Good morning, Coug fans! Last week was pretty stellar, wasn’t it? Our guys started with a pretty impressive opener, and tomorrow we’re looking to continue the momentum.

I did a little investigating with my childhood friend who goes to University of Oregon, our opponents for tomorrow’s game. He and I have a tradition of betting on the game, the only time I gamble, but we try to give each other the team’s run down (don’t worry, I didn’t give him too much to work with). According to my inside source, the Ducks offense is solid due to CJ Verdell, and the new QB who he called “Herbert lite” - Tyler Shough. Let’s unpack.

Verdell is a running back, so it’s difficult not to compare him to our star running back of last week, Deon McIntosh. Verdell put up 105 yards against Stanford for his one touchdown of the game, whereas McIntosh ran all the way to 147. Verdell strays from McIntosh because also receives. He caught 30 yards, long of 23.

My source also mentioned Shough. He threw for 227 yards, longest of which was a 44 yarder. If that 227 number looks familiar, it’s because that’s the same amount of yards our own Jayden de Laura put up last week. Shough’s passing percentage so far is 65.4%, compared to de Laura’s 54.5%.

Overall, out of the two new QBs, while Shough’s had an additional year to practice with the team, I think from last week de Laura did an excellent job at proving why he earned that spot.

The Ducks have a pretty sustainable defense, but Coach Rolo doesn’t appear to be sweating.

All in all, the only thing we can guarantee is: this will be an interesting game of football. Stay healthy, see you all tomorrow at 4pm on Fox!

Links!

WSU Volleyball Inks Two For 2021 Season | Sports | bigcountrynewsconnection.com
PULLMAN - Washington State Volleyball Head Coach Jen Greeny announced the addition of two incredible players who will join the volleyball program for the fall 2021 season.

Despite inexperience, Kyle Smith hopes to avoid year-two dip at Washington State | SWX Right Now - Sports for Spokane, CdA, Tri-Cities, WA
In 2010-11, Columbia's basketball program made many of the strides fans hoped it would when the Lions hired first-year coach Kyle Smith, going 15-13 with an improved 6-8 record in the Ivy League. But Smith's team experienced a small dropoff in year two, finishing with a 15-15 record while going just 4-10 in conference play.

A Grip on Sports: You want normal? Gonzaga has a preseason All-American, and it was raining in Georgia. That enough? | The Spokesman-Review
A GRIP ON SPORTS • You want normal? You crave normal? Than the irony of what’s happening today in Georgia should fill your heart with, well, not joy, but something. The best golf tournament in the world spent part of its morning on pause. All because of inclement weather. It was raining in Augusta. That’s about as normal as life gets.

WSU Women Mark First Pac-12 School To Announce A Meet For 2020-21 Season
The Cougars will face the University of Idaho on the road on November 20.