Cougars coach ready for utility role
PULLMAN – Unless his hollering can be heard from 8 miles down the road, Washington State’s practices will be a little quieter this spring without former defensive coordinator Robb Akey.
After the Cougars assistant took Idaho’s top job in December, WSU football coach Bill Doba decided that it was time for him to take on more responsibilities.
In addition to his head coaching duties, Doba opted to take on the defensive coordinator’s role as well. If that weren’t enough, Doba also took over the linebackers, mirroring the job description he once had under Mike Price as an assistant.
Today, when the Cougars take the practice field for the first time in 2007 to start the first of four weeks of spring ball, Doba will try out his new triple role for the first time as well.
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t look forward to it,” Doba said, when asked if he was excited about returning to his coaching roots. “After workouts, I get the chance to work with linebackers a little bit. It’s the most fun I’ve had in four years. It’s been great.”
Many of those around him have said that Doba needed to return to coaching on an individual basis, and the 66-year-old has said that he has missed those duties since assuming the top job at the end of 2002.
Now, in a spring and an off-season that loom large for his program after three down years, Doba is as involved as ever.
“I just kind of needed to get back into it, I felt like,” he said.
Pressed for a reason why he felt that way, Doba at first hesitated.
“I don’t know, I just wanted to do it,” he said. “I think I needed to get into those meetings and break down that film, work with those linebackers. If you’re going to call a game, you can’t just go in and call it off a sheet of paper. Usually, when I call it I call it off a sheet of paper for the first two series and I stuck it in my back pocket after that.”
Now, with as much responsibility as ever in that back pocket, Doba will get the opportunity to lead the Cougars as 2007 begins.
Hutsona will sit out
Doba said that running back Derrell Hutsona will not participate in spring practices as he tries to get his grades up.
The running back, who will be a fourth-year senior this fall after transferring into the WSU program last season from junior college, also missed at least one practice in the fall to work on his studies.
“He’s got some academic issues to work on,” Doba said, adding that he may opt to hold another player or two out of practices. “I’m still looking for the grade reports, there might be one or two more. There’s no sense practicing if you’re not going to be here. They have to realize that the most important thing is getting their grades, going to class.”
Hutsona’s absence means that Dwight Tardy will be the only running back with any significant game experience this spring, which could open the door for Chris Ivory and Marcus Richmond to make an impression.
Notes
WSU’s final practice will be on April 14, but Doba said it will again be a controlled scrimmage and not the once-traditional spring game. “I don’t think we have enough depth to have a game,” Doba said. … Seven players will miss most, and probably all, of spring because of injuries. They are defensive tackle Feveae’i Ahmu (foot), wide receiver Michael Willis (shoulder), offensive linemen Grady Maxwell (knee) and Vaughn Lesuma (wrist), long snapper Peter Hill (knee), defensive end Matt Mullennix (knee) and linebacker Chris Baltzer (knee). … Most of the quarterbacking reps this spring will go to backups Gary Rogers, Kevin Lopina and Cole Morgan with Alex Brink returning as a fourth-year starter. Rogers has a hold on the No. 2 job, but Lopina and Morgan will compete for the third spot. … Doba also said the kicking battle is open between Romeen Abdollmohammadi and Loren Langley, and the coach stressed that finding a kickoff specialist will be important with the NCAA moving kicks back to the 30-yard line this fall.