Grip on Sports: There are some questions the Seahawks just can’t answer
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Which do you dread more these days: A trip to the dentist’s office or watching the Seahawks’ offense try to move the ball? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer. Read on.
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• Funny thing. We had to watch the Hawks yesterday – hey, the second half was much better – and today we have a dentist appointment scheduled. A double whammy if there ever was one.
Seattle’s running game is like a root canal, its pass protection as bad as flossing and the play-calling, to most Seahawk fans, is somewhat akin to a live nerve.
Thank goodness for the Hawks yesterday San Francisco’s offense was even worse. And it was going up against the Seattle defense. Not the Seattle defense of four years ago mind you – or of last year even – but still, with Bobby Wagner and Earl Thomas in the middle, a potent force.
A road win is a road win in the NFL no matter where it is played. Heck, a win is a win these days. And the Hawks needed it to keep pace with the Rams, who won at home against New Orleans.
But the schedule gets tougher next week, with Philadelphia visiting. The Eagles will bring the NFL’s best record to CenturyLink and a defense that leads the league in interceptions and is in the top six in sacks. Do you think Russell Wilson will face some pressure next week?
• Washington State hadn’t won a basketball tournament since Klay Thompson was on campus. But that ended last night in Fullerton when the Cougars raced past San Diego State to win the Wooden Classic.
The only undefeated Division I team in our area? That would be WSU.
The Cougars are 6-0 and have six non-conference games left. Of those, the two toughest are probably at Idaho midway through next week and Kansas State, which visits Spokane (fixed from earlier) just before Christmas.
No matter what the Cougars’ record is when conference play begins at the end of December, this year has already been eye-opening.
• Gonzaga was really good last season. But the Bulldogs lost a lot. So how would they be this season? That was a good question. The answer over the long weekend in Portland? Pretty darn good.
They took care of an Ohio State team to which they were superior. The double overtime loss to Florida was a magnificent game, though one they should have won with a free throw at the end of the first overtime.
And then yesterday, with their best inside player looking a bit tired after carrying them on Friday, and blowing a double-digit lead in the last few minutes of regulation, they still found a way to regroup and defeat Texas in overtime.
That’s not easy. It also shows a mental fortitude the Zags will need in WCC road games and in the inevitable return to the NCAA tournament.
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WSU: The Cougar football team may need an injection of fortitude after the Apple Cup beatdown. Theo Lawson looks at how it may affect them. (Remember, they never seemed to get over it last year and lost their bowl game to a Minnesota team beset by internal problems.) … Theo also shares how the loss affected their poll rankings. … We do have a basketball story to pass along. More than one, actually. … The folks on the West Side have more on the Apple Cup debacle as well. And a glimpse into Washington’s future. …The Cougar volleyball team made the NCAA tournament.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, the conference is in a state of flux, from Westwood to Tempe to Corvallis and a lot of other places. (The Mike Leach-to-Tennessee rumors disappeared quickly, no? But now that the Vols have bailed on Greg Schiano after an fan backlash, mainly on social media, will they return? Probably not. The way Leach’s tenure at Texas Tech ended would surely come up and if the administration caved once, it would cave again.) … We do have power rankings to pass along. … Maybe former Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin isn’t the pick at Oregon State after all. … The way Oregon blew out the Beavers in the Civil War certainly bodes well in a bowl game, and maybe beyond. … Colorado won’t be bowling and there is a lot of work to do. … After defeating the Buffaloes handily, Utah will be playing in a bowl. … Did we say change is coming? It came to Arizona State yesterday as the Sun Devils fired Todd Graham after a 7-5 season. … UCLA’s hiring of Chip Kelly should help in recruiting. And in the Los Angeles media market. … USC has been resting. Now it must get ready for Stanford on Friday night in Santa Clara. … In basketball yesterday, Oregon State won, UCLA homered another superior opponent (Who am I kidding? UC Irvine is average to poor again this year. But I love my alma mater), Washington defeated UC Davis and Colorado defeated in-state opponent Air Force. But Stanford lost its third PK80 game and Oregon lost as well.
Gonzaga: The 76-71 win over Texas not only gave the Zags a 2-1 record in the PK80 (and earned it passing grades), it also served as a coming out party for Rui Hachimura. John Blanchette covered that aspect in his column, there is more in my TV Take as well and in Jim Meehan’s postgame analysis. … Dan Pelle had a photo report from the Moda Center. … Jim also has stories concerning the better ending Silas Melson had yesterday as well the three keys to the win. … John has a second story too, this one on Josh Perkins’ fashion sense. … The PK80 was a success, especially for Duke, though Portland didn’t have any. … Saint Mary’s lost its second consecutive game and will probably fall out of the rankings.
EWU: Around the Big Sky, Portland State did well at the PK80, including defeating Stanford yesterday.
Seahawks: The bottom line is the Hawks picked up a win. A much-needed win. And there were no more major injuries. … I had my thoughts right after the game ended. … Jimmy Graham caught a touchdown pass. That’s significant. … Does a win over the lowly – one win – 49ers mean anything in the big picture? … The San Francisco crowd was almost non-existent, but those who remained at the end were not very nice when the quarterback got hurt. They cheered the new guy, though. … Wagner’s interception was something else. … Michael Bennett had a postgame encounter.
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• I don’t think I have any cavities. And I floss regularly. Brush often. So today’s cleaning and checkup should go just fine, right? So why am I dreading it? Is such a response part of our DNA? Until later …