What’s up Cougs? Last night I set aside my desire to celebrate “Thirsty Thursday” for a few hours to attend WSU’s 7:30 football scrimmage at Martin Stadium.
Roughly 100 spectators scattered throughout the stands witnessed WSU’s first team offense square off against the second team defense and vice versa. Click on the jump to read my recap of the scrimmage bullet point style ala Jeff Sullivan at lookoutlanding.com.
– It’s certainly difficult to infer a lot from watching the first team offense vs. the second string defense. However, a few things come to mind after watching the team scrimmage for a little less than an hour.
– The first team offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm early, which is definitely concerning considering our tendency to start games very slowly over the past couple years. As the scrimmage wore on, Tuel began hitting Marquess Wilson on those little bubble screens that were so effective last year. Very good to see.
– Tuel definitely has a more advanced understanding of Offensive Coordinator Todd Sturdy’s hybrid no-huddle offense than last year. On a number of plays, Tuel read blitz, then changed the play at the line of scrimmage. The first time he barely overthrew Jared Karstetter on a 30-yard bomb down the right sideline. Tuel checked off again in the red zone to a screen pass later in the scrimmage. The defense blitzed nearly everyone. Logwone Mitz, though, dropped a short pass he could have walked into the end zone with. In all, Tuel finished just 4-9 for 63 yards and a TD. However, those numbers aren’t a true indicator of how he played.
– Rickey Galvin looked fantastic. His cutbacks were lightning quick and he even broke a few tackles. His running style reminds me a lot of Jerome Harrison’s. His one rush yielded 22 yards. Here is to praying he can stay healthy.
– The defensive line, which obviously has been a huge concern, had a field day against the second string offensive line. I wasn’t taking notes, but I can barely remember Marshall Lobbestael having time to complete a pass.
– Isiah Barton had a nifty leaping touchdown reception via Tuel late in the scrimmage in the back of the endzone. Barton was relatively quiet last season, but I could honestly see him having a Daniel Blackledge type senior year because defenses will be keyed on Karstetter and Wilson.
– The tight ends were not thrown to. 🙁
– Cougfan.com’s recap from the scrimmage focused on the play of redshirt freshman defensive tackle Toni Pole. And rightfully so. Pole looks to have taken new offensive line coach Todd Howard’s downhill-attack mentality to heart. The guy definitely looks like a difference maker in stopping the run game.
– Connor Halliday may be skinny, but he has an absolute rifle attached to his right shoulder. A few of his passes sailed high, but he completed a few throws over the middle that impressed everyone. I’m glad he won’t be starting this year or next, but if he can put on a little weight, his future looks very promising.
– Offensive Line Coach Steve Morton reinforced his status as the biggest badass on the coaching staff by rocking a white cane with a WSU Cougar Head Logo near the top. Visions of him beating Wade Jacobson in the locker room for blowing assignments popped into my mind as soon as I saw it.
– The special teams were not good. Dan Wagner booted one resectable punt, but for the most part his kicks were low and unimpressive. Andrew Furney did his best Loren Langley impersonation by making a 28-yard field goal before smashing the ball into the center’s ass on his longer attempt. Marcus Mason had a few returns where he showed some good speed bursts and the ability to cutback sharply.
– Overall, the Cougs will definitely win more games than last year. The soft schedule out of the gate will really help as coaches try to fix the special teams issues and figure out a way to stop opposing offenses. I’d bet WSU wins five games after seeing them in action last night.
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