It’s more about the teams than it is about the weather
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s no-shave November or something like that, which is a great way to raise money for charity. But it’s also a way to get ready for winter, as cold winds begin their flight from the arctic. Are those winter-like blasts an advantage for the local football teams? Read on.
••••••••••
• I used to be all in with the idea warm-weather schools hated playing around here when the weather turned all North Pole on us. And I still am of the mind they don’t really like it. But is it an advantage? A big advantage? I’m not so sure. The last time the Sun Devils were in Pullman – today’s WSU opponent – it was in the 40s on a Halloween night in 2013. The Cougars were pretty good. So were the Devils. Arizona State won 55-21. The cold didn’t seem to bother them that night. It’s not expected to be too bad today in the Palouse, with the high climbing into the low 50s. It won’t be snowing. It won’t be raining. So what matters most is the play of the respective teams, the coaching and the atmosphere in the stadium. (That Halloween Thursday night game against the Sun Devils? There were only 20,617 folks in Martin Stadium for it. The place was a morgue.) The Cougars will have the hands full with the Arizona State defensive front – the Sun Devils have recorded 16 sacks in the three matchups of the Mike Leach/Todd Graham eras – while ASU may just struggle to move the ball against a Washington State defense that is hitting its stride under first-year coordinator Alex Grinch. It should be a lot closer game than the three previous between the schools, games in which the Sun Devils have averaged 51 points and the Cougars just 20. But I’m worried WSU will have trouble protecting Luke Falk today and, due to that, struggle to outscore an ASU team that is better than its record might indicate.
• Speaking of venues, it doesn’t matter what the temperature or conditions are in Cheney today, they will be different than Northern Arizona is used to. The Lumberjacks play indoors – at altitude. It’s a great homefield advantage – see last year’s Eastern loss in Flagstaff – but it also has its downside. When NAU heads outdoors it is vulnerable. Especially this season. The 5-3 Jacks’ only road victory came in the season opener at Stephen F. Austin, on a warm Texas day. Besides, the Texas-based Lumberjacks aren’t all that good, having lost their first five games of the season. Other than that win, NAU is 0-3 on the road, including UC Davis’ lone Big Sky win. Are the Lumberjacks tough at home? Sure. They’ve yet to lose there and have won their last two games in Flagstaff by a combined margin of 115-57. And that’s against teams Eastern has struggled with (Weber State and Northern Colorado). So how will they fare in the 50-degree weather today? Heck, the last time they ventured outside it was 86 in Davis, there was a light cooling breeze and the Jacks still got jacked by a bad Aggie team, 38-24. Let’s see what happens this afternoon.
•••
• WSU: Jacob Thorpe exams the weather phenomenon in his advance today as well as touching on the homefield advantage in his keys to the game. He also will have a morning post with links at some point. ... The Cougars played an exhibition basketball game last night vs. Pacific University of Oregon and won handily. Jacob was in Bohler Gym – yes they played it in the old place and invited the last WSU coach to work in there, George Raveling – for the game and has this story. He also has video of Raveling meeting the media, the box score and video of Ernie Kent and players afterward. ... The WSU volleyball team fell in Tucson. ... ESPN.com’s Pac-12 blog passes along its weekly mailbag, games to watch today and a quick look at the game in Pullman.
• Gonzaga: The GU women hosted their first exhibition game last night, blowing out a Carroll team that played Montana tough in Missoula. Jim Allen has the game story. ... The men hold their exhibition today against an Eastern Oregon squad coached by former Washington State staff, Jared Barrett. The Mountaineers also have a couple of local players, including former Post Falls Trojan Michael Hillman, who is sort of a miracle story. Hillman suffered a catastrophic knee injury a couple years ago at practice and wasn’t expected to walk without difficulty, let alone play basketball again. But the 6-foot-6 forward has overcome the injury through hard-to-fathom rehab work, returning to the court this season. If you are at today’s game, recognize his effort. It’s been something special. Jim Meehan has an advance of today’s game.
• EWU: The Eagles need to win to entertain any hopes of a high seed in the playoffs. NAU needs to win to entertain hopes of winning the Big Sky. Jim Allen has the advance, centered round the defense. ... Undefeated in conference Southern Utah travels to Montana State, where the Bobcats have thrived this season. ... Montana travels to Idaho State, hoping to get the ship righted. ... Weber State has lost two consecutive games against conference heavyweights. Now it faces UC Davis. ... Who says time of possession is important?
• Idaho: The soccer team will host NAU for the Big Sky title Sunday. ... Both the men’s and the women’s basketball teams took exhibition wins over Lewis-Clark State on Friday. ... The Vandal football team is back in Alabama.
• Chiefs: Everett got past Prince George, 2-1, at home last night. ... Kelowna went into Portland and pulled out a 5-4 win. The Winterhawks accepted the resignation of an assistant coach with legal problems. ... Tri-City is leaning on its younger players.
• Preps: Playoff football is about as exciting as it gets, no matter the level. Madison came to Coeur d’Alene last night, trailed by three after three quarters and rallied to win, 22-12. ... Greg Lee was in Richland, where the Bombers ended Lewis and Clark’s season. ... Gonzaga Prep rolled over Walla Walla, 42-0. Tom Clouse has the details while Tyler Tjomsland adds the photographs. ... Kennewick edged Mt. Spokane 34-32 at Albi. Dan Pelle has the photo report. ... St. George’s moved on to the state soccer tournament with a win over Northwest Christian.
• Seahawks: The Cowboys Jeff Heath was not fined for the hit that ended Ricardo Lockette’s season. ... There are five Hawks worth paying special attention to the rest of the season. ... The countdown of the best Seahawks continues.
• Mariners: As expected, the M’s extended a qualifying offer to Hisashi Iwakuma. He’s expected to turn it down. ... The trade with Tampa Bay is probably just the beginning of a housecleaning in Seattle.
• Sounders: Dallas and Seattle have contrasting rosters. ... The Sounders expect to continue to attack despite the stakes. ... A couple of Sounders have been called for national duty but it shouldn’t interfere with the playoffs. ... The Timbers had a surprise callup to the U.S. squad.
•••
• That’s it for today. We will join Derek Deis on the Cougar postgame show today where we will take calls and give our thoughts on the ASU game. If you want to listen and live outside of Eastern Washington, your best bet is the TuneIn Radio app on your phone or pad. Until then ...