Happy Thursday Cougs! Can’t believe that spring ball starts in a few days, can you dig it? It’s hard to even fathom spring right now, with this lousy “Smarch” weather we’ve been having….
Quick Simpsons reference to the month of “Smarch”. It was from one of those old Treehouse of Horror episodes, where per a voiceover from Marge, Groundskeeper Willie was incinerated in the school furnace when Homer was fed up with the lousy “Smarch” weather and decided to turn up the heat.
The scene changes to parents walking into Springfield Elementary while
it snows.
Marge: [voice over] It all started on the thirteenth hour, of the thirteenth day, of the thirteenth month. We were there to discuss the misprinted calendars the school had purchased.
Homer: [shivering, looking at the calendar] Oh, lousy Smarch weather.
[spies the thermostat with a note from Willy over it] [reads] “Do not touch Willy.” Good advice! [cranks it]
The flames in the furnace flare up. Willy stops playing his bagpipes to check it out, but the furnace explodes, engulfing him in flames.
So there you go.
Anyway, time for another pre-spring glance at the Cougs. This time, we’ll check out the D-Line and see what we can look forward to for this spring….
When we last saw the WSU defensive line, it was being pushed around by a big, fat UW offensive line that did one thing really well – lean on the undersized opponent and push them backwards. But the 2010 Apple Cup was basically a microcosm of the entire 2010 season. You know, some struggles early on offense, then some real bright spots late. But pretty much a defense that was rag-dolled for most of the game/season. And in the end, a competitive showing, yet not quite good enough to come out ahead for the majority of the season.
But there were some bright spots on defense. Namely the linebackers, led by promising youngsters CJ Mizell and Sekope Kaufusi, as well as the athletic secondary in guys like Deone Bucannon and Tyree Toomer. Lucas, Tommy and Shane will look at them in the next day or so.
But oh, that line….submitted for your consideration:
1) WSU gave up 220 yards rushing per game, or 5.6 yards per carry. Yes, this was the worst in the conference in yards per game surrendered, as well as yards per carry.
2) WSU had just 23 sacks last year, tied for last in the Pac-10.
3) WSU was 9th in passing defense, and dead LAST in total defense, giving up an average of 467 yards per game (UCLA was ninth at 420 yards per game).
4) Opposing teams averaged 6.7 yards per play vs. WSU. That’s right, every single time an opponent ran a play vs. WSU, the result was almost SEVEN yards (yikes!).
5) Finally, in total, they gave up over 5600 yards and allowed 55 TD’s in 2011 (WOW).
So, can’t stop the run and can’t get much of a pass rush, well….the line had issues.
Granted, some of this overall poor defensive play was due to some big early losses, where youth was just starting to cut it’s teeth on defense. Guys like Deone Bucannon, CJ Mizell, Sekope Kaufusi, they really weren’t mainstays of the defense until the first month or so of the season. And in those first six games, there were huge numbers surrendered to the likes of Oklahoma State, SMU, USC, UCLA and Oregon. But they did get better in the second half, losing a close one to Cal (20-13) and beating Oregon State (31-14), so there was improvement.
But the line was simply overwhelmed at times last year, and it was often times outmatched physically. There was no way early in the year to hide the youth and inexperience along the back seven of the defense without a strong push up front, and they just didn’t get it.
But hey, IT’S A NEW DAY! Enough already with 2010. There looks like there are some decent bodies to choose from this year, as the depth and upside looks improved and possibly the best it’s been under Paul Wulff. And we’ve got a new D-line coach on board in Todd Howard, former UCLA D-line coach.
With that, let’s take a look at the positions along the line as they look coming into spring.
Defensive Tackles:
Starters
Brandon Rankin(?) – 6-5, 271 – SR
2010 Stats: 12 games, 19 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 QB hurries
Anthony Laurenzi – 6-3, 278 – RS Sophomore
2010 Stats: 12 games, 18 tackles, 2 QB hurries, 1 blocked kick
Backups
Steven Hoffart – 6-4, 269 – RS Sophomore
2010 Stats: 7 games, 2 tackles, 1 sack
Justin Mann – 6-3, 246 – RS Sophomore
2010 Stats: 10 games, 2 tackles, 1 forced fumble
Kalafitoni Pole – 6-1, 291 – RS Frosh (Redshirt in 2010)
Dan Spitz(?) – 6-6, 279 – RS Sophomore (Suspension, did not play in 2010)
Frosh
David Davis – 6-2, 270 – FROSH
TJ Poloai – 6-2, 275 – FROSH
D-Tackle Questions:
So, why the question marks? Well, a few good reasons actually.
First, Brandon Rankin came in as a touted JC pass-rushing terror off the edge. But instead of seeing him outside, he added some weight and ended up starting at D-tackle. It sounded great at the time as Rankin was up in the 270-range in weight. The thought of his quickness and strength inside on passing situations, where he could shoot a gap and blow by a too-slow offensive guard, sure as hell sounded good. But there were those running downs to deal with, you know, first and second down? Not so good there.
And over the grind of the season it really didn’t work out. Rankin would total just 19 tackles in 12 games last year, not nearly the production that they thought they would see from him when he spurned the advances of Alabama to sign with the Cougs. And he wore out a bit down the stretch, and didn’t start three of the last four games.
But you know, I think you have to cut him some slack. Here you had this JC All-American pass rusher being shoehorned into the middle of the defense, for his first taste of D-1 football? He was undersized for the position, and hadn’t played it much in the past. Suddenly he’s starting as a 270-lb tackle in the Pac-10, going against the 300+ LB linemen that are a staple of the Pac-10? How did we think this was going to work again??
Anyway, I LOVE Rankin and don’t want to lay 2010 at his feet! It always takes a half of a season (at least) for a JC to get their feet wet. But let’s face it, he’s very likely not playing the position he should be. With Kevin Kooyman moving on, there is an opening at the defensive end spot opposite Travis Long. Wouldn’t #5 look great taking Kooyman’s place, and watching him terrorize QB’s off the edge? At 6-5 and 271, hey, that’s a possible NFL-type body out on the edge. While it hasn’t been 100% clear thus far if they would make a change, still, I believe It would be in his best interests for the future, as well as the 2011 season, for Rankin to move back to defensive end. Let’s hope that is the story next week?
Dan Spitz gets a question mark because, quite simply, we just don’t know where he’ll be this spring. If you recall, Spitz came to WSU with a ton of promise, and started a handful of games as a true frosh in 2009. He had 16 tackles on the season in nine games played, and looked like a real force for the future.
But then 2010 came, and prior to the season, Spitz was suspended for a banned substance from the NCAA. In the meantime, Spitz was temporarily moved to the offensive line, but then moved back to the d-line and is now listed as a d-tackle….for now.
Will he be on the O-line, D-line, I guess we find out next week! But I believe that he will end up at d-tackle.
Of the new faces, I am really excited to see what we get out of Toni Pole. There has been good “buzz” on Pole since he signed with the Cougs a year ago, and sounds like exactly the type of player they need in the defensive interior – a high energy, whirling ball of quickness and power at almost 300 lbs. Yes, these arms are wide open for Pole’s debut!
Defensive Ends
Starters:
Travis Long – 6-4, 258 – Junior
2010 Stats: 12 games, 51 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5 sacks, 3 pass break-ups, 1 forced fumble
Justin Clayton(?) – 6-3, 272 – RS Frosh
2010 Stats: 8 games, 12 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hurry
Backups with no stats from 2010:
Adam Coerper – 6-4, 245 – RS Junior
Jordan Pu’u-Robinson – 6-4, 258 – RS Sophomore
Matthew Bock – 6-2, 247 – RS Frosh
And, there are at least three, maybe as many as FOUR JC defensive ends who have been brought in for this year’s recruiting class.
Niko Aumua – 6-6, 225 – Junior
Ian Knight– 6-2, 244 – Junior
Lenard Williams – 6-2, 245 – Junior
*Note – a defensive end, Eli Edwards, has reportedly signed his letter of intent. But as of right now, he is NOT on the official WSU roster.
Frosh
Demetrius Cherry – 6-6, 270
Brock Lutes – 6-3, 218
Darryl Paulo – 6-3, 250 (at least!)
Defensive End Questions:
Whew, where to begin? Kevin Kooyman is finally done with his eligibility in Pullman, and he was solid-if-unspectacular over his time at WSU? But his departure, plus the loss of backup end Casey Hamlett, leaves the door wide open for someone to step through and be the GUY opposite Travis Long.
Speaking of Long, he had a pretty decent sophomore season. Maybe not the All-conference breakthrough some thought he would have, but still, he was pretty good for the most part. Long had 51 tackles and a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss, certainly the best defensive linemen on the roster for 2010.
Justin Clayton gets the question mark next to his name, but not because of his play. Instead, because of his versatility up front. Clayton is a legit 6-3, 272, and saw some time at d-end as Travis Long’s backup last year, as well as some time at tackle. In fact, Clayton started three games early in 2010 at D-tackle, but ended up the season as a backup d-end. So he will MOST LIKELY be the leader to start at D-End heading into spring….but we’ll have to see!
The new JC’s are interesting. The buzz around the football banquets post-signing day was that they each have really good speed and quickness outside, and will give the defense some up-the-field pass rushing presence we haven’t seen in Pullman in some time. We’ll see what they do, at least the ones on the field for spring ball anyway. I know I’ll be hoping for some solid reports on the added speed and athleticism at defensive end from the newcomers!
I guess we already know what we’ve got with the backups, for the most part.
That’s it for now. We should have the rest of the defense wrapped up in the next day or so. Oh, and if you want to see any of the prior pre-spring glances, look here:
2011 Pre Spring Glance, QB’s
2011 Pre Spring Glance, RB’s
2011 Pre Spring Glance, O-line
2011 Pre Spring Glance, WR/TE’s
GO COUGS!
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