching staff would rather the job go to a guy who can use the experience for the next couple of years as they try to pull the program out of the abyss. But it's important that they show improvement this year, and perhaps even win a handful of games -- two demoralizing seasons in a row will make it real hard for players and recruits alike to continue to buy what Paul Wulff's selling. The best thing for the program would be if Lobbestael proves to be the better of the two quarterbacks, not just at looking good in the pocket but at actually helping the Cougs win.

Biggest Question Mark

Can either one of these guys be effective enough to lead this team anywhere? There stands the very real possibility that neither Lopina nor Lobbestael turns out to be a Pac-10 caliber quarterback, and the team starts to sink into the pit of despair it was in last year. Then what? Does the team take its lumps with them to allow Tuel to watch his first year from the sidelines? Or will the coaching staff, feeling the pressure from fans and administration, pull the redshirt off and throw him to the wolves? Quite simply, this team needs one of these guys to step up and be good enough.

Best Case Scenario

Lobbestael wins the job out of camp and runs with it. He's fully recovered from his knee injury and leads the Cougs to a season-opening upset over Stanford, thanks in large part to an offensive line that keeps him upright more often than not. Turns out, all Lobbestael needed all along was a little protection, and now that he's getting it, he looks like the kind of Cougar quarterback we've come to know and love over the past 30 years. He's not all-Pac-10 caliber -- yet -- but he's good enough that his arm is worth two wins to a team that already got three from its running game. He leads the Cougars from 2-11 to 5-7, and Wulff's rebuilding job is well underway. Everyone's healthy, and Tuel gets to keep his redshirt.

Worst Case Scenario

Both Lopina and Lobbestael stink, whether because of injuries or general ineffectiveness. Staring down the barrel of a winless season by the middle of October, Wulff and Co. are confronted with the decision of what to do with Tuel. Feeling their jobs might be at stake, they put Tuel in the lineup. He looks good in losing efforts in the first two games, only to suffer a catastrophic injury in his third. His redshirt burned with no possibility of a medical hardship, the Cougs limp to an 0-12 season.

Likely Scenario

Lopina starts the year as the quarterback. He's serviceable, but hardly overwhelming, as the Cougs lose to Stanford and narrowly beat Hawaii. The coaches insert Lobbestael for a couple of series in each of the first two games for experience, and he shows enough to compel them to make a change heading into the SMU game. Lobbestael starts, and even though Lopina plays a bit against the Mustangs, Ocho Rojo shows enough to hang onto the job. He isn't that much better than Lopina, but he's marginally better, and that's enough for the coaching staff to stick with the young guy. Lobbestael and Lopina get dinged up during the year, but the team narrowly averts needing to play Tuel. The talk of who will be the starter in 2010 starts in earnest on Nov. 29.

Poll

Who would you like to start?

Kevin Lopina

33 votes

Marshall Lobbestael

47 votes

Jeff Tuel

16 votes

96 votes | Poll has closed

Take it to the bank: Lopina will get the nod

Nuss — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:42:42 -0000

Well, I'm a little late to the whole Saturday scrimmage party at this point, but between being out of town all day yesterday, getting back at noon today, and then having my brother and his wife over for lunch/dinner this afternoon/evening, this is the first chance I've had to sit at a computer and digest all the coverage of yesterday's initial scrimmage of camp and reflect on its significance.

Most of the days reports focus on the same thing: The quarterback battle.

In a nutshell, Kevin Lopina looked sharp (6-of-6, 94 yards, TD), Marshall Lobbestael looked a rusty guy coming off reconstructive knee surgery (4-of-7, 34 yards), and Jeff Tuel looked like the kind of quarterback that could start next year and for the three after that (5-of-6, 74 yards with the 3rd stringers against the 3rd defense).*

*Before we go any further with this conversation, let's just get one thing straight: Tuel is not going to play this year, barring more injuries like last year or absolutely catastrophic play from Lopina and Lobbestael. He might look as awesome as awesome can be, but this staff values its redshirts. So, no comments below on how you think Tuel should go ahead and start as a true freshman. Ain't gonna happen. Don't even suggest it.

Clearly, one of those lines sticks out above all the others, and I'll go ahead and say it now: Lopina will be the starting quarterback against Stanford. And to be honest, I'm beginning to run contrary to the general line of thinking in Coug Nation and come around to the idea that it's not such a bad thing.

I think that a lot of our general bias against Lopina becoming the starter derives from the fact that he just doesn't pass our WSU eye test. We love our big, strong-armed quarterbacks. I remember during my freshman year fans chanting Ryan Leaf's name as Chad Davis threw what seemed like every 10-yard out to a defensive back. And we all remember the calls for Gary Rogers to supplant Alex Brink for three years, even as Brink was completely rewriting the record books.

Lopina is big (6-foot-3, 234 pounds), but he doesn't have the sexy quarterback build we've come to expect from our lineage of great signal callers. And about that arm ... watch that throw in the Apple Cup again to refresh your memory (at about the 3:00 mark). It took everything he had to throw the rock 55 yards. It was great that he made the play, but let's be honest -- a stronger armed quarterback who is able to put a little more air on that thing allows Jared Karstetter to walk into the end zone.

Predictably, the idea of Lopina starting this year is met with one giant, collective yawn. Give us Marshall Lobbestael, who, with his lanky build and silky smooth throwing motion, looks infinitely more the part. Give us Jeff Tuel, with that rocket launcher dangling from his right shoulder. Don't give us a guy who looks more like a linebacker than a quarterback -- a guy who's a senior, who's not going to pay any future dividends from playing in what figures to be another rebuilding year.

But it's starting to occur to me that we spend entirely too much time what Lopina can't do, rather than what he can.

Offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy said the starter would be the guy who gives them the best chance to win, detailing what exactly gives a player that quality (I'm paraphrasing):

Commitment to the program and its goals.
Dedication to the position's responsibility of being a full-time leader.
A passion for football and a commitment to being the best he can possibly be at his position.
He has to make plays.

Sound like anyone you know? Say, a guy who has publicly and vocally bought into Paul Wulff's program? A guy who stood up week after week to face the media in the wake of a string of embarrassing losses? A guy who played through a broken back because his team needed him? A guy who ripped his teammates after getting spanked by Stanford? A guy who has consistently been out in front as a leader in this camp, even though he hasn't officially won the job?

About the only thing that doesn't sound like Lopina to a T is No. 4, but even in that, I find Sturdy's choice of words intentional. Notice he didn't say he has to make "great throws" or has to "be a great passer." He's got to "make plays," something Lopina has shown he can do, whether with a timely throw or with his feet.

I felt from day one that if Lobbestael wanted this job he was going to have to take it from Lopina -- that he was going to have to display an exceptional ability to move the ball with his arm. That just doesn't seem to be happening. Sean over at WSUFB sums it up perfectly: "(A)fter eight practices and a scrimmage now in the books, the 'boy Marshall Lobbestael looks good' buzz has been noticeably absent from camp reports."

Don't let the most over-quoted statistic in the history of mankind -- 11 interceptions, zero touchdowns -- limit what you think Lopina is able to do. Yes, he occasionally showed questionable decision making that was exacerbated by the fact that his arm isn't strong enough to squeeze the ball into little spaces. But he did complete nearly 60 percent of his passes, and after a year in the system, he ought to make better decisions overall. That's not even taking into account how much healthier Lopina is now than he was at the end of last season.

There's just so much more to quarterbacking than making throws, and I think that's indicated not just in the characteristics Sturdy highlighted, but in the order he presented them. In the absence of a guy who can overwhelm us with his ability to do No. 4, I'll gladly take a guy who seems to be exceptional at Nos. 1-3 and merely average at the other.

If that guy is Lopina -- and I'd be willing to lay even money that it is -- I'm OK with that.

If you didn't catch all the coverage of the scrimmage from Saturday, here are the relevant links:

WSUFB's Longball checked in with this first-person report from the scrimmage, with Sean Hawkins' analysis here.
Vince Grippi had his story and notes.

Also, here's some other stuff:

Grippi's report from this morning's practice, and his evening story, which leads off with the transfer of J.T. Levenseller.
And, a weird story out of Moscow: DeMaundray Woolridge has resurfaced ... at the U of I with Robb Akey. If it seems like forever ago that he left WSU, it was -- 2006, to be exact. Weird.

Nine burning questions with So-Cal Sports Hub

Grady. — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:00:13 -0000

Recently, Joey Kaufman over at So-Cal Sports Hub was ~~crazy~~ nice enough to ask me some pressing questions regarding Cougar Football for 2009. It's a part of their site's "Checkin' on the Pac" series. I thought that for the ease of you, the reader, I would also post the Q&A session here on CougCenter. In it, you'll find my responses to many issues regarding the Crimson and Gray. Paul Wulff's performance, the D-Line, the new and improved Cougar backfield - it's all in there. Even a prediction on our season record. The only thing I'd want a mulligan on, given the recent dismissals, is my optimism about the defensive backfield. Well, that and some bad grammar I didn't clean up. Other than that, my opinion hasn't changed on any of the topics discussed.

Let's get to it!

Q: Last year Kevin Lopina had a nightmare year, throwing 0 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. However, Marshall Lobbestael and JT Levenseller weren’t much better either. Which of the three do you feel will emerge as the team’s starter in 2009?

A: Kevin Lopina is the frontrunner for the start of the season, but it’s not by much. Lobbestael could easily earn the job with a strong showing in fall camp, and Levenseller - while looking from the outside in - still has a shot. And beyond camp, the job is still open if the starter struggles through the first few games. Incoming freshman Jeff Tuel is my pick for QB of the future, but it’s unlikely he’ll see the field in ‘09.

The good news for Cougar fans is that Lopina’s catastrophic numbers from last year are in part the result of back luck. He only played a portion of the blowout win over Portland State, and he did have three rushing touchdowns to his credit last year. It is still incredible, though, that a Washington State starting quarterback could fail to notch a passing touchdown over the course of a season. Part of that is due to Lopina’s knack for throwing interceptions; something he has to shake if he wants to keep his job this fall. I don’t envy the position the quarterback of this team is in, regardless of who it is. This is the weakest receiving crew on paper for quite some time at WSU, and the offensive line is still a work in progress. I just hope all of our QB contenders stay healthy.

Q: Senior Dwight Tardy has show some promise in previous years, but he has been forced to miss some guys due to injury. Is this the year he puts it all together, while teaming up with James Montgomery in the backfield?

A: I think this is the year Tardy puts it together, but the great thing is he doesn’t necessarily have to. With the addition of Montgomery (and the return of Logwone Mitz), Tardy doesn’t have to take as much of a beating as he has in the past, and a running back by committee system is a great fit for WSU right now given the issues up front. Unlike other no-huddle coaches, Paul Wulff doesn’t run a spread offense, and he likes to pound the rock. Tardy and Montgomery could both have breakout years if they put in the work over the summer. This is the best I’ve felt about the Cougar backfield since Jerome Harrison patrolled it.

Q: Historically, Washington State has had some pretty good wide receivers, especially in recent years, in Jason Hill, Michael Bumpus, and Brandon Gibson. Who stands out among this year’s group?

A: I love Jeshua Anderson. Anderson can’t be matched in terms of speed - he’s the 2008 NCAA champion in the 400m hurdles. Jeshua just missed out on an Olympic appearance, but it’s hard to blame him, as his U.S. teammates went on to sweep the medals in his category in Beijing. In other words, he’s fast. But don’t sleep on Jared Karstetter, the sophomore who caught the most important pass of the year last season: a 48-yarder to set up the game-tying field goal against Washington. Without Gibson at the top, the depth of the unit is compromised, but there’s still some hope.

Q: The number of sacks allowed by WSU’s offensive line increased from 22 in 2007 to 43 in 2008. Now, the Cougars lose their left tackle Vaugh Lesuma. What’s the likelihood of any improvement?

A: Improvement is likely in that it’s hard to imagine the O-line being that bad two years in a row. Lesuma’s massive presence (literally) will be missed, but Kenny Alfred is back and will likely be a candidate for the Rimington Award. If he can anchor the line and the tackles can improve, we might not feel like our quarterbacks have to fear for their safety.

Q: Washington State’s defensive line was the worst in the Pac-10 in many categories last year, rushing yards allowed per game and rushing yards allowed per carry. What needs to be done to reverse this trend?

A: Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. Because of academic issues, JC uber-recruit Brandon Rankin may not be able to go this season. To make matters worse, fellow lineman Cory Mackay suffered serious injuries in a car accident this spring. Right now we’re just hoping for the best for Mackay, regardless of whether or not he plays again.

The outlook on the D line is grim for 2009, and we simply have to hope guys like Toby Turpin and Bernard Wolgramm can develop and give us some depth. However, Kevin Kooyman is still a bright spot at defensive end. Wulff has done a good job of targeting players for the future, and personnel is the only definitive way to solve the issue. I’ll still be holding my breath when the other team hands the ball off.

Q: LB Greg Trent was their best defensive player and team leader a year ago. Now with his departure, who steps up to become the "heart" of the defense?

A: That question assumes we had a defense in 2008, and I’m not so sure we did. Kidding aside, we’ve got some good candidates to step up and lead the D. The aforementioned Kooyman will hopefully be more active getting to the quarterack. Andy Mattingly is switching back to his natural position at linebacker, and he can provide some serious leadership on and off the field. In the defensive backfield, I’m still a Chima Nwachukwu fan. I don’t know if any one person will rise above the rest and lead the defense the way Mkristo Bruce or Greg Trent used to.
In most categories, WSU’s pass defense improved. Do you foresee the trend continuing in 2009?

Not so sure about this one. One disturbing stat is that the passing yards per attempt allowed by Wazzu actually increased last season - from 7.3 yards in 2007 to 7.8 in 2009. Yards per game looked good though, because our rush defense was so horrific that opponents getting seven yards per carry never really felt like putting the ball in the air. Still, if there was a strength to our defense last fall it was the defensive backfield, and I expect similar success in the upcoming year.

Q: There is no doubt that Paul Wulff can coach. He was Big Sky coach of the year three times, while at Eastern Washington. But after a 2-11 mark in year 1, do most Cougar fans feel as if he’s the right coach for this job? If he is, does he turn the program around before Sarkisian turns around UW?

A: I think most Cougar fans are still behind Wulff, but last season was so bad that patience is starting to wear a little thin. I have little doubt he’ll make the Cougars competitive again, but that’s not the issue. The key is whether or not he can make WSU a Rose Bowl contender every four or five years, the same way Mike Price did. That’s a little more difficult.

As for your second question, the good news for fans of the Apple Cup is that I see WSU and UW turning the corner at about the same time. Wulff had a one year head start, but Sarkisian will have a more immediate impact in terms of recruiting. I think both are two to three year processes. I say that with some caution, though, as four years ago fans of both schools were convinced that Bill Doba and Ty Willingham were the right men to lead them to the promised land.

Q: Washington State only has 5 true home games in Pullman this year, as they play two "home" games against Hawaii in Seattle and Notre Dame in San Antonio. What are your thoughts on this type of scheduling, especially the ND game in San Antonio?

A: As a season ticket holder, I’m not very thrilled with the Pullman slate. The San Antonio game is, for all intents and purposes, a home game for Notre Dame. The Seattle matchup against Hawai’i is intriguing, although I would still prefer a major conference opponent in our annual Qwest Field game. Overall that lackluster home schedule is just a result of the Pac-10’s round robin schedule, which I’m starting to lose faith in over time. At least the non-conference schedule provides us with two winnable games (Hawai’i, SMU).

Q: After glancing into your crystal ball, how do you see the 2009 Cougars finishing this year?

A: This is a tough call. I got the feeling that last season’s decision to scrap the no-huddle offense had a lot to do with the fact that we’d go three-and-out so fast that teams like USC could theoretically go 84-7 on us. This team looked just that bad. But then there were signs of life against Arizona, and the improbable (and shockingly exciting) Apple Cup win. If I had to guess… we drop the opener versus Stanford, but rebound with wins over SMU and Hawai’i. Then the Cougs enter a six game stretch with five on the road… That’s where the season unravels, and we lose all six. We then take one of the two remaining home games in an upset (either UCLA or Oregon State), and beat the Dawgs in Montlake, because why not. That makes WSU 4-8 on the year, and that’s a pretty optimistic outlook. If June Jones has our number (coaches at SMU and coached the older players on Hawai’i), we could flirt with 0-12. And if that happens, Paul Wulff will almost certainly be sitting on a burning seat in 2010.

Washington St. Cougars roster

About last night

Grady. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:04:26 -0000

There's a lot to get to, and even less time to get to it. Let's start with the more heralded game; the Legends Classic final against #4 Pittsburgh.

#4 Pittsburgh 57, WSU 43

Stats by StatSheet.com

Right off the bat, you'll notice this game was closer than final score indicates, especially in the first half. But the reality is the Cougars never game themselves the opportunity to win. There are two reasons for this. Allow me to introduce you to the four factors to winning:

Stats by StatSheet.com

Reason #1 is turnovers. The one thing this team cannot do is turn the ball over. And what did we do? 15 team turnovers. That's actually not a season high. That occured with 17 turnovers in the MVSU game. In fact, the Cougars have had four games with 12 or more turnovers prior to last night and were 4-0 in those games.

The difference? None of those previous four teams were Pittsburgh. Against an opponent of this caliber WSU had to protect the ball. Turnover percent is an easy advanced stat to understand. It's simply turnovers divided by possessions. Last night WSU coughed up the ball on 25.9% of their possessions, compared to 13.8% for the Panthers. That's over one-fourth of the Cougars' posessions. For comparison, last year's Cougar squad turned the ball over 16.9% of the time.

Taylor Rochestie was responsible for eight of those turnovers - his third straight game with four or more turnovers. He had four tunovers total in the previous three games to open the season. We are learning now more than ever how important Rochestie is to this team. He got flustered last night by the Pitt defense, and tried to force passes instead of letting the game come to him. It's out of character for Rochestie, and he has to learn that being a team leader this doesn't mean trying to be a hero. He's already good enough; but with Low and Weaver no longer on his side I feel like Taylor's begun to try and take over games. The thing is he doesn't have to change anything from last year to be a great player.

I never thought I'd say this, but there were times last night when I was more comfortable with Marcus Capers running the offense than Rochestie. That's says a lot about how good Capers is, and a lot about how important it is for TR to take better care of the basketball.

Reason #2 is free throw rate. I watched the game at My Office in Pullman and yes, the officiating wasn't great. There were calls made on both sides when the person fouled wasn't even touched. However, while WSU outfouled Pitt 19-12 for the game, I don't necessarily think the officiating was blindly in favor of the Panthers. The Cougs were drawing fouls; the problem is they weren't drawing shooting fouls. Free throw rate is free throws attempted divided by field goals attempted. And WSU got flat out smoked in this category - 56.2% to 8.3%.

The Cougars were not agressive enough driving the lane and getting to the line. On the other hand, Pitt used its superior speed to get to the hoop and coax the officials to put them on the line, or get a short-range basket. A 9-0 Pitt run - sparked mostly by free throws - at the start of the second half was the difference in this game. The Cougs never recovered and the Panthers ran away in a relatively ugly game.

Still, there's reason for hope after the season's first loss. The Cougars played a terrible game in terms of protecting the ball and getting to the line. And still, they were within 10 points of the fourth-ranked team in the country for the majority of the game. Had some of the threes fell (WSU was 3 for 13), and if Pitt didn't have the athleticism of Levance Fields and Sam Young leading them to the charity stripe, the Cougars could have (maybe even should have) won this game.

Player of the Game: Daven Harmeling. Team-high 12 points, making four of nine three-point attempts. He did not attempt a single shot inside the arc. The strange thing is that usually when Daven has a good night shooting the ball, the result is a Cougar victory. Tonight his 66 eFG% wasn't nearly enough for WSU.

Play of the Game: Daven Harmeling hits a three to make it 21-19 in favor of the Cougars. Unfortunately, it would be the last time WSU would have a lead in the game.

Stat of the Game: Pitt made five times as many free throws (20) as WSU attempted (4).

---

Hawai'i 24, WSU 10 (Football)

There are worse things in life than 2-11. Such as, for example, being regarded as the worst team in Pac-10 history. Washington will get a chance to make their case next weekend, but for now the Cougars avoid futility in at least one respect.

Kevin Lopina only attempted six passses, completing two before J.T. Levenseller came on in relief in the second quarter. Levy was 6 of 11 for 53 yards. Lopina finishes the season without a passing touchdown (he did have three rushing scores). On the bright side, neither QB threw a pick against the Warriors.

Still, Hawai'i was too much for WSU through the air, with 315 yards and two passing scores. WSU got as close as 17-10 in the third, until Michael Washington put the game away with a 44 yard receiving TD for Hawai'i.

This season is in the books, and at least there was some improvement shown against a bowl-eligible Hawai'i team. Still, this was a mostly forgettable season, save one game. I'll have a season-ending recap down the road, but for now let's remember the Apple Cup and look forward to next season.

Player of the Game: Dwight Tardy: 15 carries for 53 yards and the only TD.

Play of the Game: Brandon Gibson takes a reverse for 17 yards, setting up the Tardy TD. Gibson had only one catch for 18 yards in his final game as a Cougar. Good luck in the pros, Brandon. I think I speak for everyone at Wazzu when I say thanks for a great four years.

Stat of the Game: WSU was 3 for 11 on third down attempts.

Forward Progress

Grady. — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:21:47 -0000

So, it wasn't a win.

But it wasn't a total loss either.

The Cougs scored for the first time in ten quarters. They had a lead for the first time since the clock ran out against Portland State. They battled. They moved the ball. They scored points.

The only thing the Cougs didn't do is defend, allowing the Arizona Wildcats to roll up 531 yards of offense en route to a 59-28 loss. The now Bowl-eligible Wildcats were led by Nic Grigsby, who scampered for 189 yards and a touchdown. Arizona finished with seven rushing touchdowns against the nation's worst run defense, and found the end zone only once through the air.

Still, WSU was able to keep the game in reach well into the second half with a revitalized offensive performance. Kevin Lopina passed for 94 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Logwone Mitz and Dwight Tardy added a touchdown each in the loss for the Cougars, their sixth in a row. Wazzu scored a touchdown in all four quarters.

Dwight Tardy took an option pitch 18 yards to the end zone to give the Cougs a 7-0 lead to open up the game. Arizona countered with two consecutive touchdowns, the latter of which being a 48 yard reception by tight end Rob Gronkowski, who broke three poor tackle attempts by Cougar defenders on the way to the end zone.

But the high-stepping Gronkowski drew a flag for excessive celebration and the Cougars converted the ensuing short field into a touchdown. Kevin Lopina took a bootleg four yards for the score, which tied the game at 14.

The Cougar defense fell apart from there, surrendering three touchdowns to the Wildcats to end the half 35-14 in favor of Arizona.

The Cougars did show some signs of life in the second half, however, with a goal-line rushing score by Logwone Mitz and another Kevin Lopina draw play touchdown. Those countered ten more points by the Wildcats and brought the Cougars to within 45-28 with 14:54 remaining.

The Dad's day crowd at Martin Stadium definitely wanted something to get excited about, and they got it as Arizona went for a 4th and 3 on the WSU 33 with 9:38 to play in the game. In front of the loudest crowd in Pullman since the Portland State win, the Cougars failed to get a defender within 10 yards of Gronkowski, who converted the fourth down with a 12 yard reception down the sideline.

The drive proved to be fatal for the Cougars. Arizona took 7:51 off the clock and scored once more to take a 52-28 lead. A Dwight Tardy fumble on the following drive led to a rushing touchdown by Wildcat backup Matt Scott. The 59-28 score would hold up to the end.

WSU backup J.T. Levenseller played once again, going 2 for 5 with 20 yards before having a pass intercepted in the end zone.

The Cougars finally showed some signs of competitiveness, something they certainly need as they prepare for the Apple Cup in two weeks. Still, there's a long way to go defensively as the Cougs continue to shatter the record they've already set for points allowed in conference play. But there's hope. Most of which still lies with the offense, who scored 11 more points than USC against a strong Wildcat defense.

CougCenter Player of the Game: Logwone Mitz, with 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Play of the Game: Dwight Tardy takes an option pitch from Kevin Lopina 18 yards to the house, giving the Cougs their first lead in Pac-10 play.

Stat of the Game: Despite having two more rushing touchdowns, Kevin Lopina falls to 0 touchdowns and 8 interceptions on 56.3% passing for the season.

Cardinal 58, Cougars 0

Grady. — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:34:39 -0000

via assets.espn.go.com

Two weeks ago, Washington State saw its streak of 280 games without a shutout come to an end.

This week, the Cougars couldn't even start a new one.

Five turnovers, including three fumbles, doomed the WSU (1-8, 0-6 Pac-10) offense against Stanford (5-4, 4-2). The Cardinal dominated the game by taking advantage of those turnovers and exploiting a poor WSU rush defense. The Cardinal finished with 344 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns. Toby Gerhart led the way with 22 carries for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

The Cougars, meanwhile, were stagnant again on offense, even with an appearance from true freshmen J.T. Levenseller. On his first play, a botched handoff attempt to Logwone Mitz cost the Cougars the ball deep in their own territory. Levenseller burned his redshirt to throw four passes, completing two for 20 yards. The day wasn't much better for Cougar starter Kevin Lopina, who threw two interceptions. He finished the day with 132 yards on 16 of 28 passing.

WSU was not quite as awful as the score indicates - the difference in yards gained was only 456 for Stanford to 225 for WSU. The Cougars also failed on two trips to the red zone. However, it had to be a disappointing effort for a Cougar team that beat Stanford in Pullman one year ago.

Stanford is now one game away from being Bowl eligible under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

CougCenter Player of the Game: Mr. MVP himself, Reid Forrest, with 6 punts and an average of 37.8 yards per on a rainy day in California.

Play of the Game: 1st and 10 at WSU 10: Logwone Mitz rush for 25 yards to the WshSt 35 for a 1ST down.

Stat of the Game: The Cougars set the record for most points allowed in Pac-10 conference play (350) over the course of a season - and there are still three Pac-10 games remaining for WSU.

J.T. Levenseller should have started against USC

Grady. — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:33:57 -0000

If you follow Cougar football closely, you've no doubt heard the news: J.T. Levenseller is getting a good, long look at playing time for the Cougars' next game, November 1st at Stanford.

Levenseller is the son of WSU assistant coach Mike, and named after former Cougar quarterback Jack Thompson (hence the J.T.). He attended Pullman High school and is one of those players that I would've hated to see play somewhere else, given his crimson pedigree.

We still haven't seen Levenseller in a game situation, because it was the coaches' plan to redshirt him this year, back when he was #4 on the depth chart behind a healthy Lopina, Rogers and Lobbestael. I had the good fortune, however, of seeing the younger Levy play high school ball - during a little local rivalry game between Moscow and Pullman two years ago. Pullman shredded their border brother and Levenseller looked good doing it - solid footwork, a decent pocket presence and good (not spectacular) arm strength. The only issue I had is that it is easy to look like a men among boys in 2A football, where J.T. led his Greyhounds to a 2005 state championship and a 23-2 career record.

The consensus on Levenseller is that he needs time to develop into a college-ready quarterback. Of course, time isn't on the Cougs' side this season, with two quarterbacks out for the year and another playing after breaking a vertebrae just weeks ago.

So Wulff is planning on playing Levenseller against Stanford. It's not a done deal yet - here's the word from the ball coach himself (h/t Vince Grippi and the Spokesman):

“We try to come up with the best decision for the program and the individual,” Wulff said Wednesday. “If a kid is dead set against playing, in a situation like this, we would never play the kid. If the kid really wants to play and we feel it would beneficial to him and the team, for the current time and the future, then we’ll play the kid.

“Right now he really wants to play and we clearly have two quarterbacks who are out for the year, so it’s looking like that’s the direction we will go.”

OK. I'm fine with Levenseller playing this year, because he can always redshirt next year and this team needs any spark they can possibly find, and a healthy quarterback qualifies as spark material. Especially for this team.

But back to that USC debacle: why didn't Levenseller just play then? Wulff says it was because he didn't want J.T.'s first career start to be against a Trojan defense loaded with future NFL players. I understand that, but let's consider the following things:

1. The game plan: Wulff made it clear all he wanted to do was run the ball and protect Lopina from getting hurt again. If that's the case, why not start J.T. anyway? Is he not capable of handing the ball off? And when we passed (which was only nine times for the entire game), he may not have been as good a thrower as Lopina, but certainly he's a better option than Dan Wagner or Peter Roberts (both high school quarterbacks, but not recruited at that position for college).

2. Kevin Lopina: Why risk any injury whatsoever to Lopina? He broke a vertebrae, and it seems to me an already-hurt QB has a much better chance of getting hurt against USC than a healthy one. And Wulff said in his radio show that Lopina wasn't anywhere near 100%. So again - why take that chance? Better to give Levenseller a trial by fire than have three quarterbacks out for the year. And we have a bye week this week! Why not give Kevin the extra two weeks to get healthy?

3. The scoring streak: With Levenseller, we could have at least tried to extend the consecutive games scored in streak by throwing the ball against the bottom of the USC depth chart in the fourth. I know the scoring streak doesn't matter to some, but you have to admit it was pretty amazing: scoring at least a point in every game since 1984. A run of 280 games overall. Only Michigan had a longer streak - and Michigan is the winningest program in college football history. Basically, I would've rather lost last week's game 107-3 than 69-0.

4. Experience: If you're going to try and win another ball game this year - crazy thought, I know - it's better to get Levy's feet wet earlier. It may not matter; Lopina could come back at 100% and lead the Cougars to another Apple Cup, but for the time being Levenseller is our healthiest, if not best, option under center.

Revisionist history is faulty, and hindsight is 20/20. But we know Wulff wasn't trying to win the game against USC. The game plan said "get off the field with as few injuries and as low a score as possible". Still, he should have tried. And he should have tried with J.T. Levenseller as his quarterback.