Wed., Feb. 11, 2015

Live WSU chat

Feb 11 2015, 10:59 AM

srchat: Hi, it's Jacob. Fire away if you've got any questions about WSU basketball, football, recruiting or something else.

Feb 11 2015, 11:05 AM

Guest1084 (guest): Do u know if nick begg is or was in fall practising as TE till the end or did he get moved over to oline?

Feb 11 2015, 11:06 AM

srchat: He was practicing with the tight end in fall camp but was pretty quickly done in for the year by injuries.

Feb 11 2015, 11:07 AM

Guest206 (guest): Hey Jacob, who has been hired to replace coach Simmons?

Feb 11 2015, 11:07 AM

74Coug: Any idea when Simmons' replacement will be named? Is Jackson the name?

Feb 11 2015, 11:09 AM

srchat: I haven't heard anything new on that front but I don't believe they've hired anyone. I don't think they're in a big hurry because the next recruiting class is a long way off and they've got coach Yost to work with outside receivers if need be.

Feb 11 2015, 11:09 AM

Guest1365 (guest): Is it possible that we see an entirely new secondary next year? (Farrar, Larue, Broughton, Luani) If so,do you think it'll be improved?

Feb 11 2015, 11:10 AM

srchat: It's certainly possible, although I think guys like Charleston White and Sulaiman Hameed played well enough when healthy that I still think they will end up starting. I know it's tempting to look at the roster and assume that the guys that can't play are better, but I didn't get the impression in practice that Farrar or LaRue is going to be immediately better than White and Marcellus Pippins.

Feb 11 2015, 11:11 AM

Guest192 (guest): Where did Darryl Monroe land

Feb 11 2015, 11:11 AM

srchat: He transferred to Akron.

Feb 11 2015, 11:12 AM

74Coug: Any insight on how defense might change under Grinch?

Feb 11 2015, 11:14 AM

srchat: Well I know that in the hiring process Mike Leach was really looking for someone that would bring more pressure so I think right off the bat Grinch will try to do that. It sounds like they will be pretty multiple but the base defense will look largely the same. I wouldn't be surprised either if you see four or five guys switch positions and it will be interesting to see what he does with guys like Paris Taylor who have already switched once.

Feb 11 2015, 11:14 AM

Guest9978 (guest): How many Pac-12 wins do you think the Cougs will end up with?

Feb 11 2015, 11:16 AM

srchat: Next year the Cougars have a pretty rough schedule in terms of which games are at home and which are on the road. I expect them to beat OSU and Colorado at home, and I think the games at Cal and at Washington will be close to toss-ups. After that it gets tricky.

Feb 11 2015, 11:19 AM

Guest9978 (guest): My bad i meant Basketball

Feb 11 2015, 11:22 AM

srchat: Oh, sorry. All the football questions put me in that mind frame. I would expect them to win two out of the three against UW, USC and ASU, and maybe pick up one other win somewhere else. So, 6 or 7 Pac-12 wins, which would be double or more than last season and probably tied for around 8th or so.

Feb 11 2015, 11:22 AM

74Coug: Even with defections, the FB class just signed looked pretty solid. Who are the likely early contributors?

Feb 11 2015, 11:25 AM

srchat: All the junior college kids, for one. The kicker Matt Abramo will be given an opportunity to play and actually the walk-on punter we wrote about in this morning's blog post has a good shot to compete from what I've been told. James Williams at running back could provide depth since they don't have many on the roster at that position right now and cornerback Sean Harper and safety Kam Powell will likely also have chances to play early.

Feb 11 2015, 11:27 AM

Guest9967 (guest): Is the absence of Dheensaw why the Cougs are losing all these close games?

Feb 11 2015, 11:28 AM

srchat: It's reasonable to think she could have made the difference in the Cal and Oregon State games. The Cougars still have a strong backcourt but she gave them a post presence they can't just replace.

Feb 11 2015, 11:29 AM

Guest9978 (guest): What position does Hercules Mataafa play? Heard a lot of good things about him. Do you expect him in the 2 deeps after spring ball?

Feb 11 2015, 11:30 AM

srchat: He plays defensive end although I think he's the kind of guy that can slide inside on obvious passing downs. Yes,he was one of their most disruptive players last year and I don't think there's any way they keep him off field,particularly with Xavier Cooper gone.

Feb 11 2015, 11:32 AM

Guest6867 (guest): Jacob, tell me something positive I might not know

Feb 11 2015, 11:34 AM

srchat: If you go to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and sneak through the bushes surrounding the parking lot you end up right on the Willamette River and there is a tiny dock you can walk out on for an amazing view of the city at night. The last two times I've been I saw marriage proposals.

Feb 11 2015, 11:35 AM

Guest7724 (guest): Assuming the predictions in your earlier comment about the likely results for the Cougs upcoming football season end up being correct, in your opinion would Mike Leach's job be in jeopardy?

Feb 11 2015, 11:35 AM

srchat: Nope, no matter what happens I think Leach is pretty safe because of the nature of his contract.

Feb 11 2015, 11:36 AM

Guest5878 (guest): Ever see a recruit on campus? If so, what did you gather?

Feb 11 2015, 11:37 AM

srchat: I've found that recruits generally seem quiet and like they're not having fun when they're being shepherded around campus to at games but generally they're just a little nervous being around so many new people. I've come to think that the player-hosts play a bigger role in the final decisions than I used to because they're the ones who have the best opportunity to set a kid at ease in a new environment.

Feb 11 2015, 11:40 AM

Guest7724 (guest): Do you see Mike Leach making any more of a commitment to the running game, particularly the power running game (it can be done even out of spread sets)?

Feb 11 2015, 11:40 AM

srchat: I don't think he'll change the way he coaches but I do think Falk could check into a couple more runs per game,particularly if Morrow and Wicks are having a lot of success.

Feb 11 2015, 11:44 AM

Guest7724 (guest): I guess I would call it adapting his coaching style instead of changing. No doubt he is committed to the air-raid style of play. But the fact that we cannot run the ball for first downs in the second half of games has cost us throughout his tenure, and, if you are correct, will likely continue to cost us wins next season.

Feb 11 2015, 11:45 AM

srchat: He's had the same style for long enough that I think that's what you're going to get. But he would probably say that it's an inability to pass for first downs in the second halves of those games that has cost them the wins.

Feb 11 2015, 11:49 AM

Guest7724 (guest): I think you're correct that is what he'd say. The results speak for themselves. Thank you for your time.

Feb 11 2015, 11:53 AM

Guest9967 (guest): The Coug women are 4-8 in conference play with some good non-league wins(Maryland, Dayton,Gonzaga). What record do they need to have to qualify for the NCAA's?

Feb 11 2015, 11:54 AM

srchat: The only way I could see them making the NCAA tournament without them winning the conference tournament would be a 5-1 or 6-0 run to end the season and a couple conference tournament wins.

Feb 11 2015, 11:58 AM

Guest511 (guest): Even without Daquan, does the secondary get better next hear with the additions of Powell, LaRue,Farrar, etc. and also factoring in more experience for White,Pippens, and our other young guys that played last year?

Feb 11 2015, 11:58 AM

srchat: Overall I expect the unit to be better and it will certainly have more depth.

Feb 11 2015, 12:01 PM

srchat: We'll end now so thanks to everyone that joined our live chat and we'll do it again soon.

Posted Feb. 11, 2015, 10:51 a.m.

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