A Grip on Sports: The gloomy weather may be just over the horizon but clear skies seem to be all over Northwest sports
A GRIP ON SPORTS • The long slog begins. You know what I mean. The stretch between the end of the holidays until the first 60-degree day of spring. Between snow pants and shorts. Between indoors and out. When the sun supposedly lasts a little longer in the afternoon but hardly appears from behind the clouds. Thank goodness there are enough Northwest sports stories to get us through.
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• The biggest story today – and possibly until early February – resides at Lumen Field. The Seahawk defense. And the special teams. Oh, and the offense too.
In that order.
At least it seems that way as the Hawks’ regular season comes to an end. It ends with 14 wins, 3 losses and at least 17 questions whether one side of the ball is good enough.
A lot of people who know a lot more than me will assure you it is. That the Sam Darnold-led group can avoid mistakes if the defense is on point and win a postseason game if it isn’t. Good for them. Call me Mr. Skeptical is you want – as bad as that is, it’s still better than a few nicknames I had in my youth – but I’m not sold. And won’t be until about 7 p.m. or so Feb. 8. Or earlier, if the answer is no.
But, hey, enough of being a Gloomy Gus. The weatherman holds that role around here in January and February. Any offense that can face a third-and-17 or more four times in an NFL season and convert each with a running play – an odd stat that only the Seahawks posted this year – deserves some support.
If only because it shows offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak understands the main assignment: Any offensive possession that ends in a kick is a good one.
With the Hawks’ defense, that just may be a Super Bowl-winning formula.
• The weather may be about to turn gloomy but Washington State’s basketball fortunes, at least on the men’s side, have brightened considerably the past eight days. A span that’s corresponded to the start of the West Coast Conference schedule.
Last night’s 81-67 win over Pac-12 companion Oregon State, held before 3,369 folks in Spokane’s Veterans Memorial Arena, capped a 3-1 conference start for the Cougars after their 5-8 nonconference slate. In fact, WSU is on a 5-1 run since mid-December.
Two things are important here. Most college basketball teams are not finished products when the season begins and the WCC this season is not anywhere near the challenge of, say, the old Pac-12 used to be.
David Riley’s group began the season struggling to defend anyone. The Cougars could score, sure, but getting a key stop turned out to be a mirage. For the most part, that changed after the Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii, though it was accompanied by a fall off on the offensive end.
The four WCC games have featured a better balance, with both side of the ball performing better more consistently. And more players contributing.
But it’s also true the schedule has been kind. Yes, Seattle U., despite its 1-3 conference mark, is a tough out at home. It was a test WSU failed. The other three quizzes in the eight-day span opening conference play?
Passing grades. The opponents, Portland, Loyola Marymount and OSU, may not be as easy as an open-book exam, but they certainly are not the caliber of the two teams that dominate the conference, seventh-ranked Gonzaga and 15-2 Saint Mary’s.
Those two SAT-like exams await over the next 11 days. The Gaels in Moraga on Saturday, the Bulldogs in Pullman a week from Thursday.
• Speaking of exams, the Redhawks tested 16-1 GU on Friday – the Zags survived 80-72 in overtime – and Loyola did the same Sunday. For a little more than 6 minutes. At that point the visiting Lions led 14-4 and the non-student Kennel crowd was even quieter than normal for early January.
But Mark Few’s team burned off the early fog, held LMU scoreless for almost 9 minutes and rolled from there, finishing the game on a 78-33 “run.”
You know that old cliché, “it’s not how you start but how you finish?” Link the video of this game on its Wiki page. It is appropriate.
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WSU: Greg Woods made the drive up U.S. Highway 95 from Pullman to cover last night’s Arena contest. He has this story of a game that was not all that stressful for the Cougars or their fans. As for Oregon State? The Beavers have been struggling. … The WSU women evened their WCC mark at 2-2 with a 73-69 win at Seattle University behind Alex Covill’s career-high 26 points. … Greg returns with a football story as the transfer portal free-agent market picked up Sunday. Kirby Moore seems to be prioritizing defensive players early on. … Colton Clark’s last regular season look at NFL locals led off with an injury. Cam Ward, the former Cougar, hurt his should in Tennessee’s final game and couldn’t finish. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano has an update on the machinations behind the scenes as the conference barrels toward its rebirth in July. There is a lot still to be done. … Twenty incoming freshman have already enrolled for next year at Washington. … With the coaching change at WSU, Oregon State was able to attract one of its recruits. … Oregon’s staff seems busy even without CFP prep. Not only are two coordinators headed to their own programs after the season, the rest of the Duck coaches have to work the portal. … Utah continues to add to its staff. … I can totally relate to this story from the L.A. Times’ UCLA beat writer. His complaints about the Spokane-to-Pullman drive? It once was my weekly commute. … USC is in the market for a new defensive coordinator. Still, yesterday the Trojans attracted one of the top-rated cornerbacks in the portal. … How is Arizona State doing in the portal? … Arizona lost more players, a common happenstance in these college football times. … Fresno State was able to entice a receiver to stay. … San Diego State picked up two twins for its offensive line.
• In basketball news, Jon Wilner takes a look at possible Big 12 basketball awards long before they will be decided. … Washington’s men rallied late Sunday but host Indiana had enough to hold them off. … Oregon is back at it today at Rutgers. … Freshman Isaiah Johnson has been a standout for Colorado. … The San Diego State win over Boise State included some officiating issues. … The Stanford women went into Chapel Hill and handed 16th-ranked North Carolina an overtime loss. … Oregon State has won its last five games.
Gonzaga: Few decided to make another lineup change Sunday, giving freshman Davis Fogle a chance to help jumpstart the offense. It wasn’t as successful as Few probably hoped, though when he went to his bench, the incoming group keyed the long rally. Theo Lawson has his analysis of what happened, as well as a quick game story as the final buzzer sounded. … Jim Meehan tries to explain how the GU defense has been successful and adds three takeaways. … The photo gallery? That’s from Tyler Tjomsland. … The women were in Santa Clara where a tight game against the 13-4 Broncos came down to the final minute and Santa Clara leading by a point. In that time, the Zags missed two close-range shots, were on the wrong end of two 50/50 whistles and couldn’t corral a key rebound. Greg Lee has the story as SCU held on for a 77-73 win, snapping the Bulldogs’ five-game winning streak.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, second-seeded Montana State has a date in Nashville tonight (4:30, ESPN) with upstart Illinois State. The FCS title is on the line. … It may be a new year and a new regime at Sacramento State, but the results the first week of conference play harken back to last season.
Seahawks: We all are aware the Hawks, as the NFC’s top seed, have a bye this weekend. But who will they play the next one? It could be any of four teams. Seattle plays the lowest seed that remains. … Charles Cross will remain in Seattle for a while. The left tackle, currently dealing with a hamstring issue, and the club have agreed to a long-term extension worth a lot of money. … The Hawks are not only a large favorite to make the Super Bowl, they are the favorite to win it all. … You like numbers? Here are some about the season. And more about the franchise’s history.
Mariners: Is it possible Felix Hernandez could be elected to the Hall of Fame? He’s doing better but this year is probably still a longshot.
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• Winter in Spokane can seem endless. Especially on those days when the fog and low clouds throw a mist over everything. But there is a balance. The days when the snow is clean and fresh. And the clouds disappear, throwing near-blinding rays of sunshine everywhere. Beautiful. More of the sunny days please. Though, with the way the temperature has stayed above freezing, all the sunshine illuminates is how much debris there is in the yard. Until later …