Previewing WSU vs. Colorado with The Ralphie Report

The Colorado Buffaloes make their way to Pullman for homecoming, as the Washington State Cougars look to rebound from last week’s embarrassing loss to the California Golden Bears while also exacting a little payback for last year’s loss in Boulder, which unfortunately started a three-game slide to end the season.

The Buffs are 4-3 overall but just 1-3 in conference, and things have been shaky of late: The had lost three in a row (to Washington, UCLA and Arizona) before beating Oregon State last weekend ... by a field goal. They’re definitely on the struggle bus.

To check in on the Buffs, we got in touch with Jack Barsch from Ralphie Report to get a bead on how they’re feeling about their team.

CougCenter: After last year's amazing and surprising run, I'm sure you all expected a step back this season, given the senior-laden nature of last season's team. How has it gone relative to your expectations?

Ralphie Report: I would say that this season is somewhat below the expectations. The win column is about on course (there was maybe one or two more expected wins in there), but there has yet to be a game where the Buffs have put it all together. In the non-conference, the defense thrived while the offense sputtered, which was unexpected. Then, in conference play (at least after UCLA), the offense has taken control while the defense hangs on for dear life. The offensive line started out much shakier than their experience would have suggested, but once CU shifted to a more power offensive game, they really started clicking. The defensive line, however, is really missing depth and experience. I think fans expected CU to be a little stouter in the trenches, and the lack of quality play has directly contributed to a few losses.

It seems like the offense hasn't changed a whole lot with Steven Montez replacing Sefo Liufau. How has he compared to his predecessor so far?

Well, I would say that part of the offense has changed a lot. Number one, there are a lot less power runs. Sefo was a rhino when it was 3rd and 4 or less. Montez is a little more elegant and a little less punchy. His runs tend to bounce to the outside and are more improvised than called. Number two, there are a lot more routes outside the hashes and down the field because Montez has one of the best arms in the country. Once his timing gets down on the deep ball, the Buffs will call a whole lot more. Number three, they are relying more on Phillip Lindsay more than ever. But other than that, a lot of the concepts are the same. Shotgun sets, spread out receivers, and a few power sets when necessary.

Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports

Tell us how great Philip Lindsay is and why he's going to shred us.

It’s not just you, he’ll shred just about anybody. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to evangelize for Phillip. He is top 10 in the country in yards and top 5 in touchdowns, and that doesn’t even begin to demonstrate his value. He is the unquestioned leader, the emotional soul, and the rock that the coaches can rely on. He is, at times, the entire offensive gameplan and the only reliable source of yards. He is the best pass-blocking back in the country and one of the best at catching passes, too. He is simply magnificent and I struggle to find a player outside of Bryce Love and Josh Rosen that means more to their team in this conference.

Defense was really the calling card of the Buffs last season, but Jim Leavitt has moved on to Eugene to terrorize us in divisional play. How has his departure changed the way Colorado plays defense — or has it?

Uh, the defense has definitely changed the way it plays this year. However, that is not just because Jim Leavitt took a massive pay raise. The Buffs also lost eight senior starters, good senior starters, and fans are finding out just how painful that can be. The scheme remains the same (a lesser known Led Zeppelin song), but the players are very different. The defensive line is not nearly as solid as the senior-laden group a year ago, meaning that teams can run a lot and be successful. The defensive backfield that lost three players to the NFL is not necessarily bad, but it also is not at the same level. And the linebacking corps is missing a pass rush in a very bad way. So the way they play defense is nearly identical, but the people that play it are not.

If Colorado comes into Pullman and pulls off the upset, it will happen like this:

CU will control the clock with a ground and pound offensive gameplan to keep the defense off the field and the defense forces a few turnovers. I’m not holding my breath.

And here are my answers to his questions ...

1. What happened against Cal?

This will shock you and your readers to find out, but sometimes college kids just play like crap. I have a hard time chalking it up to much more than that, given the absurd number of out-of-character things the offense did and the ridiculous number of bounces that went Cal’s way. Luke Falk threw five interceptions after having thrown just two all season, and he also had a fumble returned for a TD. And that wasn’t even all the turnovers! There also was a kickoff return TD called back on an unnecessary hold, and a TD throw called back on a questionable offensive pass interference. Really, everything that could possibly have gone wrong, went wrong.

In fact, my favorite stat from the game really illustrates how dumb the whole thing was: Cal’s margin of victory (34 points) was larger than its total offense margin (28 yards). It was embarrassing for sure, but on a weekend when three other top 10 teams lost to unranked teams, it served as a good reminder that college kids will sometimes do their college kid thing. Luke Falk won’t ever be that bad again, and every bounce won’t go the opponent’s way again, so consequently I don’t think there was much to be learned from the outcome.

Well, maybe one little thing: The defense — an undersized group built on speed — got bossed around a bit in the second half, which was the first time that had happened. We’ll see if that was just a function of things rolling out of control, or if that’s something a power running team like Colorado can take advantage of. (You know, like they did in the second half last year.)

2. Luke Falk is still putting up ludicrous numbers, but my untrained eye says that he is missing Gabe Marks and River Cracraft this year? How would you assess his play?

I can see why a casual observer would think that, but to us, it seems to run deeper. Yeah, those guys are gone, but there’s still plenty of talent at receiver — in particular, his inside receivers (Renard Bell and Jamire Calvin) are more explosive than they’ve ever been under Mike Leach at WSU, and outside receiver Isaiah Johnson-Mack is a physical beast who can win one-on-one matchups. These are guys he should trust.

Whatever is going on seems to largely be between the ears, to be honest. He’s always been a guy who holds the ball longer than the average quarterback, which is part of why he throws so few interceptions, but this year it seems some teams have really been able to slow down his reads with looks and coverages that are confusing him. He’s just been more inconsistent — and more conservative — than you’d expect for a guy in his third full year as a starter in the system.

We expect more. Maybe that’s because we’re a little spoiled, but we really do think he’s capable of more. And Leach clearly does, too — he actually benched Falk midway through the game against Boise, and it was the backup Tyler Hilinski who led WSU to the win.

(Oh, and he’s on pace to throw for about 250 yards fewer than the last couple of seasons.)

3. What has been the key to a more successful defense this year? How is WSU causing so many more turnovers or negative plays?

This defense is light and fast and they have one goal: Create havoc for the offense. They play an aggressive, penetrating one-gap scheme up front, led by midseason AP All-American Hercules Mata’afa. Besides having the best name in the Pac-12, he’s also the most disruptive player in the conference. He’s terribly difficult for one lineman to block, and that opens up all sorts of opportunities for others. They try to get to running backs before then can get rolling, and they harass the quarterback into poor decisions.

The one achilles heel at the moment, though, is some pretty extreme injuries at inside linebacker — WSU has lost three seniors there, leaving a trio of redshirt freshmen to fill the void. It didn’t catch up to them until Cal, though, and it would help a lot of Isaac Dotson could return next to Jahad Woods; he has been a revelation taking over for Peyton Pelluer, who’s out for the season. We don’t know when Dotson is maybe coming back, though, because Leach doesn’t talk about injuries.

4. Are you worried about Mike Leach leaving WSU anytime soon?

Well, we’re definitely a little more worried now than we were a week ago, now that our athletics director has left for Nebraska. Bill Moos is the guy who lured Leach away from Key West and made sure Leach knew just how important and valued he was to WSU. Given what happened at Texas Tech, there’s concern that whoever replaces Moos won’t make Leach comfortable enough and he’ll find somewhere else to go. I’d be real surprised, though, if he leaves at the end of this season. I know people look at WSU as a stepping stone job, but Leach is a quirky dude who seems pretty happy and really doesn’t care if anyone else thinks he should be interested in another job. He’s making plenty of money, the fans appreciate him, and he’s built a program that’s not going to drop way off next season.

5. Who are the players to watch on offense? Defense?

On offense, I’ll give you Jamal Morrow. You might remember him as the guy streaking down the middle out of the backfield for a receiving TD over the top of your linebacker in Boulder last year. He’s WSU’s most dangerous running back — a very tough runner who is an excellent pass catcher. On defense, I’ll give you Jalen Thompson. The safety is a ball hawk, and Montez ought to be very careful throwing deep.

6. What is your prediction for the game?

I think returning home to Pullman does these guys a lot of good, but there’s one problem: The weather is supposed to be terrible. Like, sideways rain terrible. The Air Raid has struggled in such conditions for what are probably obvious reasons, so while I think WSU is the better team and should be ready to pay off a whole lot of revenge here — for last week’s game against Cal, and for last year’s game in Boulder — I’ll bet it’s closer than we like. I’m thinking something like 24-21, WSU.