WSU is nothing to worry about
- Thread starter MikeFingLeach
- Start date
we lost 3 of our top cornerbacks from last season. We have good young talent but they haven't been tested yet, it will be a big challenge for the cornerbacks going against a Leach offense. Luckily we have depth at safety, we have 2 guys battling it out at SS for the starting spot and we have 4 guys that can play at FS. I think the backup FS will be playing nickel and he is a ballhawk.
This game will not be easy, it will really test of pass defense. If we can control the clock and get the runn game going we can win or this can easily turn into Kent State 2.0
Yes, I think he will but don't expect three yards and a cloud of dust. Leach's offense uses four receivers (no tight end) and one running back. At least, that is the usual formation. His philosophy concerning a balanced attack is not 50/50 rushing/passing. It is rather to get equal touches at each of the five positions. In theory the running back position would get 20% of the touches, either by rushing or passing. Leach thinks of quick passes to the backs as running plays with a long handoff. We haven't yet under his guidance done much running primarily due to the lack of a decent OL. I will never forget his first Apple Cup against the uw when we took the field with only six functional offensive linemen available. We now have depth there but most of the emphasis and training has been on pass protection for obvious reasons. It seems that he now feels we have the OL to run the ball a bit more.
We have four RBs available. One is a good looking freshman who I suspect will be redshirted if possible. The other three are two redshirt sophomores and a redshirt freshman. Wicks is the biggest of the three and the fastest. Morrow is the best overall of the group considering running, blocking and receiving. Harrington, the redshirt freshman, is a converted WR- a little quick scatback type.
One more note: Leach rarely calls running plays. He will send in a proposal to the QB, almost invariably a passing play. The QB then looks over the defensive alignment and runs the play or changes it to another passing play or a running play. The choice is up to the QB. He is not confined to Leach's suggestion at all. He makes the final call, not the coaching staff. The previous QB never seemed to see a situation where he couldn't complete a pass and therefore rarely called an audible to a running play. The new kid, Falk (probably), is more inclined to use the running game when he sees an appropriate situation.
So, with Leach feeling that the OL is finally up to the task of doing some run blocking and having some decent backs to do it with, coupled with a QB who is more inclined to go the same direction, then I think we can expect the rushing portion of the offense to be increased this season.
Our OL is also a strong point. All five return and with deeper and more experienced depth behind them. Might be a push. (We will see your Lumpkin and raise with Cody OConnell 6'8" 350 lbs.)
I am not familiar with your offensive capabilities but Wazzu seems loaded. I give us the edge here but that may just be bias or wishful thinking. Don't worry about our young QB being flustered by the crowd- he won't be. Despite his youth, poise is one of his strong points.
Don't know much about your defense either but from what I have read on this site, they seem to have a similarity. Good on the line. Good at the LB spots with a need for more depth. And then there are the DBs. Youth, inexperience and hope. Sounds like a push. Maybe a slight edge to Rutgers.
STs: Here is where Rutgers may expect to have a sizable advantage. At one point we had no kicker, no punter, no long snappers, no decent coverage units and mediocre return units. And no coach. Other than that, we were just spiffy. The new Special Teams coach is busily trying to assemble a functioning unit. Whether he is able to do so or not may well determine the game's outcome. A good coach can put together coverage and return units fairly quickly. Kicking, punting and long snapping depends more on individual talents and whether we find those talents is yet to be seen.
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Maybe, maybe not. Our DL is almost entirely Polynesian. Those Polys are big boys and I would not be so sure. We will see in a few weeks, won't we?
This game can go either way but our real advantage is our home crowd. Your QB will have a few offsides due to the crowd.
They may have "big Poly boys" but I think we can and will out-physical them on both sides of the ball. Physicality is just as much a mindset as it is a size thing. You heard the BTN analysts comment on the "edge" they saw our boys playing with in the scrimmage Saturday night. I also think the 3,000-mile trip east plays into our favor as well as having an actual game the week before. This game reminds me of the return trip of the Arkansas home and home in 2013. Of course anything can happen and I expect Leach to make adjustments based on last years game but I like our chances this year better than I did in last year's opener.
When Rivercraft fumbled the punt their was still 7 minutes left in the game. Rutgers controlled the final 7 minutes of the game. I also think RU got better throughout the year and ended the year on a high note pounding UNC. I think WSU went in the other direction. No game is an easy game but I am confident for this game.
Rutgers may lose this game because the qb is not familiar with the offense since Flood had to split snaps due to the QB controversy. In addition, the QB's unfamiliarity with the playbook may lead to a predictable offense. This is the reason why a decision has to be made quickly at this point in time.
You will see more of a ground game both from the RB's and a much more mobile QB than last year. That said, this is a passing offense and I would be surprised if you don't see Falk put up 400+ passing yards. If he doesn't, you might see a comfortable win.
This year's team is all Leach's players, playing under his culture, so now we'll see what happens. Can't wait to see how it plays out.
The Cougs were so frickin bi-polar last year. One minute we are getting smoked by Arizona... The next we are taking a national title contender to the brink (which we DID get screwed on....). Which... Funny enough we also did in 2013 against Auburn.
Texas Tech alumni warned us back in 2011/2012 that Leach teams are exceptionally exciting to watch, but also incredibly infuriating!
Oh that fumble. Up 4 scored, I believe, on previous possession...... Getting the ball in RU territory chance to win and cover the line........oh that fumble. But that' small part of the game. You put together a great drive and it's done.
But RU scored with 4 minutes left. 4 minutes is more than enough time for WS to score. RUs D held. There was a lot of time left in the game when the fumble happened. 7 minutes is a lot if time in a 1 possession game.
The WSU QB was one of the best in college football last year. He is gone. We better win if we want to go to another bowl game.
Yes and no I'd say. He was very much Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde.
He has the abilities to be one of the best, but too often he let his emotion and over-confidence get the better of him.
In Leach's system the QB's decide when to run the ball, not the coach. I firmly believe Halliday's lack of choosing the run over the pass (he never saw a pass he couldn't make) led to unnecessarily long games (drops stopping the clock, etc..). I have thought for awhile now that there were probably some games the Cougs could have won if we had simply burned more clock through out the game by running the football more.
Who knows... I'm probably wrong, but the last two seasons the Cougs couldn't "end" games for the life of them!
Halliday set NCAA records for passing last year and, yes, he is gone. The dropoff, however, will most likely not be to the extent that some expect. Falk and his backup, Bender, possess promise in spades. Falk is expected to surpass Halliday's records and probably Bender will surpass some of Falk's. Be happy that you are catching us this year- at least as far as the QB position is concerned- and not in the future. Mike Leach and staff are assembling a passing machine in Pullman. Beat us while you can.
