Coach approach
PULLMAN – You’re a college football coach, an assistant at a BCS school or head coach at a smaller university. You want to move up. The Pac-10 would be nice.
There’s an opening in Pullman, at Washington State.
That might work. Money’s no big deal. You could be a success there if the right pieces are in place. Are they?
You pick up the phone and make a couple of calls. You have some questions. Here are the answers.
Q: Can’t win without a big-time quarterback. What’s the situation?
A: Sorry to say, but your record-setting quarterback just left town, throwing a dart or two on the way out. But there are options. Gary Rogers, a mobile 6-foot-6 senior-to-be (all classes we’re talking about here will be for next season) with a huge arm, is waiting in the wings. One thing, though. He hasn’t played much – throwing 52 passes in three years.
Then there are a couple of other possibilities – 6-3 junior Kevin Lopina, who started his college career at Kansas State, and 6-3 freshman redshirt Marshall Lobbestael. Both throw well, both have proved they can learn a new offense, both are athletic. No matter what type of scheme you run, they can be a part of it.
Q: Anybody for them to throw it to?
A: Yes, but maybe not as much as you might think. Your first recruit will have to be wideout Brandon Gibson, who leads the Pac-10 with 107.3 receiving yards per game. But Gibson is exploring his NFL draft options, so you might have to sell him on coming back to Pullman.
Besides Gibson, there is a rising star in Jeshua Anderson, but he might not be here either. The sophomore is also one of the nation’s best hurdlers and the Beijing Olympics might beckon. Another sophomore, Daniel Blackledge, showed some promise, but that’s about it for the wideouts.
Inside, the tight ends are solid, with seniors Ben Woodard and Devin Frischknecht, who had a monster Apple Cup, catching two touchdown passes. He also ran over almost the entire Washington secondary on the first one.
Q: Can we run it?
A: That depends. Junior Chris Ivory showed flashes of brilliance near the end of the year. If leading-rusher Dwight Tardy’s knee bounces back from ACL surgery, there will be depth and experience. Keep an eye on redshirt freshman Logwone Mitz. He could be pretty good.
Q: OK, the key element. How’s the offensive line?
A: Good news here. The group that was the biggest question mark heading into the 2007 season turned out to be pretty darn good. Sure, the inexperience on the edges showed – especially against teams with speed rushers – but if you can keep line coach George Yarno around and let him work with these guys for another summer, they could be one of the Pac-10’s best units.
Graduated guard Bobby Byrd will be missed, but sophomore Andrew Roxas showed he’s capable of playing at this level when he filled in at center against UCLA. And, who knows, maybe Andy Roof will be back. Roof, penciled in as a starting tackle, was kicked out of school before the season but is expected to re-enroll in the spring.
Q: Is the defense sound?
A: Depends on what you mean by sound. It certainly will be experienced, with eight starters returning off a unit that finished eighth in the conference in total defense. You’ll need to go out and bolster the front line, but other than that, there is speed, size and smarts coming back. The linebackers are especially tough, with three solid seniors – Greg Trent, Cory Evans and Kendrick Dunn – and a rising star in junior Andy Mattingly. The secondary took some lumps early, but Chima Nwachukwu, Devin Giles and Alfonso Jackson all grew into Pac-10 quality defensive backs. Xavier Hicks showed he could be ready to step into the one open safety spot.
Q: There have to be holes. Where are they?
A: Of course there are holes. A coach doesn’t get shown the door if the program is overflowing with talent. We’ve talked about the quarterback and wide receiver losses, but you’ll need to shore up the kicking game as well. It might be a good idea to find someone who can put the kickoffs in the end zone with regularity, because field position is a battle the Cougs lost a lot last year.
There’s not a lot of depth. That’s been the story in Pullman for a long time and, despite a strong recruiting class last year, it hasn’t changed. There are two athletic players working to get off academic probation in linebacker Jason Stripling and receiver Michael Willis. Both could help. There are a couple of other youngsters – defensive lineman B.J. Guerra and linebacker Hallston Higgins come to mind – who can contribute, but after that you better start beating the bushes.
Q: Finally, what kind of support can I expect?
A: That’s one we can’t answer. Here’s Bill Doba’s phone number.
Pac-10 notes
Oregon State will travel to Autzen Stadium on Saturday for the 111th Civil War. Oregon leads the series 55-45-10, but the Beavers won last year and have a chance to finish ahead of Oregon in the Pac-10 standings with a win. Both teams will be playing their backup quarterback, and in Oregon’s case, its fourth-string guy, freshman Kody Kempt. “I know where we are at quarterback,” Ducks offensive coordinator Chip Kelly told the Oregonian. “We have two guys left.” The other guy is another freshman, Justin Roper. OSU’s Lyle Moevao will start his third game in relief of the injured Sean Canfield. … If Stanford can upset Cal in the Big Game, the two would tie with Washington State for seventh in the conference at 3-6. Only the Bears, however, would have the requisite six wins to play in a bowl. If Arizona loses to 13th-ranked Arizona State, the Wildcats would be 4-5 in conference but would have just five wins overall and ineligible for a bowl. … Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen is the only conference player averaging double digits in tackles (10.5). … The Beavers have not allowed a first-quarter touchdown this season. … Washington has a chance to have two runners eclipse 1,000 yards in the same season, something that has happened just four times in Pac-10 history. Running back Louis Rankin has hit the mark (1,149) and quarterback Jake Locker is one long run against Hawaii’s defense away (910).