Snow No Match For Birnbaum At WSU Scrimmage
Mother Nature was in midseason form early Saturday, laying a blanket of snow over the artificial turf at Martin Stadium and giving several California transplants a taste of winter on the Palouse.
Northwest newcomers Steve Birnbaum and Michael Black thrived despite the unfriendly elements, each leading his squad as Washington State conducted its third football scrimmage of “spring” drills.
Birnbaum completed 16 of 24 passes for 164 yards, finding junior receiver Shawn Tims on 10 occasions and vastly outplaying incumbent quarterback Ryan Leaf as the Gray prevailed 10-6 in the Cougars’ annual Crimson and Gray game.
“I’m from California. I’ve never played in the snow or the rain - ever,” said Birnbaum, a redshirt freshman from sunny Chino Hills. “The field was slick at the beginning, but after it wore off, everything fell into place.”
Including Leaf. The sophomore was sacked seven times and completed only 10 of 30 passes for 99 yards in his first scrimmage since surgery on his left shoulder.
“I played poorly and Steve should be starting,” a testy Leaf said afterward. “That’s my comment.”
Head coach Mike Price was more understanding: “That’s as poor a performance as he’s had for a while, but he came back and did pretty good at the very last drive.”
Leaf completed 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards on the final drive. His last pass was intended for Kevin McKenzie, but junior Ray Jackson batted it down at the goal line as time ran out.
With Leaf completing just five of his first 24 attempts - including an unsightly 0-for-9 start - the Crimson turned to Black.
A 6-foot, 215-pound transfer from West Los Angles City College, Black carried 24 times for 120 yards to keep the Crimson competitive, finding room to improvise behind a wall that included returning starter Jason McEndoo and transfer Bryan Chiu, a senior from Pacific.
Black is battling sophomore Miguel Meriwether for a spot in the WSU backfield, a competition that became a two-man race when James Curtis suffered a serious knee injury last week. Curtis underwent reconstructive surgery on Thursday.
Meriwether twisted his left knee in last week’s scrimmage. He carried just 12 times for 18 yards Saturday.
Notes
Offensive lineman Ryan McShane underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last week, while linebacker Johnny Nansen missed Saturday’s scrimmage and will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this week. They are expected to be ready for the Aug. 31 opener at Colorado.
Defensive ends Shane Doyle and Dorian Boose dominated. Doyle, from Shadle Park, sacked Leaf four times. Boose sacked Birnbaum twice.
Brandon Moore and Duane Stewart each made 12 tackles.
Gonzaga Prep alum Steve Gleason, competing with Moore for a starting linebacker spot, had eight tackles - one more than Kettle Falls graduate James Darling.
, DataTimes