SB Nation - Greg Trent

Monday hodgepodge: Recruiting, injuries and more

Nuss — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:53:21 -0000

Bye weeks are always a little weird and awkward for blogs, since -- like the team -- we get into a certain week-in, week-out routine with games every Saturday. For the first time in a month and a half, there is no game to look forward to this weekend (assuming you do, in fact, look forward to them).

Of course, this isn't a bad thing, as this team needs a week off to heal in the worst way. Every team says they look forward to a bye because of the injury factor, but this team is a special kind of hurt. We all thought it couldn't get any worse than last year, but it has. Boy, it sure seems like a long time ago that we were talking about this team being healthy out of camp.

So, the bye will not just allow for an extra week for some of the guys who have been out to get healthy, but it will allow those who have been playing banged up to get right. That's a big deal moving forward.

Why? Because if this were last year, I honestly wouldn't care about this team getting healthy. They were in so far over their heads on a weekly basis, that it honestly didn't matter who was on the field. But this team has shown signs of life -- the kind of life that leads you to wonder what they might be able to do with a few more bullets in the chamber, specifically on the offensive line.

Looks like we'll probably get a chance to find out against Cal. Guards Zack Williams and B.J. Guerra and guard/tackle Steven Ayers all have a shot at being back in the lineup. Assuming both Kenny Alfred and Micah Hannam are healthy for Cal -- both were banged up by the end of the ASU game -- we actually could have our entire starting five back on the offensive line (assuming Paul Wulff wants to put Ayers back in the starting lineup for Tyson Pencer).

One player who almost certainly won't be ready for Cal is Brian Danaher, the backup guard who returned from a concussion on Saturday. Wulff seemed concerned about Danaher all week, even refusing to re-insert him into the starting lineup. Well, it turns out his concern was well founded, as it's believed Danaher suffered yet another concussion.

Danaher now has a disturbing history of brain trauma, and while I'm sure the coaches, trainers and Danaher don't need my advice, I'm going to give it to them anyway: Shut him down. Maybe forever ... but at least for this year. Knowing what we now know about these brain injuries -- and given that there is so much more to learn -- there is no reason to put his future at risk. None whatsoever.

Another player who won't be back for Cal is corner back Daniel Simmons, who suffered a broken leg and is done for the year. Major bummer for him, as he had fought his way into the starting lineup this year. However, he's still just a redshirt freshman, so still lots of promise to look forward too.

Tough to say exactly what Wulff and defensive coordinator Chris Ball will do in this spot. If Eric Block is healthy -- he's been struggling with his digestive issue again, and didn't play on Saturday -- you could see a move of Chima Nwachukwu back to corner. That could also happen if they're comfortable with Jay Matthews, who played but didn't record a tackle.

I don't think they'll do that, though. my guess would be that they would elect to put either Terrance Heyward or Aire Justin (remember him?) over there. Why? Because Cal is a team that's obviously going to focus on running the ball, and it's going to be more important to have sound tackling from the safety position, and the dropoff in that respect is significant after Nwachukwu. If LeAndre Daniels or Tyree Toomer were still back there, it would be a different story. But they're not.

The good news is that the Cougs should get some help up front in trying to stop Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen in the form of defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm, who appears as if he should return from his hip injury. That's beyond huge, because we all remember what Best did to Matt Eichelberger and Ai Ahmu last year ...

There's absolutely no doubt that with Wolfgramm, this starting four up front is light years ahead of those guys. Even against USC's vaunted line, there weren't any holes like that. (At least, not after the first drive.) Additionally, middle linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis should return from his staph infection. While Greg Trent was as hard-nosed a player as you'd find, he wasn't the most fleet of foot. Hoffman-Ellis gives the Cougs a chance with his athleticism.

There also appears to be more help on the way for next year. Somebody asked recently about defensive end Brandon Rankin. I couldn't find any info out there, but the intrepid Vince Grippi did some looking and dropped this little nugget in his pregame report from Saturday:

Two players who signed with WSU last February but couldn’t make it into school, Brandon Rankin and Quayshawne Buckley, seem to be on track to get into school in the spring semester. Buckley is waiting to hear his test results – that was kept him from qualifying – and is confident he did well. Rankin is on track to finish his classes. In case you don’t know, Rankin is 6-foot-5, 260-pound junior college defensive end who has earned a four-star rating from Scout.com and will have two years left. Buckley, a 6-4, 270-pound defensive lineman, earned three stars as a high school senior last year.

Rankin is the kind of kid who could have an immediate impact. Imagine a defensive end rotation with Travis Long, Kevin Kooyman -- who looks more and more like he's headed for a medical redshirt -- and Rankin. How cool would that be?

That about covers it for today. We'll be back along either tonight or tomorrow with a lengthy post looking at the defense. You'll also start seeing the second quarter grades (can you believe the season is half over?), and we'll have Paul Wulff's press conference for you to listen to tomorrow. And since basketball kicks off its season this weekend with Midnight Mayhem, we'll probably be sprinkling in a little hoops content this week, too. I can guarantee it will be part of what we talk about on the podcast, so you've got that to look forward to as well.

In other words, while the football team will be on a bye ... we won't.

Washington State University Roundtable

TwistNHook — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:00:19 -0000

via img2.allposters.com

TwistNHook: Don't laugh. Last time WSU came to Cal, we beat them by 3 points. 20-17. 3 points.

Ragnarok: Last time we heard from these guys, they were holding open tryouts on campus for quarterbacks. Open tryouts!!

Avinash: Is Pullman turning this into a reality TV show?

TwistNHook: We shouldn't mock WSU too much, because we were once like them.

WSU's only other scheduled TV game is the Oct. 31 game against Notre Dame in San Antonio (NBC, 4:30 p.m.).

I feel like there were years when even the Big Game wasn't televised live. Washington State has really fallen off, it is sad. What can they do to regain their former glory? Remember, they are the last non-USC team to go to the Rose Bowl. They've been to a Rose Bowl this decade, which is more than us Cal fans can say (by a magnitude of about 5).

HydroTech: Did you know that their QB last year (one of many who played), Kevin Lopina, had 0 TDs and 11 INTs on the season?!?!? Yikes.

Their top WR Brandon Gibson is gone now. I wonder who will step up and take his place?

Have you looked at WSU's away schedule? At USC, at Oregon, at Cal, at Notre Dame, at Arizona, and at Washington!!! BRUTAL. The easiest away game for them is at Washington, and given that WSU's level of talent isn't exactly far superior (if at all) to Washington, that's going to be a really tough game too.

TwistNHook: Firstly, I'm sure we are all excited about CougCenter Week coming up this week. I love those guys. I just went over to check up on them and they have a great article on their linebackers up.

via seattletimes.nwsource.com

Ah, but last year also was a testament to what these guys can do when the line in front of them is doing its job. One need look no further than the Apple Cup. With the defensive line turning in a yeoman's effort behind resurgent Toby Turpin, linebackers Greg Trent, Andy Mattingly (moved back to linebacker for the game) and Louis Bland combined for 23 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Bland, a converted safety, was particularly effective roaming free, repeatedly slicing into the backfield to disrupt plays. Additionally, these guys finally started to trust each other as the year wore on, and it showed in the results.

And there's the rub for this year. If there's one unit that could give the running backs a run for their money in terms of talent and depth, it's these guys. When a guy was a third team freshman all-American and the Apple Cup hero and isn't currently slated to start despite looking pretty healthy coming off a knee injury (Louis Bland) that says a lot about what the unit has going for it. Mattingly is back where he belongs at outside linebacker, Jason Stripling looks to finally be ready to fulfill the projections many had for him when he came north from Texas, and a trio of talented young guys in the middle are champing at the bit to fill the void left by Greg Trent.

LB appears to be a position of strength for them. Honestly, its not fun to just crush teams. I mean I guess its fun in one sense. The first 3 minutes of the WSU game were fun. But then after essentially the first play, the fun dissipated quickly. I mean I don't wanna lose or anything, but at least go up against teams that can put up a fight. So, I'm hoping for WSU to improve this year. And maybe the key is through their LB play. They have some young talent here and could be leaders for the team.

Do I believe that Cal will lose to WSU? No. Do I think it will be as lop-sided as last year? Even though the game is at home, no. I am actually looking forward to this one, oddly enough. Am I weird for looking forward to the WSU game?

Yellow Fever: When are you ever not weird?

TwistNHook: When I buy my Nets season tickets and attend all those WWE wrestling matches. That's when I'm MOST normal!

Yellow Fever: This coming from a guy who wrote a paper on Japanese puroresu.

TwistNHook: Hey, that got an A!

via www.pe.com

I think. Actually, I don't remember, it was so long ago. I hope it got an A!

HydroTech: How many yards do we all think Best is going to get against WSU? Last year he had 200 yards on 14 carries. If I recall correctly, Best was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter or so. Perhaps next time he needs to stay in the game and roll up 300 yards on them.

Yellow Fever: I say he stops around the 250 mark.

TwistNHook: According to the box score, he was taken out early early early in the 3rd quarter. Here are his last 2 plays:

California at 11:28		CAL	WSU
1st and 10 at CAL 11	California penalty 5 yard false start accepted.	42	3
1st and 15 at CAL 6	Jahvid Best rush for 8 yards to the Cal 14.
2nd and 7 at CAL 14	Jahvid Best rush for 86 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.	48	3
	David Seawright extra point GOOD.	49	3
	David Seawright kickoff for 60 yards returned by Chantz Staden for 27 yards to the WshSt 37.
DRIVE TOTALS: Cal drive: 2 plays 89 yards, 00:50 Cal TD

ME LIKEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That 8 yard run was actually lower than his average of 14.3. That happened with about 11 minutes left in the 3rd.

Speaking of which, for those of you who complained that Jahvid Best is a mediocre back who just racked up tons of garbage yards against terrible teams, like the Washingtons, he played about a total of 4 quarters against them. He rushed for like 450 yards in those 4 quarters. If he had played all 8 quarters, he maybe coulda gotten 1,000 yards! Kind of a toads redick argument, in my ever so humble opinion.

Avinash: I wonder who will be the tougher opponent, EWU or Wazzu?

TwistNHook: We could ask Paul Wulff about that one, I bet.

Ragnarok: Frankly, the only thing about this game I'm even remotely interested in is seeing James Montgomery facing his old team. He was a good backup for Forsett back in '07, though he never struck me as a star. While I remember reading articles at the time of his transfer stating that playing time wasn't the reason he left Berkeley, I gotta wonder where he'd fit into the Bears' current rotation of backs. He'd be behind Best; that's pretty obvious. Would be still be ahead of Shane Vereen?

Avinash: Funny thing is he isn't starting for Wazzu this season. It's still Dwight Tardy's role.

Coug Center:

This is one unit where Coug fans can proclaim to all that are listening, "We have Pac 10 depth there!" Dwight Tardy has proven he can gain yards and make plays if given the opportunity to advance to the line of scrimmage before getting gang-tackled. James Montgomery's biggest problem at Cal was that he wasn't as good as Jahvid Best, Marshawn Lynch, etc. Logwone Mitz has size and possesses the ability to break off a big gain (see: Apple Cup!).

Paul Wulff likes to run the football. He can do so with this group. There will not be anyone taking the ball 40 times a game a la Jerome Harrison, but a running back by committee approach seems like a very exciting option. The Cougs will have the luxury of a talented back with fresh legs in there on every play. Maybe, just maybe, Dwight or James or one of the other guys will get really hot one game and we will ride him to an upset over (insert Pac 10 team here.)

TwistNHook: Here's hoping that upset isn't over us!

Yellow Fever: I'm going to guess that since Dwight Tardy (who?) is starting over him, he'd probably be behind Vereen as well.

Avinash: Danzig did some of his own reporting on Monty for WSU Football Blog:

We saw Monty as more of a power back than a speedster. He got most of his reps during short-yardage situations for good reason. Monty cannot be taken down with arm tackles and he had a knack for always getting an extra three yards while being tackled. He would do this by twisting and torquing his body toward the first down marker. He almost never went down during first contact. He does have the speed to get to the edge and turn the corner but he never looked like he was moving that fast. We hardly ever passed to him, but when we did, he caught everything... no drops. While on campus, he was an ideal student and never got in trouble.

TwistNHook: We do not have a lot of information on Montgomery, because he did not play a lot. I think danzig's analysis is right on. More of a power back than a speedster. Ostensibly, he would have been the thunder to Best's lightening. Oh well.

Yellow Fever: For what it's worth, I think he also made some references to not really enjoying the environment around campus either. Berkeley isn't as crazy as its previous reputation so it's unclear as to what he was talking about, so who knows.

Avinash: Rent control maybe? Rent control sucks.

TwistNHook: So, who is gonna win this one? I say Cal Googleplex-0.

No, wait, make that Cal Googleplex-2. I see a garbage time safety here. Sorry Sweeney!

HydroTech: I think WSU can get a "moral victory" if they can only lose to us by 30. Did I just jinx us? Vegas Bowl here we come.....

Yellow Fever: Not that there's anything wrong with another excuse to go to Vegas.

Poll

How will Cal do against WSU?

Big win

145 votes

Close win

4 votes

Close loss

5 votes

Big loss

5 votes

159 votes | Poll has closed

UNIT PREVIEW: Linebackers

Nuss — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00:12 -0000

Back at outside linebacker full time, will Andy Mattingly return to the form that made him a terror for opposing offenses? (via cache.daylife.com)

View full size photo »

Part four in a seven-part series previewing the Cougs' offensive and defensive units.

Saturday: Offensive Line
Monday: Defensive Line
Wednesday: Running Backs
Today: Linebackers
Monday: Wide Receivers

Overview

There's a certain amount of debate in football circles about just how important it is to have strong linebacker play, relative to other parts of the defense. Without adequate big fellas occupying blockers up front, it can be difficult for the guys to do what they do. Last year was certainly a testament to that. And when that happens, everything else breaks down, as guys try to do too much, leaving their assignments to try and make a play for a defense that's going down the toilet -- with predictable results.

Ah, but last year also was a testament to what these guys can do when the line in front of them is doing its job. One need look no further than the Apple Cup. With the defensive line turning in a yeoman's effort behind resurgent Toby Turpin, linebackers Greg Trent, Andy Mattingly (moved back to linebacker for the game) and Louis Bland combined for 23 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Bland, a converted safety, was particularly effective roaming free, repeatedly slicing into the backfield to disrupt plays. Additionally, these guys finally started to trust each other as the year wore on, and it showed in the results.

And there's the rub for this year. If there's one unit that could give the running backs a run for their money in terms of talent and depth, it's these guys. When a guy was a third team freshman all-American and the Apple Cup hero and isn't currently slated to start despite looking pretty healthy coming off a knee injury (Louis Bland) that says a lot about what the unit has going for it. Mattingly is back where he belongs at outside linebacker, Jason Stripling looks to finally be ready to fulfill the projections many had for him when he came north from Texas, and a trio of talented young guys in the middle are champing at the bit to fill the void left by Greg Trent.

But will they get stout enough play in front of them to allow these guys to do what they do best? That will be the key.

Projected Depth Chart

Pos.	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
SAM	Andy Mattingly (6-4, 255, Sr.)	Louis Bland (5-10, 202, So.)	Hallston Higgins (5-11, 222, Jr.)
MIKE	Alex Hoffman-Ellis (6-1, 236, #So.)	Darren Markle (6-1, 224, Fr.)	Mike Ledgerwood (6-0, 224, So.)
WILL	Jason Stripling (5-11, 225, #Sr.)	Louis Bland (5-10, 202, So.)	Jarred Walker (6-3, 213, #Fr.)

Key Player

Mattingly. Two years ago, he was an all-Pac-10 honorable mention at outside linebacker, thanks to 11 sacks and 91 tackles. The new staff decided the best use of his talents was at defensive end, and it turned out to be a colossal mistake. Mattingly struggled to get off blocks and posted less than 40 tackles from that position before the staff decided to move him back to outside linebacker for the last two games. The move is now permanent, and if Mattingly can fulfill the potential he showed as a sophomore -- making plays from his feet in space and in a stance on obvious rushing downs -- it will be a huge boost to the defense. Mattingly is one of precious few proven playmakers on the defense, and they will need him to make plays.

He has been struggling with a little bit of a nagging groin injury in camp, but it doesn't appear to be serious.

Biggest Question Mark

Who steps up for the departed Greg Trent? The top two guys on the depth chart are a duo who have yet to play a down of college football, so this is a BIG question mark.

Hoffman-Ellis has ascended to the top spot, and could be a revelation after his redshirt year -- he flew under the radar after only playing one year of high school ball and then heading off to junior college for a year. But it's undeniable that Hoffman-Ellis is athletic, a sideline-to-sideline player who possesses good enough size to battle inside, so if the team can survive the inevitable mistakes from him, it could be set at middle linebacker for some time.

Markle, a true freshman, might have something to say about that, however. He has ascended to the second team just 10 days into camp, and while he doesn't seem to have the same pursuit speed as Hoffman-Ellis, he is undoubtedly going to be strong at the point of attack, important when playing behind a suspect line. (How strong? Check these two videos of Markle lifting ... during his junior year.) Also, don't sleep on Ledgerwood, who saw limited action last season as a freshman.

One of these guys is going to have to step up to fill Trent's void, not just in production, but in leadership.

Best Case Scenario

The defensive line is much improved, allowing these guys to do what they do best -- fly around and make plays. In stark contrast to last year, the front seven trusts each other and it shows: Mattingly is disrupting other teams' plans from all over the field, Stripling is finally over the injury issues that have plagued him so much, Hoffman-Ellis is a quick learner and a sideline-to-sideline maniac, and Louis Bland proves to be a valuable situational player. The rush defense is much improved, limiting opponents to "just" 4.5 yards per carry.

Worst Case Scenario

The defensive line is still not good (for whatever reason). The trio not only is consistently getting engaged by linemen, but they're once again in the position of not trusting each other. Gap assignments are forgotten, guys are trying too hard to make plays again, and 60- to 80-yard runs become the norm again. We look back on Andy Mattingly's career as one of the great disappointments in Cougar history. What could have been!

Likely Scenario

The defensive line is better, but still not good enough to allow this unit to fully realize its potential. However, after a year of the coaches being their ears, the trust in the system -- and each other -- is vastly improved, and the big gains are cut down thanks to assignment sound football. In fact, the linebackers are able to make a number of games look an awful lot like the Apple Cup, doing their part to bend but not break. Mattingly is back on the all-Pac-10 team.

Poll

Andy Mattingly

First Team All-Pac-10

22 votes

Second Team All-Pac-10

59 votes

All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention

48 votes

No postseason awards

4 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

Cougs release fall outlook with early 'depth chart'

Nuss — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:28:23 -0000

WSU has released its fall outlook, complete with a "depth chart" and stunning analysis from Paul Wulff featuring such gems as "We have some players that have played college football." (I did not make that up.)

The reason I put depth chart in quotation marks is because when a depth chart is released with A) None of the incoming players listed and B) Your leading returning wide receiver as a third stringer, you have to take these things with a grain of salt. Coaches use these things for all sorts of psychological reasons, and it will obviously change a whole lot between now and Sept. 5.

However, that doesn't mean we can't talk about it. My initial thoughts.

The Jeshua Anderson thing is stupid -- he clearly, unquestionably is our best pass catcher, and I can't even dream up a scenario where he's not considered one of our top three wide receivers.* Maybe Wulff is trying to reward the guys who were in spring practice while giving Anderson a carrot to chase. But seriously ... who are they fooling? There are a certain number of guys on this team who will be starters barring some kind of training camp injury -- Kenny Alfred, Kevin Kooyman, Andy Mattingly, Chima Nwachukwu, Louis Bland -- and Anderson is one of them. I understand doing this to guys in certain circumstances, but this is just silly. When the offense takes the field against Stanford, Anderson will be on it.

*Unless that hamstring injury from track season is lingering and a bigger problem than we know. Then all bets are off. But there's no notation of an injury with Anderson on the depth chart.
Kevin Lopina and Marshall Lobbestael are listed as "or" starters on the actual two-deep, according to Grippi. (I can't find the actual two-deep anywhere on the WSU site.) It's not hugely surprising, but it's good to see that we hopefully will have a legitimate quarterback competition on our hands this year. My money's still on Lobbestael, but I think he's got to go out and take it from Lopina, who has a pretty big edge in experience from last year and spring drills.
Anyone else get little butterflies in their stomach when they see Mattingly listed at linebacker again?
Man, we are scary thin at cornerback. I'd be fairly shocked if Nwachukwu doesn't end up playing there again at some point this year. Those guys are really going to need the defensive line to be a lot better, because they're not going to be able to cover anyone for more than about three seconds.
Interesting that Eric Block is listed as a second-stringer behind Nwachukwu at free safety. He's really struggled with injuries his first two years on campus, but he was considered a good get out of Bellevue High School when the Cougs signed him. Remember, Jim Harbaugh was after him hard, too. The best case scenario for our secondary just might be a healthy Block that allows Nwachukwu to move back to corner.
Holy crap do we have a lot of talented linebackers. Here's to hoping one of them can be an adequate replacement for Greg Trent.
Our backup right defensive end (Casey Hamlett, 6-2/239) transferred from Western Washington University after the Vikings cut their program last year. Again, I am not making this up. My guess is that his name will be replaced with the name "Travis Long" by the end of camp.

Here are some other miscellaneous football links to keep you busy today, since the best way to beat the heat if you're in Seattle is to sit at a computer in a hot house:

Kooyman has posted his final diary for Cougfan.com, featuring this little nugget: "I can realistically see our team making it to a bowl game." Ah, the optimism of July.
Alfred also has his fourth diary for Cougfan.com. Honestly, his have been fun to read. I know there is editing that goes into these things, but he genuinely seems like an interesting, articulate guy.
Jim Sterk and Wulff will once again be participating in those riveting Cougar Chats. Woooo.
Single game tickets go on sale on Saturday. Don't everyone log on at once -- we wouldn't want to crash the server clamoring for SMU tickets.
The 2008 WSU football team was ranked the second worst of the decade by esteemed Pac-10 writer Jon Wilner. Guess who's worst? :-)
We'll finish off with a couple of "for-the-record" items. First, the felony burglary charges were dropped against Tyree Toomer and LeAndre Daniels. As we suspected, this seems like a misunderstanding that was blown out of proportion by an overzealous criminal justice system. It's old news, but we wanted to make sure we note it. Toomer especially is going to be counted on to contribute. Also, Romeo Pellum took some shots at the coaching staff on his way out of town. Whatever.