SB Nation - Steven Ayers

AUDIO: Paul Wulff press conference, 11-10-09

Nuss — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:53:19 -0000

Highly interesting Paul Wulff press conference this week. It starts off innocently enough, but then a simple followup question about whether football should have an early signing day -- a la basketball, which has its early signing day tomorrow -- turns into a full-on diatribe about the ethics of recruiting. Also in there is the usual updates on injuries and such. Well worth the listen.

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.

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?

Browse more photos »

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.

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.

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

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.

Injuries, injuries, injuries

Nuss — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:12:11 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Jeff Tuel couldn't escape this one last Saturday. Will he fare much better this weekend behind yet another patchwork offensive line?

Browse more photos »

Coming into the season, here is what the two-deep looked like on the offensive line:

Left Tackle	Left Guard	Center	Right Guard	Right Tackle
Steven Ayers (#So.)	Zack Williams (#Jr.)	Kenny Alfred (#Sr.)	B.J. Guerra (#So.)	Micah Hannam (#Jr.)
Tyson Pencer (#Fr.)	Brian Danaher (#Jr.)	Andrew Roxas (Jr.)	Brian Danaher (#Jr.)	Joe Eppele (#Jr.)

Here's what it looks like now:

Left Tackle	Left Guard	Center	Right Guard	Right Tackle
Tyson Pencer (#Fr.)	Alex Reitnouer (Fr.)	Kenny Alfred (#Sr.)	Joe Eppele (#Jr.)	Micah Hannam (#Jr.)
Joe Eppele (#Jr.)	Reed Lesuma (#Sr.)	Chris Prummer (#So.)	Reed Lesuma (#Sr.)	Joe Eppele (#Jr.)

Obvious things I'll go ahead and point out:

Only two starters are left from the projected starting five -- the same two guys who made it through all of last year.
Of the 10 players on the original two-deep, only four are healthy enough to play this weekend.
There are three players on this week's two-deep who didn't even appear on the original two-deep. One of them will be starting.
That one player is a true freshman, who will teaming with a redshirt freshman to make up the left side of the line. That's Jeff Tuel's blindside, in case you were wondering.
There are nine different players on the original two-deep; there are only seven different players on the current two-deep. Meaning, if this line suffers more than two injuries at any point in the game, Paul Wulff will be turning to either true freshman Tim Hodgdon (whom they still hope to redshirt) or redshirt freshman Michael Pfeiff.

And we thought the injuries last year were bad.

What does all this mean for Saturday? It means we're going to have an awfully, awfully tough time scoring points. It seems like it's been beaten to death, but the fact that Cal -- with its awesome offensive line and Jahvid Best carrying the ball -- could only score three points against this unit doesn't bode well for the Cougs.

I honestly thought the Cougs had a chance to keep this game closer than most people thought, figuring the Ducks will be suffering the inevitable let down. But that was when Danaher was starting at left guard. While the change of one guy might not seem like much, when you go from a guy who made eight starts last season to a guy who was still in high school and rated a two-star recruit last season -- at a position where physical maturity is at a premium ... that's a big, big difference. That's not even taking into account that communication is going to be doubly difficult in the Autzen atmosphere.

Truly, I'm afraid what we're going to see offensively on Saturday is going to resemble last year in a lot of ways. Want to know the biggest reason why our passing game was so horrific last year? Because the offensive line could not block five-on-four, at least one tight end and one running back were kept in to block on almost all obvious passing plays. (Which, of course, was most of the plays.) That meant we were sending just two or three receivers out into patterns against seven defenders. It becomes a vicious cycle where you can't pass if you can't protect the quarterback, but you also can't pass if you protect the quarterback too much.

And you wonder why Brandon Gibson had 10 fewer receptions and 500 fewer yards than he did the year before. It wasn't Gibson.

There's a chance that Paul Wulff and Todd Sturdy don't do that as much on Saturday, since Tuel obviously isn't the stationary target that Marshall Lobbestael is and Kevin Lopina became as his injuries mounted last year. You'll likely see just a running back protector in early in a hope to give Tuel a chance to throw the ball to a guy who's actually open, but if he's successful, expect Oregon to ramp up the pressure by bringing extra guys. And unless Tuel can elude the rush and make them pay with a big gain or two, the Ducks will be relentless.

While I want, want, WANT to believe that this game can be closer than expected, I'm coming around to the idea that it's probably going to be ugly, simply because of the matchup factor.

I still think the defense will turn in a yeoman's effort, but I'm extremely concerned about the big plays -- especially against a spread offense predicated on misdirection and confusion. If the offense struggles like I think it's probably going to, the defense is probably going to feel the need to make something happen. That's death against an offense that requires assignment-sound defense to stop it.

Unless things such as poor decision making, poor discipline or unforced turnovers rear their heads tomorrow, if it turns out to be a blowout, don't lose faith.

If you'd like to hear Paul Wulff talk about the injuries at length, listen to his Thursday press conference via the player below. It's distributed via our podcast; you can find subscription options at our podcast page.

AUDIO: Paul Wulff's weekly press conference

Nuss — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:29:41 -0000

Loads of audio out there today. We'll start with Paul Wulff's weekly Tuesday teleconference, and pass along some of the other stuff that was on the radio today later tonight. Wulff talks about ...

The injuries (lots of guys out, including offensive linemen Steven Ayers, Zack Williams and B.J. Guerra, defensive lineman Josh Luapo, tight end Zach Tatman, and more).
How tough the rebuild job has been.
Why the decision to move to Jeff Tuel, and the trend of true freshman quarterbacks.
More Tuel. (They liked a lot of the plays he made -- especially some of the throws.)
More Tuel. (Unlike Marshall Lobbestael, Tuel is unfazed by a strong pass rush.)
The need to get more out of the offense early.
Nico Grasu and his mental state.

FIRST QUARTER GRADES: Offensive Line

Nuss — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:50:58 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

See how this guy is close enough to the quarterback to knock the ball down? The offensive line has to do a better job of keeping that -- and other bad stuff like sacks and hurries -- from happening.

Browse more photos »

GRADE: C+

STATS

Rushing yards per attempt by running backs: 4.27
Sacks allowed: 6
Quarterback hurries allowed: 14

COMMENTS: The grade might seem a tad harsh, but when you go from last year's grade -- is there anything lower than an F? -- to this grade, it represents substantial improvement.

Still, it's hard to get a good read on this unit, since the Cougs have played, defensively speaking, one middling opponent (Stanford) and two not good opponents (Hawaii and SMU). However, there is no doubt that the offensive line is more physical up front than it was a year ago. They've shown that they can actually push some people around from time to time -- even the Cardinal -- and it has resulted in that improved yard-per-attempt figure in the rushing game. However, 4.27 yards still isn't great.

The fact also remains that this just isn't a very athletic group, a trait that was exposed in full force by Stanford in the opener while the team was forced to repeatedly throw the ball to catch up. They're better than last year -- the Cougs are no longer having to keep two tight ends and a running back in just to keep their quarterback upright -- but this unit still just isn't very good at protecting the passer. While SMU didn't register a sack on Saturday, Marshall Lobbestael was under duress a fair amount of time (eight hurries), and Hawaii registered half its sacks for the season (three) against the Cougs.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE GRADE: It's not going to be easy. Guards Zack Williams and B.J. Guerra were a large part of the reason the line was able to be more physical in the running game, and both are out for the time being with teams like USC, Oregon and Cal coming up on the schedule. And if they can't run the ball, they'll be in passing down and distance ... and we know how that usually turns out. It's imperative that the makeshift line currently in place step up its game.

The key could be redshirt freshman left tackle Tyson Pencer, who will make his first start on Saturday. He's precisely the kind of athletic lineman Paul Wulff has been coveting, and if he can do a better job neutralizing pass rushers than his predecessor, Steven Ayers (who moves inside to guard), the whole line gets better.

Bottom line? These guys need to provide a serviceable running attack over the next three games while giving their quarterback a shot to actually find someone downfield.

Poll

What grade would you give the offensive line?

A

1 votes

B

9 votes

C

29 votes

D

15 votes

F

8 votes

62 votes | Poll has closed

UNIT PREVIEW: Offensive Line

Nuss — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:00:12 -0000

Kenny Alfred has been the rock of the WSU offensive line for three years, and if this unit is going to significantly outperform expectations, it's got to start with Alfred being better than he's ever been. (via media.scout.com)

View full size photo »

Welcome to the first of CougCenter's unit previews for the upcoming season! Over the next couple of weeks, you'll see us take a deeper look into each of the seven groups of players that hold the keys to WSU's potential success this season.

First up: The big fellas up front -- on the offensive side.

Overview

They say that success in football starts up front, so perhaps no unit was the posterchild of WSU problems in 2008 than the offensive line. Seven -- SEVEN! -- different combinations started for the Cougs in 13 games, and only three times did the same unit start back-to-back games. Only two guys -- Kenny Alfred and Micah Hannam -- started every game, and even both of those guys were banged up all year to the extent that each needed surgery in the offseason.

And there was the crux of the issue. The offensive line was never really given any chance to succeed because of injuries up and down the line starting in August and never really stopping throughout the season. The result (predictably) was a unit that looked completely discombobulated for the majority of the season, repeatedly failing to open any kind of hole for the running attack and occasionally allowing defensive players free shots at decapitating their quarterbacks. The line was, in a word ... miserable.

But this year represents new hope. Besides having virtually every player return, save for mountainous left tackle Vaughn Lesuma, the boys look stronger, fitter, and more prepared to deal with the rigors of the Pac-10 after an intense offseason with strength and conditioning coach Darin Lovat. While the strength gains can be seen across the entire roster, perhaps nowhere will it benefit the Cougars more than on their lines. That, combined with the possibility of continuity that just wasn't there in 2008, represent real hope that this unit can improve exponentially from the disaster of a year ago and lead the turnaround charge.

Depth Chart

Pos.	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
LT	Steven Ayers (6-4, 315, #So.)	Tyson Pencer (6-6, 297, #Fr.)	Alex Reitnouer (6-5, 240, Fr.)
LG	Zack Williams (6-4, 293, #Jr.)	Brian Danaher (6-3, 284, #Jr.)	Tim Hodgdon (6-3, 285, Fr.)
C	Kenny Alfred (6-2, 300, #Sr.)	Andrew Roxas (6-1, 306, Jr.)	Chris Prummer (6-1, 269, #So.)
RG	B.J. Guerra (6-3, 311, #So.)	Brian Danaher (6-3, 284, #Jr.)	Kevin Freitag (6-3, 301, #So.)
RT	Micah Hannam (6-4, 284, #Jr.) OR	Joe Eppele (6-8, 306, #Jr.)	Reed Lesuma (6-4, 311, #Sr.)

Key Player

It's tough to pick one guy as the key to this unit -- after all, cohesion is so important -- but if we've got to pick one, it's got to be Alfred. He's one of the precious few legitimate NFL prospects on this roster, and as the center he is essentially the quarterback of the offensive line. Yes, he started every game last year, but he was hardly the Alfred we grew to love from the moment he stepped into the lineup as a redshirt freshman three years ago. An effective Alfred, fully recovered from offseason surgery and playing at his peak, is a rock in the middle of this line that the rest of the guys can build from.

Biggest Question Mark

This one is easy: Can they stay healthy enough for the five best players to see enough snaps together to be able to compete in the Pac-10 slate? The great offensive lines in the history of WSU football seemed to be those that were greater than the sum of their parts, and this is one of those units that seems to fit that mold. They need to be on the same page from day one and put all that "learning" they did last year to good use immediately, and the only way that's going to happen is if the vast majority of them can stay healthy through camp. After all, there is no soft landing for these guys in the first week of the season, so they've got to be ready to do some damage immediately. So far, so good, as there have been no reports of significant injuries five days into camp.

Best Case Scenario

Their newfound strength really does make a huge difference, and the guys make it out of camp with just the normal nicks and bruises. Five guys elevate their play to stand out among the rest, flashing a chemistry that Paul Wulff could only have hoped for. Once the season starts, the linemen discover that the strength gains not only help with durability, but with their physicality in the trenches as well. The Cougs' stable of talented running backs find lanes that only appeared for moments last year, and WSU becomes this year's Stanford, riding a strong running game to go from laughingstock to up-and-comer in the conference. Additionally, the quarterback that makes it out of camp starts every game, spending more time on his feet than on is back or running for his life, and the passing game is able to emerge as a nice compliment to the rushing attack. The offense becomes middle of the pack in the conference.

Worst Case Scenario

The strength gains look pretty on the practice field, but when the time comes to pop pads with Stanford, they look overmatched once again. Chalking it up to the first game of the year, the unit rebounds a bit against Hawaii and SMU. But it doesn't take long to see that bigger biceps can't mask the fact that a lot of these guys just aren't Pac-10 caliber, and the punishment starts taking its toll. As the Pac-10 season wears on, injuries start creeping in and the lineup shuffle begins. The line deteriorates, the running backs look like they did last year, and Jeff Tuel is starting by the end of the season because Marshall Lobbestael had to have a leg amputated after a compound fracture, Kevin Lopina's head was disassociated from his body and JT Levenseller decided he'd rather quit the team than put himself in that kind of peril.

Likely Scenario

The strength gains are real, and they result in a tangible difference come September. Nobody's going to confuse these guys with USC or Oregon up front, but they're doing things they weren't doing a year ago. There are still some injuries, sure, but they're a lot fewer and farther in between, and there's enough continuity at the majority of the positions that these guys begin to find their way. The running game is good enough to keep the Cougs in more games than everyone thought by eating clock and keeping the defense on the sidelines, and the best quarterback is able to start 90 percent of the games because he's not getting killed. More than that, there's real hope for 2010, as every guy is scheduled to return except for the graduating Alfred, and if they improve as much from this year to next as they did in the last 12 months, this unit could become a real strength, rather than liability.

Poll

What's closest to what actually happens this year? CougCenter's ...

Best Case Scenario?

17 votes

Worst Case Scenario?

17 votes

Likely Scenario?

89 votes

123 votes | Poll has closed

Finally, some more good football news

Nuss — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:45:05 -0000

We're a couple of days late on this, but for all the bad football news in the past 12 months -- both on and off the field -- this is a piece of news that deserves some recognition.

The Cougs tied for the Pac-10 lead with 15 players on the conference all-academic teams. That's up from 12 in 2007.

Congratulations, guys. Believe it or not, the reason we all go to college is to get an education. (Although, we really won't be sad if we have all these all-academic selections and win a bunch of games next year, OK?)

List of selections after the jump. I cannot believe how many offensive linemen are on that list. Smarts are supposed to be a big part of playing on the line, so that's got to count for something next year, doesn't it?

First Team
- Chima Nwachukwu, S/CB
- Matt Mullennix, DE
Second Team
- Matt Eichelberger, DT
- Joe Eppele, OL
- Adam Hineline, DT
- Micah Hannam, OL
Honorable Mention
- Kenny Alfred, OL
- Steven Ayers, OL
- Daniel Blackledge, WR
- Brian Danaher, OL
- Devin Frischknecht, TE
- Hallston Higgins, LB
- Kevin Kooyman, DE
- Vaughn Lesuma, OL
- Ben Woodard, TE