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It’s hard to believe the season is already half over — we wait for nine months for Cougar football to return, and then, without fail, the season just zooms on by.
Anyway, since I’m a teacher, I figured halfway through would be a great time to hand out some semester grades. It’s also a lot more fun to hand out good grades, which is something that’s easy to do when the team is 6-0 and ranked No. 8 in the country.
Important caveat: I’m just a dumb fan. I often don’t know exactly what’s going on out there. These are just my impressions as a dumb fan.
We started with the offense yesterday; let’s turn our attention to the defense today before the Cougs move into the second half of the season tonight against Cal. This was pretty easy!
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Defensive line: A
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | FF |
| Hercules Mata'afa | 14.5 | 10 (4.5) | 7 | 1 |
| Nnamdi Oguayo | 12 | 4 (3) | 1 | 0 |
| Logan Tago | 9.5 | 1 (0) | 5 | 0 |
| Derek Moore | 7.5 | 1.5 (0.5) | 1 | 0 |
| Garrett McBroom | 7 | 3.5 (2) | 5 | 0 |
| Daniel Ekuale | 5 | 1 (0) | 1 | 0 |
We worried a lot about the defensive line in the offseason. It turns out that — at least so far — we were dumb for doing so. Led by perhaps the most disruptive player in college football, Hercules Mata’afa, this unit has been the foundation of what the defense has accomplished so far. (Which is a lot!) They spend a ridiculous amount of time in the opponents’ backfield, and their relative lack of size has been made up for with speed.
Most impressive, I think, has been the play of Logan Tago and Garrett McBroom, both of whom have bumped up a weight class to play their positions. And Derek Moore has been pretty darned good with Nnamdi Oguayo sidelined by a mysterious injury happy and healthy.
Our two biggest concerns heading into the season were that they were too light and that the depth wasn’t good enough. I think it’s clear we no longer have to worry about the first one: They have yet to get pushed around by any opponent and have come up huge in short yardage situations multiple times in the past two weeks against USC and Oregon.
The second? Well, let’s hope we never find out.
Poll
Your DL grade?
This poll is closed
-
81%
A
(127 votes) -
11%
A-
(18 votes) -
3%
B+
(6 votes) -
1%
B
(2 votes) -
0%
B-
(0 votes) -
1%
C+ or worse
(3 votes)
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Linebackers: A
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF |
| Jahad Woods | 20 | 3 (1.5) | 4 | 0 (0) | 1 |
| Isaac Dotson | 19.5 | 2.5 (0) | 7 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | 18 | 6.5 (3.5) | 7 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Hunter Dale | 17 | 6 (2) | 6 | 0 (0) | 1 |
| Nate DeRider | 15.5 | 1.5 (0) | 5 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Peyton Pelluer | 13 | 0.5 (0) | 3 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Dylan Hanser | 8 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Dillon Sherman | 6 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Kirkland Parker | 4.5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Justus Rogers | 3 | 0.5 (0) | 2 | 0 (0) | 0 |
It nearly defies belief how well this unit has performed this year. If not for Mata’afa, a good case could be made for Frakie Luvu as defensive MVP. And the way the inside backers have been decimated by injuries, yet not missed a beat? And the production from new nickel Hunter Dale? Pretty sure Ken Wilson and Roy Manning deserve raises at the end of this season.
Easily the most impressive thing about that chart is how Jahad Woods sits on top of it. The redshirt freshman has played (basically) 3.5 games, and he has exceeded any reasonable expectation anyone who isn’t a parent might have had for him as he stepped in for Peyton Pelluer. While it appears he hasn’t always been gap sound, he flies around the field and hits anything that moves, proving to be a sure tackler in the process.
Inside backers keep dropping like flies, so we’ll see if they can keep this up. But for now, these guys have been flat awesome.
Poll
Your LB grade?
This poll is closed
-
66%
A
(94 votes) -
25%
A-
(36 votes) -
4%
B+
(7 votes) -
1%
B
(2 votes) -
0%
B-
(1 vote) -
0%
C+ or worse
(1 vote)
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Defensive backs: A
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Tackles | TFL (Sacks) | Run Stuffs* | Int (PBU) | FF |
| Jalen Thompson | 27.5 | 1.5 (0) | 1 | 3 (2) | 0 |
| Robert Taylor | 18 | 0 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| Darrien Molton | 16.5 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Marcellus Pippins | 15.5 | 2.5 (1) | 1 | 0 (1) | 2 |
| Sean Harper Jr. | 12 | 0 (0) | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Marcus Strong | 5 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 |
| Skyler Thomas | 3 | 0.5 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 |
Sensing a theme here? Man, I haven’t handed out so many As since that time I accidentally left the review notes up on the white board during a test. But how do you find fault with any of these units? I can’t: The DBs have taken the ball away seven times and broken up another seven passes. They’ve got 4.5 tackles for loss between them and a pair of forced fumbles.
Sure, they haven’t exactly seen a who’s who of passers this season ... but the one time they did, they more or less embarrassed presumptive NFL first rounder Sam Darnold and his receivers, including one-time WSU commit Deontay Burnett.
I think what I really love here is that lots of guys have come in and out at important times and really none have been picked on. It’s remarkable.
Poll
Your DB grade?
This poll is closed
-
27%
A
(36 votes) -
46%
A-
(61 votes) -
17%
B+
(23 votes) -
6%
B
(8 votes) -
0%
B-
(0 votes) -
3%
C+ or worse
(4 votes)
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Place kicker: A
| Place-Kicker | PAT | FG | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place-Kicker | PAT | FG | Pct |
| Erik Powell | 28-28 | 12-13 | 92.30% |
Erik Powell has been awesome, full stop. If you don’t vote this an A, there’s something wrong with you. In fact, you have no choice.
Poll
Your PK grade?
This poll is closed
-
83%
A
(110 votes) -
3%
A
(4 votes) -
2%
A
(3 votes) -
5%
A
(7 votes) -
6%
A
(8 votes)
Punters: D
| Punter | Punts | Avg | TB | FC | I20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punter | Punts | Avg | TB | FC | I20 |
| Erik Powell | 12 | 40.3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kyle Sweet | 9 | 36.8 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Mitchell Cox | 5 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
There are only two reasons why this isn’t an F: Mitchell Cox has been fine when called on to put the ball inside the 20, and — while it’s hard to remember — the punting was fine for three games.
How to get back to that? I guess that’s why Eric Mele makes all that money. Figure it out, coach.
Poll
Your P grade?
This poll is closed
-
3%
B- or higher
(5 votes) -
5%
C+
(7 votes) -
6%
C
(9 votes) -
17%
C-
(23 votes) -
17%
D+
(23 votes) -
20%
D
(28 votes) -
29%
F
(40 votes)
Punt returners: D
| Punt Returner | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punt Returner | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Jamal Morrow | 9 | 3.9 | 0 | 14 | 1 (1) |
| Robert Taylor | 1 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 (0) |
Here’s the thing: The punt return game has hurt us a couple of times (fumbled punt, misplayed punts against Boise State) while it also has added near zero value. In receiving 25 punts, WSU has gained a total of 33 yards. That’s 92nd nationally.
And don’t tell me “oh, there’s just nothing there.” Not when I watch teams try and contain Dante Pettis and he’s still churning out quality returns.
I’m pretty sure Mike Leach is content with fair catches on every punt, given that we’ve seen soooooooooooo many of them since he took over. I think this is a mistake. It sure would be nice to add some value in the return game.
Poll
Your PR grade?
This poll is closed
-
7%
B- or higher
(8 votes) -
7%
C+
(8 votes) -
25%
C
(28 votes) -
19%
C-
(21 votes) -
12%
D+
(14 votes) -
22%
D
(24 votes) -
4%
F
(5 votes)
Kickoff returners: C
| Kick Returner | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick Returner | Returns | Avg. | TD | Fair Catch | Fumbles (Lost) |
| Robert Taylor | 5 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Renard Bell | 3 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
| Keith Harrington | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 (0) |
Same deal here, minus the negative plays: No value added yet. Higher grade for the fact that it hasn’t hurt the team.
Poll
Your KR grade?
This poll is closed
-
1%
B+ or higher
(2 votes) -
9%
B
(10 votes) -
7%
B-
(8 votes) -
20%
C+
(21 votes) -
40%
C
(43 votes) -
13%
C-
(14 votes) -
5%
D+
(6 votes) -
0%
D
(1 vote) -
0%
F
(0 votes)
Kick/Punt Coverage: A
If we’re not giving up TDs, we’re all good in my book. #SpecialForces
Poll
Your kick/punt coverage grade?
This poll is closed
-
40%
A
(42 votes) -
23%
A-
(25 votes) -
19%
B+
(20 votes) -
11%
B
(12 votes) -
3%
B-
(4 votes) -
1%
C+ or lower
(2 votes)