Hello Cougar Nation and my (no-longer beleaguered) Brinkhater Army!
Don’t know about you all, but I am ready for some fricking college football, Cougar Style!
As reported here last week, I have managed to fight my way out of the Kennel and therefore back onto the pages of the blog that I helped to build.
So, just like the late Steve Jobs did following his initial ouster from Apple, here’s to hoping that my second time around will be as “successful”as the first!
In the meantime, I encourage your comments and feedback as I fight like hell to remove both Sutra and his distant cousin Jeff Nusser from the Cougar blog-o-sphere.
Now, onto my new weekly feature, which will heretofore be known as your “Friday Night Kahn Job” (read on).
*****
Nation, it’s been so long since I graced these mighty pages, it’s hard for me to remember where we left off…
So, to refresh your memory as well as mine, my last great post occurred in the Spring of 2010 when I called for Paul Wulff to be extended into his sixth year.
And the reasons for this particularly bold and outlandish take?
I thought that Paul Wulff had proven himself by netting what I thought at the time was a spectacular recruiting class.
Of course, as the 2010 season initially unfolded, things didn’t look that great for me and my clarion call (Which was probably one of the major reasons why Sutra locked me in a Cage for the better part of the entire season).
Yet, by the time the season had ended, my plea for Moos to extend CPW beyond his fifth year looked justified—as did my unbridled enthusiasm for those young recruits he brought in that fall (check the backpages to see who was the first to trumpet Marquess Wilson..).
Of course, Moos did nothing of the sort. Instead, he left my best man CPW out in the cold where today he remains vulnerable to stupid and misguided columns like Sutra’s “Hot Tub, Hot Seat” and just about everyone else’s innuendo.
(By the way Jeff Nusser, you too are implicated in all of this Paul Wulff hate talk. After all, weren’t you the primary cyber idiot who called for Paul Wulff’s head at halftime of the Hawaii game…?)
Anywho, as this season dawned anew, it took all of about five minutes of the Spud State game for all of us to witness the considerable speed and talent that Wulff and his staff have brought to the program. After all, even Sutra—who knows fricking NOTHING about football—could see the difference between the 2011 football team and the 2008 group Wulff inherited!
I mean, when you watch Mizell and Hoffman-Ellis run, aren’t you shocked by the difference between the two of them and Jason “I’m Running with fricking Cement Shoes on!” Stripling?
So, it really does bemuse me that this current group of Cougars—who are 3-1 (1-0) by the way—are heading to UCLA with a coach without a contract extension. I really am (bemused).
Which is why today I am here to tell you that when WSU wins 31-27 on Saturday (and yes, that WILL BE the final score), Paul Wulff should be given a contract extension before the Stanford game next week.
After all, when you look at Wulff, his background, what he has accomplished, and what he has accomplished relative to the mess that inherited, it is easy to view a contract extension as a no brainer.
And if you need ANY additional reason for why Wulff should be retained, I want you to consider the resume/profile of someone who contacted our former AD, Jim Stork, to express his interest in the WSU position in 2007:
FBS coaching experience at two Pac-12 schools. Two BCS bowl appearances during his HEAD coachingt enure. Strong connections to Southern California. Well educated, very well spoken, and a veritable source of eye candy for the ladies and for the TV screen….
And yes, that man is none other than current UCLA coach, Rick Neuheisel.
Moreover, since Sterk obviously did not hire Tricky Ricky, let’s further examine how Ricky fared recruiting wise after he took the UCLA job (a few
weeks after the WSU job was filled).
Here’s UCLA’s recent recruiting rankings according to Scout.com:
2008: #9 in the country.
2009: #5 in the country.
2010: #8 in the country.
I mean, can you believe the rank of those first three recruiting classes?????!!!!!!!
So, as you watch Saturday’s contest, I want you to ask yourself, “What is up with that UCLA football team?”
Because whether or not those same kids eventually qualified academically, or got removed from the team because of discipline problems, or weren’t coachable, or were over-valued, it doesn’t matter.
After all, ALL of those issues and questions are 100% fundamental to what coaches should consider as a part of the evaluation/recruitment process.
So, again, as you watch the game on Saturday, how about keeping in mind about how Wulff’s players, who ranked in the 70’s, 40’s, and 50’s nationally over the same period (who are the dudes who are playing) rank against the supposed “guns” that a major program like UCLA was able to bring to Westwood. And then ask yourself how it is that YOU would successfully sell Pullman to a high school kid when beautiful, educational palaces like Palo Alto, Boulder, Westwood, and Berkeley are knocking at your door?
The answer: You probably wouldn’t.
Moreover, I think it is beyond high time that all of the Cougar Nation recognize that Mike Price represents a total aberration, not only in the history of WSU Football, but of WSU Athletics as well.
I mean, not only is it nearly impossible to win consistently in the Palouse, it is even more impossible to keep your coach around in the event that you are successful (see Dennis Erickson and Tony Bennett as two of the more recent, painful examples, but if you want to add Kelvin Sampson, George Raveling, and Marv Harshman to the mix, go ahead).
So, make it to 4-1 following this weekend’s game, and Bill Moos should pull the trigger and give our good man the two year contract extension he deserves. And he should do so in grand fashion on Monday.
After all, make it to 4-1 WITH YOUR BACKUP QUARTERBACK at the helm and finding two more wins on the schedule will be a no brainer for this group, especially when Tuel returns.
So, to quote your former boss, Mr. Moos, “Just do it.”
Just freaking do It!
Now onto the keys to the game:
*******
Nation, when arriving at my conclusion about who would win Saturday’s contest, I asked myself a few simple questions. They are as follows:
1) Which team is more prepared to win the game in the last five minutes if the game is close?
My answer: The Cougs.
After all, one of the greatest benefits of last week’s game was the success that Marshall experienced leading us to TWO touchdown drives in the last 2:30 of the game. What’s more, when you look at the range of weapons at each team’s disposal, it is easy to see that we have more. And beyond that, our weapons are more apt to make explosive plays than theirs.
2) Which team would be more affected by the other team’s fast start?
My answer: Total push.
In my view, neither team is well equipped to handle a fast start by the other—assuming that one team’s fast start occurs while the other does not. for instance, imagine the following scenario:
UCLA starts with the ball and completes a 10 play 80 yard drive that runs about 5:20 off the clock. Then, following a couple of first downs, we stall out, and punt. After a fair catch, UCLA responds by scoring another touch off a 12 play, 70 yard drive that takes 6:00 off the clock. The end result: We end the first quarter down 14-0 and our defense has been on the field for nearly 12 minutes of the first quarter. Meanwhile, our offense has got nothing going, has no rhythm, and our defense is gassed. Not a good prospect to say the least.
On the flip side, we all know that we’ve moved the ball effectively on all of our initial drives. We also know that we’ve been able to score touchdowns in 3 of 4 games.
So, it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that we score on our first drive to take a 7-0 lead. Then, after stacking the box and blitzing on UCLA’s 3rd and 8, we get the ball back. And we score again with ease to go up 14-3.
At that point, UCLA can no longer sit on the ball, they’re ready to eat each other as well as their coach, and the game is ours.
In other words, a fast start could be LETHAL for either team.
3) Which team is more prepared to wage a tit for tat battle?
My answer: the Cougs.
While our defense remains a major question mark, their running game looms as ominous, and while their athletes figure to pose challenges that our Cougs have not seen yet, I like the range of weapons that we can throw on the field a whole lot in this game. In particular, the HUGE, but subtle performances of Carl Winston and Bobby Ratliff give me a host of optimism that we will score enough points to pull this one out. Simply put, Winston showed himself to be just the right balance between Mitz and Galvin while Ratcliff showed himself to be a near equal to Mr. Barton in crucial third down situations.
In short, I am now more confident than ever that we have enough diversity in both personnel and scheme to score 30+ points in this game.
So, here’s to thinking that UCLA scores a touchdown each quarter, but misses an extra point because their kicking game is fricking awful. And, here’s to thinking that we will match them touchdown for touchdown, but Furney’s 41 yarder on our second drive will wind up being the difference in the game.
And ultimately, that 31-27 score will spell the end of Tricky Ricky, while Wulff will be on the brink of fulfilling his December promise to the Cougar Nation.
And after Moos fulfills his own duty by extending CPW for two more years, the header of this post will be realized:
Paul Wulff will be the last man standing.
All for now. Go Cougs.
(you can follow the Cougla Kahn c/o his current master and confidante at www.twitter.com/cougsutra)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
