SB Nation - Myron Beck

Should Wulff be fired after just two seasons?

Nuss — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:53:28 -0000

No one is happy with the performance of the football team on the field. But does that mean Paul Wulff should lose his job at the end of this year?

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Following yet another predictable drubbing at the hands of yet another Pac-10 foe, the question as to whether Paul Wulff deserves to hang onto his job for a third season is bubbling to the surface yet again.

It's been intimated at various times and in various spots around the site in comments that we at CougCenter are at best Wulff sympathizers and at worst staunchly in Wulff's corner, and aren't really interested in frank discussion about the coach and his staff. I don't want to speak for my fellow authors, but neither could be further than the truth when it comes to me (reference here and here), and I know Grady hasn't always been glowing in his assessments of Wulff, either. In general, we feel like we're critical when criticism is warranted, but we also try to be as fair and evenhanded in our evaluations as is possible.

Obviously, not everyone thinks that's the case.

So, in the interest of putting this "CougCenter loves Paul Wulff" rhetoric to rest, let's have a frank and honest discussion of the status of Wulff's job. I can't promise we'll reach a conclusion that makes everyone happy, as there certainly is room for reasonable minds to differ. But I can promise that I'm going to try and look at this from every conceivable angle, bringing in arguments on both sides.

Plausibility vs. possibility

To start with, I think any honest discussion about Wulff's job security needs to start with one critical question: Is it even plausible that he could lose his job? Sure, it's possible; but then again, it's possible that I could win Mega Millions this week.

The reality is that the WSU athletic department has taken a major hit in this economic climate (just like everyone else), and Athletic Director Jim Sterk has been forced to trim from the budget (just like everyone else). But unlike everyone else, WSU already operates at a substantial financial disadvantage -- it has the smallest budget in the conference and the fewest number of donors.

It's important to recognize the gravity of that, because with three years at approximately $600,000 per left on the original five-year deal, I can't imagine any plausible scenario where the WSU athletic department decides it's a good idea to pay someone $1.8 million not to coach while simultaneously paying a new guy approximately $700,000 to $800,000 (as the price of head coaches has gone up) to coach. That's just reality.

Is it possible that there's some sugar daddy donor out there so disillusioned with the state of the program that he's willing to pony up $2 million to make Wulff go away? As we said, anything's possible. But at a time when Sterk's openly working hard to raise the funds to renovate Martin Stadium -- and not exactly setting the world on fire doing it -- the plausibility of that person existing is slim.

I think even the most ardent "fire Wulff" supporter would have to acknowledge this reality. Still, in the interest of having an honest and earnest conversation, let's set this aside for the moment and assume that it is, in fact, plausible that Wulff could be dismissed at the end of the year. At that point, the question obviously becomes whether his performance actually warrants dismissal.

The talent question

We've heard the argument over and over again: Bill Doba left the cupboard bare. Wulff himself intimated as much (repeatedly) from the moment he took over, and it's an argument we've made. But really, we like things that we can measure around here. So, I tried to think of some way to measure the level of talent in a program. I considered looking at recruiting class rankings, but we all know how reliable those things are. They're great at the time, but often turn out to be inaccurate.

So, here's what I settled on. It's admittedly crude, but it's at least concrete, and I think it provides some perspective. Here are the number of future NFL players* on each WSU roster since 1997:

* With "future NFL player" being defined as a player who spent at least a day on an active NFL roster. This table is the best I could come up with from my research, and it might not be complete -- with all the information available on the internet, you'd think it would be pretty easy to track this stuff down. Not the case.

Year	Record	NFL Players	Players
1997	10-2	13	McKenzie (Sr.), McEndoo (Sr.), Withrow (Sr.), C. Jackson (Sr.), Boose (Sr.), Bender (Sr.), Leaf (Jr.), Lindell (So.), Gleason (So.), Riley (So.), Thompson (Fr.), Meier (Fr.), R. Smith (Fr.),
1998	3-8	6	Meier (Sr.), Lindell (Jr.), Gleason (Jr.), Riley (Jr.), Thompson (So.), R. Smith (Fr.),
1999	3-9	11	Lindell (Sr.), Meier (Sr.), Riley (Sr.), Gleason (Sr.), Thompson (Jr.), Wynn (Jr.), Holden (Jr.), M. Williams (Jr.), R. Smith (So.), Trufant (Fr.), Gesser (Fr.)
2000	4-7	12	Thompson (Sr.), Holden (Sr.), Wynn (Jr.), M. Williams (Sr.), R. Smith (Jr.), Trufant (So.), Gesser (So.), Coleman (Fr.), David (Fr.), Paymah (Fr.), Ha. Abdullah (Fr.), Long (Fr.)
2001	10-2	11	R. Smith (Sr.), Thompson (Sr.), Trufant (Jr.), Gesser (Jr.), Paymah (So.), Long (So.), Ha. Abdullah (So.), Coleman (So.), David (So.), Long (So.), Bienemann (Fr.)
2002	10-3	12	Trufant (Sr.), Gesser (Sr.), Ha. Abdullah (Jr.), Coleman (Jr.), David (Jr.), Long (Jr.), Paymah (Jr.), Darling (So.), Bienemann (So.), Mihlhauser (Fr.), Bruce (Fr.), Frampton (Fr.)
2003	10-3	11	Ha. Abdullah (Sr.), Coleman (Sr.), David (Sr.), Paymah (Sr.), Darling (Jr.), Bienemann (Jr.), Mihlhauser (So.), Bruce (So.), Frampton (So.), Hu. Abdullah (Fr.), Hill (Fr.)
2004	5-6	12	Ha. Abdullah (5Sr.), Paymah (5Sr.), Bienemann (Sr.), Bruce (Jr.), Frampton (Jr.), Harrison (Jr.), Mihlhauser (Jr.), Brackenridge (Jr.), Hu. Abdullah (So.), Hill (So.), Bumpus (Fr.), Collins (Fr.)
2005*	4-7	11	Bienemann (5Sr.), Bruce (Sr.), Frampton (Sr.), Harrison (Sr.), Mihlhauser (Sr.), Brackenridge (Sr.), Hill (Jr.), Hu. Abdullah (Jr.), Bumpus (So.), Collins (So.), Gibson (Fr.),
2006*	6-6	8	Brackenridge (5Sr.), Bruce (5Sr.), Frampton (5Sr.), Hu. Abdullah (Sr.), Hill (Sr.), Bumpus (Jr.), Collins (Jr.), Gibson (So.)
2007*	5-7	4	Hu. Abdullah (5Sr.), Bumpus (Sr.), Collins (Sr.), Gibson (Jr.)
2008*	2-11	1	Gibson (Sr.)

The years with asterisks next to them are obviously not complete, but let me ask you a question: How many guys that started in 2005 or 2006 do you expect to be added to this list? Kenny Alfred, generally considered WSU's best pro prospect graduating this year, is a longshot at this point to make an NFL roster (although I certainly wouldn't bet against him). Andy Mattingly probably will get a camp invite, but he won't make a roster. Maybe Reid Forrest? But there are only 32 punting jobs in the world, and it's darn hard to crack one of them.

If you want to make a case for a player even being potentially NFL quality, you've got to reach all the way down to the freshman and sophomore classes. That's an enormous gap in developed talent, one that we simply have not seen in the last 12 to 15 years. Looking at that table, in most years at least half of those 11-12 players that would eventually end up in the NFL were upperclassmen. Any credible critique of the job Wulff and his staff are doing has to at least acknowledge that this team has less upper end talent to work with than any team in the last decade and a half, outside of maybe 1998.

It's impossible to make a reasonable argument that holds Wulff accountable for this, and again, people must acknowledge what a difference it is now from where we were even five years ago.

But what about "coaching up the guys you've got?"

This is an area where those disillusioned with Wulff potentially have a valid gripe. While talent can make even poor coaches look good and it clearly has an impact on what coaches feel like they can do with scheme, it does not necessarily limit creativity, and I've been consistently stunned by the lack thereof in that area this year. I understood it to a degree last year, when the team was just getting going in this system for the first time and Wulff admitted they just threw too much at the guys too fast.

But this year? They should be able to do some things designed to attack opponents' weak spots, especially on offense. Yet, we see very little beyond vanilla play calling in that regard. Mike Holmgren always used to say that he thought he could make a touchdown difference for his team simply through his schemes and gameplans, either at the beginning of the game before adjustments could be made or at the end of the game in play calling. I've never once -- not once in 22 games -- felt like we have gained an advantage by outcoaching the opponent.

Perhaps it just comes down to talent and execution. But it's equally plausible that it's not just talent and execution, which as led some to say that Wulff and his staff are in over their heads. And when they say that, they're really talking about three guys: Wulff, offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy and defensive co-coordinator Jody Sears. Between the three of them, had exactly six years (!) of FBS coaching experience before coming to Pullman -- all of it by Sears, who spent three years at Iowa State as a grad assistant and three years at West Point as an assistant.

Sturdy and Sears were Wulff's coordinators at Eastern, and he was insistent on bringing his guys with him to Pullman. He believed (and presumably still believes) in what they were doing at EWU, but whether that was the right move is clearly in question at this point. One has to wonder if Wulff let his loyalty get in the way of better judgment.

To wit: Sturdy had been head coach at NAIA St. Ambrose University for 12 years before joining Wulff for one year at Eastern; Sears had been Wulff's defensive coordinator for five years and was named defensive co-coordinator at WSU because Wulff felt like he "earned" the opportunity with his work at EWU , even as he was hiring Chris Ball -- whose experience as an FBS coach is unparalleled on this staff -- to be his assistant head coach and other defensive co-coordinator. Neither had the pedigree to suggest that they were ready for the jump to coordinating at an FBS school.

Building a family atmosphere is important. But when you have no experience coaching at the FBS level and you choose to put people who also have essentially zero FBS coaching experience in two of your most prominent coaching positions, it's naturally going to bring your decision making into question -- especially when they've done very little to distinguish themselves over the better part of the two years following, at least to the naked eye.

Additionally, assistants are the ones most closely working with players on their individual development. Again, you can't evaluate development in a vacuum, but I can't think of a player that I've seen who I've thought, "Wow! That guy has gotten so much better!" Yes, they've gotten stronger, but they don't seem to be a lot better. I realize there are subtleties to that sort of thing that might be invisible to my untrained eye, but it seems like it would be at least a little bit obvious if a guy is really growing.

This doesn't even take into account the number of undisciplined plays many of the players make on a weekly basis. Youth can be blamed for a lot of things, but many of the mistakes that are consistently being made are of the cerebral variety. Coaches -- particularly the assistants -- have to bear some of the responsibility.

At this point, one could make the argument that many players seem to actually be regressing.

There is one thing, however, the coaching staff does need to get credit for: These players clearly believe in what their coaches are doing. They showed a commitment to the offseason program that had been missing for years, and they have yet to quit on this season, or any game in it. When you're getting your face kicked in week after week, that's no small feat.

On recruiting

Of course, those who defend Wulff point to the guys who are actually making plays on the field: The guys who were brought in by Wulff and his staff. Louis Bland, Travis Long, Gino Simone, Bernard Wolfgramm, Johnny Forzani, Jeff Tuel, Zack Williams, Jeffrey Solomon, Myron Beck ... the list goes on. Wulff's first stub of a recruiting class produced some of the guys on that list, and the rest came from last year's recruiting class, which was the highest rated for WSU in years. Wulff and his staff are already raving about this year's class as being better than last year's (although recruiting services don't necessarily concur with that opinion).

That they're able to do this with an on-field product that is among the worst in all of college football is pretty darn remarkable.

This is where things really get a little dicey if you want to consider changing coaches at the end of this year. As shown earlier, this is already a program virtually devoid of developed, upper-tier talent, thanks to a couple of poor recruiting classes at the end of the Bill Doba regime and a "half" recruiting class in Wulff's first year. What happens if you change coaches now? How many of those players back out of their verbal commitments, since signing day isn't until February? (If you listen to Wulff, there already are a number of WSU's verbals still being recruited by other Pac-10 foes.) And what does that do for the overall talent level in the program once again?

If you fire Wulff this year, whoever takes over this program would have the unenviable task of trying to convince a bunch of kids who were sold on the family atmosphere that they should still come to Pullman. (With many of them presumably heading elsewhere.) In essence, that coach would be inheriting a program with one solid recruiting class in five years after cutting yet another one off at the knees. That's a pretty steep price to pay to make a change.

Final thoughts

When you take all of these things on balance, I just don't see how this administration can let Wulff go at the end of this season. Nobody is happy with the performance on the field, and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks Paul Wulff is going a fantastic job. Athletic Director Jim Sterk, who has been publicly supportive of his coach, might very well have made a colossal mistake in hiring Wulff in the first place. But you have to acknowledge the following:

There is a very real talent gap -- not just between us and the rest of the Pac-10, but also between where we are now and where we used to be when we were competing in this conference.
The talent gap is the biggest reason why this team is not competitive right now, no matter what you think of the coaching job.
Firing this coaching staff this year would only make that talent gap worse.
The probability that the school has the financial wherewithal to make such a move is minimal, anyway.

However, it should be noted that you can certainly change some of the rest of the coaching staff without necessarily adversely affecting the positive things this staff is doing overall. Breathe some new life into the offense with another coordinator -- perhaps one who already has had substantial success at the FBS level. Make Ball the only guy calling the shots on defense. Reassign Steve Broussard and get a new special teams coach.

I'm normally not one for appeasement, but at a time when the athletic department is trying to raise funds for an upgrade to the stadium, a (relatively) low cost maneuver such as replacing some assistants will send the subtle but firm message to the fanbase that they're not satisfied with where they are at while at the same time endorsing the overall direction of the program, which both recruits and players are buying into. These are very doable moves, and if you hire the right guys, they could have a real -- and immediate -- impact on the field.

After those changes, it has to be made clear to Wulff and his staff that tangible progress in the form of wins has to come next year. If it doesn't, you run the risk of killing off whatever it is that still has these players playing hard and still has recruits wanting to come here. You can sell them on a rebuilding job for a couple of years, but when that thing starts dragging into year three with no sign of real progress, a losing culture sets in that can be incredibly difficult to break.

If you are forced to make a change at that point -- year four, post Doba -- the new coach would have two solid recruiting classes as his foundation, with many of those players having developed into experienced sophomores and juniors. While it might not be fair to keep Wulff and his staff from sticking around to see the fruits of their labor, it's the reality of the business, and probably the best chance for the program to take its next step forward.

For now, though? The optimum way to keep the program making positive progress is to make sure that Paul Wulff sees year three -- not for the benefit of Wulff, but for the benefit of the program.

Spaulding Roundup: In A Washington State Of Mind

Nestor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:49:43 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

Remember what he did to Dewayne Walker's defense in 2007?

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Not sure how I can follow up the excitement around Mr. Smith's decision to come to Howlandwood this morning. I will give it a try. The timing of his announcement was a perfect convergence during the game week sandwiched between two Washington schools. Not only are we feeling good about what transpired last weekend at the Rose Bowl, now all on a sudden we have additional adrenaline shot (even though this wasn't a total surprise) heading into the second exhibition Ben Ball game tonight (and oh BTW Concordia apparently beat UCI last night in their second exhibition game). Let's hope we can keep the good vibes going around BN thanks to the state of Washington all the way into next weekend.

Washington State's football team are hurting again this season. They are streaking in the wrong direction. Here is the "inside slant" from Sportsline.com which accounts what transpired for the Cougars in their last game at Arizona, which somewhat encapsulated their season to date:

Washington State won the toss but decided to defer its decision, and the Wildcats returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, beginning an onslaught that saw Arizona take a 21-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game.

From there, it was the same old story, which has become exceedingly redundant for Washington State fans, as the Cougars never got back in the game. Their lone score came midway through the fourth quarter after Arizona led 48-0 and had emptied its bench.

Washington State is now 1-8 overall, 0-6 in Pac-10 play, and has lost every conference game by at least 13 points, and all but one by at least 21.

"They opened with that kickoff, and it's hard to open the game when you are down seven," linebacker Andy Mattingly told The Spokesman-Review.

Not that it likely would have mattered much in the long run, as the Cougars were again completely dominated despite Arizona going conservative pretty early on.

Arizona outgained Washington State 471-185, including a 294-59 edge in rushing.

Cougars are also banged up. They lost their starting QB Jeff Tuel (who is a freshman BTW) in their last game and his status is up in air during this game week. Here was the update from the Spokeman-Review yesterday:

"He’s sore today, but (there was) very little swelling, which is a real positive," coach Paul Wulff said Sunday. "He had to get an MRI today to see if there was anything going on more than they anticipated."

Tuel, who is still on crutches, was injured in the second quarter of the Cougars’ 48-7 loss to Arizona on Saturday, a defeat that dropped WSU’s record to 1-8, 0-6 in the Pac-10.

The freshman was trying to scramble when linebacker Xavier Kelley caught him from behind. As Tuel went down, he slightly dislocated his kneecap, suffering what is known as a subluxation, in which the kneecap is pulled laterally from its usual path.

"It’s just wait and see," said Wulff, who expects to know the MRI exam results today. "We’ll see what happens tomorrow and on Tuesday."

Tuel has done ok since he took over at the QB spot this season, completing 71 of 121 passes (58.7 percent completion rate), 6 TDs and 5 ints. If he cant go this weekend, sophomore Marshall Lobbestale will take his spot who has completed 56 of his 116 attempts, throwing for 3 TDs and 5 picks.

Tuel is not the only injury concern for the Cougars:

[Q]uarterback isn’t the only area of injury concern for Wulff this week. The Cougars lost two safeties Saturday and played the second half with Myron Beck, who has played mostly linebacker this season, filling in deep.

Wulff is hoping usual starting strong safety Chima Nwachukwu will be able to return from his sprained ankle.[...]

Kicker Nico Grasu (quadriceps pull) and left tackle Tyson Pencer (ankle sprain) will probably miss this week, replaced by Kevin Rooney and Steven Ayers, respectively.

So they are not in great shape. However, I wouldn't get overly confident if I were UCLA. As mentioned yesterday they are going to look at this game as their last chance of getting a victory at home. That place has been the venue of one Bruin nightmare after another in recent years (except for the miracle in 2005). Bruins have injury issues of their own and concerns around their defensive unit which will require total focus and concentration of the entire team heading into Saturday.

Looking though Washington's stats for this season it instantly becomes clear the kind of struggle they have experienced the entire season. However, there is something we all have to be mindful as UCLA fans. Our run defense right now is atrocious. It's embarrassing really. UCLA's rushing "defense" is crrently ranked 78th in the nation and 8th in the conference. We are giving up almost 157 yards on the ground per game and have gotten gashed repeatedly in recent weeks (still cannot figure out why Sark didn't stick with the ground attack against UCLA).

Our LBs are struggling. Reggie Carter is playing hurt and hasn't been the same. Akeem Ayers is still having problem with overpursuit. Bosworth is playing his heart out but he can only do so much. So I can see a scenario in which WSU will attempt to turn this into a ball control game with RB Dwight Tardy. Does any one remeber what Dwight Tardy did to UCLA last time we went up to Pullman? Here is a reminder:

Cougar running game huge in UCLA win (via KXLY)

Yeah, he tore up that legendary Dewayne Walker defense for 214 yards on 37 carries. It was ugly and pathetic. Tardy is having a so so season this year gaining 321 yards in 69 carries. Those are still respectable numbers as he is averaging more than 4 yards per carry. To put it in perspective. Tardy while gaining 214 yards against Walker's defense in 2007, had about 462 yards in his previous 7 games (poor kid suffered an ACL injury in 51 yard TD run in the final mintue of our game).

Given our history in Pullman our defense better be ready for Tardy an co. Tardy has been coming on somewhat strong (at least per game stats). He rushed for 45 yards in 4 carries against Arizona, which followed a 73 yard rushing effort (in 8 carries) against the Irish. I know what you are thinking. It's the Irish. However, we don't have standing to make fun of the Irish defense, given how ours have performed in recent weeks.

So are going to need our guys to come out and get in rhythm offensively to take control of this game. The reports from Spauling are encouraging re. Prince:

Prince, who suffered a concussion against Washington, went through an exertion test Monday morning and then was cleared by a team doctor to lift weights and practice. Barring a setback, he will start Saturday against Washington State.

"I rode the bike for 30 minutes and did some up-downs," Prince said. "The training staff asked how I was feeling and I said I felt normal. There will be various tests through Thursday."

If Prince is 100 percent and ready to go on Saturday, having him in there will hopefully allow our offense to stay in its rhythm:

"Offensively, we did a lot of good things, especially in the throwing game," Neuheisel said."We're kind of finding some rhythm. The receivers played a pretty darn good game. Kids are starting to come of age, and that's huge. If you look at the first two series of the game, almost everyone got to touch the ball. We're starting to spread it around."

Hopefully Prince is ready to go. It was a lot of run to see spray the ball around all over the field on Saturday. He was simply on fire and it certainly appeared that Chow had taken the leash off our offense. I hope if Prince is healthy Chow comes out with an aggressive game plan for an all out attack on Saturday. If the Bruins can take control of the game early on and maintain an aggressive posture for the entire game, it will do wonders for their confidence not just for the entire season but for the future of this program.

GO BRUINS.

The scores have improved, but how has the team improved?

Dancing Football — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:30:33 -0000

Heading into this football season, it was obvious that the Cougs had a long way to go to become competitive after a historically terrible 2008. An average margin of negative 37.0 against FBS opponents meant that even dramatic improvements would not guarantee any wins. So far in 2009, the scores have definitely gotten closer, with the average margin down to negative 22.4. Two touchdowns a game is significant, but how exactly has it happened and can some credit be given to Paul Wulff and his coaching staff? Take a look at these statistics comparing the 2008 Cougs (against FBS competition) and the 2009 Cougs:

	2008 WSU vs. FBS Opponents	2008 FBS Opponents	2009 WSU	2009 Opponents
PPG	9.75	46.75	15.0	37.4
YPC	2.4	5.8	2.4	5.7
YPP	3.5	6.7	4.3	7.3
TO/game	2.8	0.8	2.3	3.0
T.O.P.	27:23	32.37	27:34	32:26
Red Zone Scoring%	72%	88%	74%	74%
Penalties/game	7.0	6.6	7.3	7.5

There are a lot of statistical similarities between this season and last. The run offense and run defense are almost identical in yards per carry averages. The time of possession has not changed at all and the penalties are similar. The offense has definitely improved, averaging almost a yard better per play. However, that is negated by the fact that the defense is even worse per play than it was last year (Who knew that was possible?).

So the defense still can't stop anybody and the offense still struggles to move the ball. Why are the scores improving? The two statistics that jump out as having had the most impact in Washington State's shrunken margins of defeat are turnovers and red zone defense.

The Cougs have gone from turning the ball over twice more than their opponents per game in 2008 to having an advantage in the turnover department in 2009. Some of that can be attributed to luck, WSU has been able to pick up 12 of the 19 opponent fumbles this season versus getting only 2 out of 16 fumbles last season. The positive there is that they have already forced more fumbles in eight games this season than the twelve against FBS competition last year. The defense is also making more plays in the passing game. Two of those plays, interceptions by Myron Beck and Alex Hoffman-Ellis, have played a huge role in the scoring average jump for WSU. There is no doubt that these guys are visibly stronger than last season, and that factor in forcing turnovers cannot be ignored.

The defense in the red zone can be directly related to the drop in scoring by opponents. The Cougs have already made as many red zone stops (nine) as they did all of last year against FBS competition, and that is in 38 less opportunities. It has been brought up in the past on this site and most people would agree that the tackling on the defense has much improved. Solid tackling in the red zone can cure a lot of problems. Washington State is clearly slower than most of the offenses it has faced, but speed isn't as important in the red zone, and the ability to tackle soundly is essential for a "bend-don't-break" defense.

So the Cougs are a little luckier, a little stronger, and a little better at tackling than last year. This has been good for a two touchdown improvement. Head Coach Paul Wulff and his staff have taken a lot of criticism this season, but some credit has to be given to them on those last two points. Wulff has preached the importance of better conditioning and mentioned several times that he was shocked at the lack of fundamentals he saw in spring camp last season. Maybe these improvements can give some hope that if this staff can get their players on the field and build some depth in recruiting, this dark era in Cougar football can soon end.

Of course, they could go out and lose 63-7 this weekend and make me look silly.

SECOND QUARTER GRADES: Linebackers

Dancing Football — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:22:35 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Andy Mattingly tries to pull out the feathers of a duck.

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Grade: B+

First Quarter Grade: A-

Stats:

			Tackles					Sacks	Pass Defense					Fumbles			Blkd
DEFENSIVE LEADERS		GP	Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds		No-Yds	Int-Yds		BU	PD	Qbh	Rcv-Yds		FF	Kick	Saf


46	Louis Bland	3	15	8	23	2.0	-11	1-9 .	1	.-22	.	1	.		.	2.	.	.
43	Alex Hoffman-Ellis	2	13	4	17	.5	-1	..		.	0.	0.	0			.	.	.
45	Andy Mattingly	3	7	9	16	1.5	-3	.			0	1	0	1	-0		.	.
51	Jason Stripling	3	9	5	14	1.5	-4	.		.	0	0	.			.	.	.
13	Myron Beck	3	4	1	5	.		.			1	1	.		.	.	.	.
44	Mike Ledgerwood	3	1	0	1	.		.		.	0.	0.	.		.	.	.	.

Comments: The linebackers continue to be the most talented and consistent group on defense. The four guys that have played the majority of the snaps are all serviceable Pac 10 players. However, only being "serviceable" is the one thing that has been an issue. With the so-so play of the defensive line and the lack of speed in the backfield, the linebacking corps would need to be All-World to give the Cougs a shot at a decent defense.

That's not really their fault though. They are still pretty solid and still made some of the big plays in the second quarter of the season that they did in the first quarter of the season. What's evident in the young guys is that this group is becoming smaller and faster.

Two of those smaller, faster guys, Alex Hoffman-Ellis and Louis Bland, have been battling it out at middle linebacker, and the truth is, they both deserve the time. Both guys have had their chances, as the linebackers have not been immune to the epidemic of injuries that have hit the Cougs this season. Both guys have also taken full advantage of their chances, putting up some huge tackle numbers and forcing turnovers.

On the outside, Andy Mattingly has held his own, but has not been the beast in the pass rush that WSU so desperately needs. Jason Stripling, who has had one of the strangest careers you will see, seems to be the week link of the group. He is not very dynamic in any one area and he is not all that great in any area. Each guy was able to record some nice TFL numbers, each making 1.5.

What can be done to improve: Very similar to what I said in the first quarter grades, these guys need to step up and make game-changing plays. This team cannot win without the defense putting points on the board, and the linebackers are the only ones that have done that so far.

They also need to get in the backfield (same as first quarter grades). The Pac 10 has a lot of run-oriented teams these days (When on Earth did that happen?) and for the defense to be effective they need to limit those first down runs and eventually force obvious passing situations on third down. The defensive line does not get into the backfield, so the linebackers need to use that speed (looking at you Louis Bland and Hyphen) to get in there disrupt running plays.

Poll

What say you?

A

0 votes

B

6 votes

C

6 votes

D

1 votes

F

0 votes

13 votes | Poll has closed

AUDIO: Paul Wulff weekly press conference

Nuss — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:03:04 -0000

After a week off for the bye, Paul Wulff returned today for his weekly teleconference with reporters in advance of Saturday's matchup with Cal. I gotta be honest -- this is one of the most boring press conferences ever. But give it a listen if you so desire.

Items of note:

Injuries made up a huge portion of it. Likely to play: Guard Zack Williams, defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm, center Kenny Alfred, middle linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis. Better than 50 percent chance to play: Guard B.J. Guerra, tackle Steven Ayers. Less than 50 percent chance to play: Tackle Tyson Pencer.
Looks like defensive end Kevin Kooyman isn't getting any better. An injury redshirt application is becoming more and more likely.
Defensive tackle Josh Luapo had successful knee surgery. He's still out for the year.
Myron Beck has more or less completed a switch back to full-time safety, which gives the team the chance to put Chima Nwachukwu back at corner some with the season-ending injury to Daniel Simmons.
The team really emphasized mental preparation and maturity in setting goals for the second half of the season.
Jahvid Best is good.
Cal's main problem against Oregon and USC? The passing game.

As usual you can listen to the audio via the player below, or visit our podcast page for myriad subscription options. You can also find us in the iTunes directory under keyword "CougCenter." The advantage of subscribing? Besides having the audio directly delivered to your player of choice, I often upload the audio to the podcast site before posting it here.

Special thanks to the Washington State University sports information department, who provides the audio.

FIRST QUARTER GRADES: Linebackers

Dancing Football — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:25:23 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

Louis Bland and Andy Mattingly have been part of a very impressive linebacking corps through the first quarter of the season.

Browse more photos »

GRADE: A-

STATS (best viewed in "wide" format; link on left side of page):

			Tackles					Sacks	Pass Defense					Fumbles			Blkd
DEFENSIVE LEADERS		GP	Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds		No-Yds	Int-Yds		BU	PD	Qbh	Rcv-Yds		FF	Kick	Saf


46	Louis Bland	3	12	7	19	2.0	- 4	.		.	.	.	.		.	.	.	.
51	Jason Stripling	3	11	5	16	1.0	- 2	.		.	.	.	1	1	- 8	.	.	.
43	Alex Hoffman-Ellis	3	9	6	15	2.0	- 4	.	1	- 52	1	2	.		.	1	.	.
45	Andy Mattingly	3	12	2	14	1.0	- 1	.		.	1	1	.		.	.	.	.
13	Myron Beck	3	8	2	10	.		.	1	- 67	1	2	.		.	.	.	.
44	Mike Ledgerwood	3	1	1	2	.		.		.	.	.	.		.	.	.	.

COMMENTS: I had to give these guys a solid grade, because without them, we would most assuredly be 0-3. Even with out the spectacular interception returns from Hyphen and Beck (sounds like a good cop show from the 70s) this unit has been the most steady of any on the defensive side. Every guy that has had significant playing time has made an impact, and the backups have really stepped up when the starters left due to injury.

Louis Bland was an absolute beast in the opener against Stanford, but has been limited due to injury since. Amazingly, he still leads this group in tackles. Alex Hoffman-Ellis has proved why he was number one on the depth chart for much of fall camp. He was the player of the game against Hawaii and has shown the ability to disrupt passing lanes. Andy Mattingly has been happy to return to his natural position, showing off his talent in the opener when chasing down Andrew Luck on a fourth and goal. When healthy, he can make noise in the pass rush. Jason Stripling has been solid in his first significant playing time. Myron Beck hasn't played as much as the other guys, but will definitely be on my top ten plays of the year list with his 67 yard interception return against SMU.

HOW THIS GRADE CAN BE IMPROVED: The defensive line has really struggled and the linebackers will have to play even better to compensate for that. More sacks and quarterback pressures out of blitz packages are a must. They are the most talented and deep unit on the defense and we will need to see even more big plays out of these guys the rest of the year if we want to upset a Pac 10 team.

Poll

What grade would you give the linebackers?

A

15 votes

B

36 votes

C

14 votes

D

4 votes

F

3 votes

72 votes | Poll has closed

Paul Wulff: The hero or the villain?

Grady. — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:00:19 -0000

We won a game!

Well, mostly. Lost in the jubilation over the Cougars' 30-27 victory over SMU is the fact we were basically handed the game on four bad balls from Bo Levi Mitchell - two of which were returned for touchdowns. The Mustangs blew a 17-0 lead, and, despite racking up a 504 to 276 total yards advantage, gave the game away.

Or did they? Was it inspired play by the Cougar defense that ruined Mitchell's day and drove the Cougars to victory?

That's the thing with Wulff. All of a sudden, I can't get a read on whether I love him or I hate him. Whether he'll be the savior of the program or the catalyst to drag us down to depths we've never reached.

For three quarters Saturday, honestly, I wanted him fired. SMU, a program not much stronger than the weakened Hawaii program we had faced a week earlier, had jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Despite his decree to use Jeff Tuel and Marshall Lobbestael, Wulff stuck with Lobster despite two harmful interceptions and a completion percentage under fifty percent. I could see the program circling the drain - from three ten win seasons and the Rose Bowl, to the mediocrity of the Doba era, to 0-12 and the laughingstock of the conference. The moment I found out Steve Sarkisian's revitalized UW program had upset mighty USC, I started formulating my list of new head coaching candidates: Robb Akey, Nick Holt, Turner Gill. Heck, we probably don't even have a shot at a Kyle Whittingham or Chris Petersen, even though we would have seven years ago.

But then: the comeback. AH-E gets a pick six. Myron Beck and his flowing mane of hair does the same on an even bigger return. Then, Lobbestael, after a terrible attempt at a game tying drive his previous time out, guides the Cougars on an eighty yard march to the promised land. Silences his critics in the crowd. Gives the Cougars all the momentum in the world heading into OT.

The defensive backfield, our achilles' heel so far this year, was phenomenal. Brandon Jones makes a diving INT to keep SMU from going up ten in the fourth. Chima Nwachukwu picks off the first pass of overtime to give the Cougars an easy path to victory. And the special teams issues? Resolved. Nico Grasu comes back from a missed FG and muffed PAT attempt to hit the game winner. Grasu's kickoffs found the endzone and beyond, and his one squib kick was a beauty down the middle, deep into SMU territory. His game winner came on another clutch performance - shades of the Apple Cup winner last fall. Even through the same goalposts at the East end.

And the stadium was rocking. The best moment? The WSU student section shifting over into empty seats near the East end zone as the Cougars took the field defensively to start OT. Of course, before they could get settled in, Nwachukwu had caught the key INT to set up the Cougar win.

Still - we needed all that magic to beat SMU. A program that struggled two games earlier with Steven F. Austin. Death Penalty U; still far removed from its former glory. We were lucky in some ways: outgained, outplayed for the majority of this game - we either stole this game or it was given to us.

One can't help but question the coaching decisions that put us in a 17-0, and later a 24-7, hole. Again with the 3-3-5 defense after getting schooled by Hawaii? Only nine touches for the best offensive playmaker, James Montgomery? Pass play after pass play for the struggling Marshall Lobbestael? No Tuel or Lopina after previous promises to find the best guy and stick with him? Of course Wulff's gamble on Lobbestael paid off on this one, but it makes you wonder if we'll be so lucky the next time. It's hard to sugar coat the fact that Marshall struggled for much of the day.

Meanwhile, there were some inspired decisions by Wulff. Using his timeouts wisely near the end of the first half to set up the Cougar touchdown that would bring us within ten. Saving his timeouts in the second half - to allow the Cougars plenty of time and clock stoppages at their disposal for the game tying drive. Firing up the defense in the second half. Utilizing Johnny Forzani, Daniel Blackledge and Jared Karstetter in ways that made us forget we even had wide receiver depth problems in the first place. Making the right call to keep Lobbestael on the field, instead of the emotional one that might have pulled him off it. Having faith in Grasu after another early miss.

And remember all the penalties under Doba? Yet again, the Cougs played clean ball in Pullman. Four penalties for forty-five yards. One of the personal fouls was a mental lapse by Bernard Wolfgramm, the other undeserved on a terrible call. This was the kind of blemish-free play I'd been praying for years earlier. Not to mention the roster cleaning up its actions off the field. Players are now accountable. Commit a significant crime? Fail to make it academically? You're gone. Incoming players in particular under Wulff are facing less external discipline than they did under Doba.

Of course, the performance on the field has been inconsistent at best. Sometimes it's worth it to take a chance on a player with questionable character and make the most of the upside (see: every Dennis Erickson team ever). And the disparities in talent have been clear. Even mid-majors like SMU and Hawaii can claim an advantage in speed and size at certain positions. I cringe at how things might play out when we're up against top tier Pac-10 talent. Better than last year, certainly, but nothing to write home about.

Then, there's recruiting. It's looking good. The recruiting services have many of our players ranked nationally. We're locking down the hometown kids: from Spokane, the west side, and the necessary players from California. Excuse me though if I can't help but think our roster is starting to look a lot like Eastern Washington's. Almost exclusively kids from the Evergreen State and California. Our former pipeline to Texas has been cut off, even though you can see the benefit of it on the field in the form of players like Chima Nwachukwu.

At the end of the day I can't decide. I'm thrilled we avoided 0-12. I'm shocked we have to deal with the threat of that futility in the first place. I feel there are times Wulff is in over his head, and that gimmicky no-huddle offense should have been left back with the Eastern Eagles. I also feel there are times that Wulff is resurrecting a program from its lowest depths with exceptional recruiting and decent in-game coaching. He wins close games; something Doba rarely did. But he also gets blown out. A lot. We've had some brilliant moments, but we've also had quite a few embarrassments.

Wulff has only had a little over a year to coach at WSU. Hardly enough time to give a conclusive evaluation. And yet, the Cougs are getting killed out there. USC ran out the clock during the first half last year, in scoring position with a 41-0 lead, out of pity for the crimson and gray team they were slaughtering. If there was a mercy rule, it would've been enacted. And yet we beat a Washington team last year that had much of the talent that beat USC today. We look like a team that could get beat by a FCS team at any moment; yet we blew out the one FCS opponent we've faced under Wulff.

I'm at a loss to decide if Wulff is our savior or our program-killer.

So, now, I turn the question over to you.

Poll

Paul Wulff is WSU's...

Hero

311 votes

Villain

120 votes

431 votes | Poll has closed

Washington State 30, SMU 27

Grady. — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:23:03 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

Washington State kicker Nico Grasu (18) is clutch and clutch is everything. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)

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For a program that needed a win in the worst way, Nico Grasu delivered.

Again.

Three games removed from his game winner in the 2008 Apple Cup, Grasu hit a 39 yard field goal in overtime to guide Washington State (1-2) over Southern Methodist (2-1), in the first ever meeting between the schools.

WSU had looked dead in the water earlier, with SMU jumping out to a 17-0 lead on touchdowns by Terrance Wilkerson and Zach Line. The Cougars finally showed some signs of life late in the first half, with Daniel Blackledge catching a three yard touchdown reception from Marshall Lobbestael with :30 seconds remaining.

It was the first start of the year for the sophomore Lobbestael, who completed 24 of 52 passes, netting two touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite struggling for three quarters, Lobbestael got a lift from the Cougar defense until he came through on the final possession of regulation.

With the Cougars trailing 27-13 late in the third, Alex Hoffman-Ellis took an interception from Mustang quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell 52 yards back to the end zone. It sparked a Cougar rally capped by teammate Myron Beck's 67 yard interception return for a touchdown.

That set up the final drive of regulation, with Lobbestael taking the Cougars 80 yards for the tying touchdown with 28 seconds remaining. Jared Karstetter caught the ball in the back of the en dzone on a dart from Lobbestael. The Cougar prevent defense held SMU's potent offense in the final thirty seconds, and the game headed to overtime.

Despite a career day by Bo Levi Mitchell - 40 of 57 passing for 424 yards and two touchdowns - it was his fourth and final interception that cost the Mustangs the game. Chima Nwachukwu picked off a touch pass in the end zone on the first play of overtime to give the Cougars the opportunity to win. WSU struggled to advance the ball on their possession, but gained five yards to set up the game game winning field goal by Grasu.

Player of the Game: Jared Karstetter. Fresh off the football retirement of Jeshua Anderson, Karstetter took the weight of the weakened receiver corps on his shoulders and caught five balls for 63 yards and the game tying touchdown. Karstetter dropped a touchdown earlier in the first half - just prior to the Blackledge TD - but we'll forgive him for that. Cougar players don't have much experience in the end zone lately.

Unsung Hero: Marshall Lobbestael: Even in the midst of calls from the fans for Lopina and/or Tuel, the Lobster regrouped and led the game tying drive with under two minutes to play. While he struggled with accuracy and only averaged 4.6 yards per completion, he threw for two touchdowns and called the signals for both the game-tying and the game-winning drives. Even though the performance wasn't stellar, credit Wulff for sticking with a quarterback and allowing him to dig himself out of his own hole. And, honestly, his first interception wasn't his fault as he got hit as he threw.

Key to the Game: Not to self-promote, but I did say the key matchup would be the Cougar pass defense versus SMU signal caller Bo Levi Mitchell. It was. In the first three quarters, Mitchell torched the Cougar D on four scoring drives, including two passing touchdowns en route to a 24-7 lead. In the final 16:16 plus overtime, Mitchell was torched for four interceptions; two for touchdowns, and another by Brandon Jones preventing the Mustangs from taking a two possession lead with 4:48 to play.

B.S. Call of the Game: Our newest feature - inspired by one of the worst calls I have ever seen in my life. See, what we watched today was a game of "American Football", or "Football" in the slang the kids use. In said game, players run and catch the ball and are "tackled" by defenders. Sometimes, the quarterback floats the ball up in such a way that it hangs their receiver out to dry, with the result being a rather brutal "tackle", by the one (or in this case two) defensive backs that hit him. So, even though the hit by the two Cougar defensive backs was cleaner than the shine left on your dishes from a box of Mr. Sparkle, some "officials" decided to throw a flag for a personal foul. This despite the fact it occurred on a key third and long, on a drive that could have resulted in SMU taking a two possession lead with under five minutes to play. Fortunately, Brandon Jones led the rejuvenated Cougar defense with a diving interception to erase our memory of the earlier penalty.

Play of the Game: The hyphenated pick six by Alex Hoffman-Ellis was a brilliant play, but let's be honest. No one in that stadium believed we had a shot until Myron Beck took the ball two-thirds of the length of the field on an interception return to bring the Cougars within 27-20. Yes, I know Grasu won it, but he wouldn't have had to had he not missed a chip shot earlier in the game.

It was over when... The Clutchiest Kicker in the World, Nico Grasu, hit the 39 yarder to win it.

Stat of the Game: Paul Wulff is 2-0 in games decided by less than 14 points. In all others... 1-13.