Cougars change special teams focus
PULLMAN – As soon as the Cougars started resorting to squib kicks in the early going against Oregon State, it was clear that the great special teams experiment of this season was no longer going so well.
With newcomers to the Washington State University football team dominating the special teams units, especially kickoff coverage, the Cougars were hoping to add speed and athleticism while giving some of their starters a breather.
But as they found out at Reser Stadium, a breather isn’t such a good thing when the opposition is starting drives at midfield.
As such, WSU is shaking up its special teams this week. Gone are some of the true freshmen and junior college transfers. In are some of the old standbys who have been there, done that on kicks and punts.
“There are some positional battles out here and we’re going to see who can go,” said running backs coach Kelly Skipper, who also takes primary responsibility for WSU’s special teams. “As the game goes, we’re going to throw them in there and see what we can get.
“The biggest thing is experience. That’s a key. Guys were in their first time being in a Pac-10 game, and they’ve got to make the adjustment and learn from it.”
The kickoff team isn’t the lone point of concern after allowing 22.2 yards a return. Oregon State also averaged 11 yards per punt return, prompting the return of starting safety Husain Abdullah at gunner this week. Wide receiver Benny Ward struggled at that all-important spot on punt coverage last week, so Abdullah, a sophomore, is returning to a position he filled capably in 2004.
Likewise, players such as senior linebacker Brian Hall, senior wide receiver Trandon Harvey and sophomore safety Christian Bass will all see more time this week than they had in WSU’s first four games.
“It’ll be fun to get back out there and get to old times,” Hall said “You look at all of our special teams so far this year, and I think nine out of the 11 guys on the field (for kickoff coverage) were rookies coming from JC or high school. So just the experience of having someone out there that’s been out there before will help a great deal I think.”
Improvement will be important this week as Stanford, while struggling overall, has excelled on special teams, particularly kickoff returns.
Cornerback T.J. Rushing is Stanford’s primary return man and he’s already taken one kick 93 yards to the end zone this season.
“We have a lot of confidence in our kickoff return,” Stanford head coach Walt Harris said. “Our special teams is the most respected part of our team. … Every game is a new game, but we think we should be good on kickoff returns.”
Injury update
Cornerback Alex Teems, originally said to be very doubtful to play this week because of a shoulder separation, was able to practice and it appears he will play Saturday. … Wide receiver Chris Jordan was unable to practice as he rested a sore hip flexor and a sore knee. Head coach Bill Doba said he wasn’t sure how many snaps the two players would see this week. … Defensive tackle Ropati Pitoitua‘s chances of playing have been eliminated after he was unable to practice. Doba had said the sophomore, who broke a leg before the team’s first game, would have to be in contact drills by then in order to see the field.