Three games in, and nobody’s happy. Obviously there are issues, and they are plenty. But don’t fret, as you are not alone in your unhappiness. Coach Wulff is right there with you, and because of the inept performances thus far, changes are a brewin’ on the Palouse. And rightly so. Per Bud Withers in the Times today:
1) Xavier Hicks is back. You may remember him from his off-the-field, uh, slip-ups. But the kid is a big-hitting safety who only started three games last year, but had 53 tackles and some huge hits that separated man from ball. UCLA remembers him, I’m sure, from last year’s 27-7 win:
Hicks coming back means that the secondary will likely do some shuffling, with potentially Chima going back to corner, and Alfonso Jackson moving back to safety. Remember those two had switched positions, but due to injuries and other issues, it wasn’t exactly working out. Go back and watch the first play vs. Cal, when Jahvid Best took the ball 80 yards. Look at the last line of defense on that play, and see the safety who completely whiffed on the tackle attempt. That’s just one example, but it shows that a change needs to be made.
Having Hicks and Jackson in the middle of the field makes a heck of a lot of sense. Jackson had 65 tackles as a safety last year, and even though he’s been beat up this year, he just didn’t look like corner was the spot for him in that first game.
2) Myron Beck, who did a fair job as a safety, has been moved to linebacker. Makes sense. He’s shown a nose for the ball and with his quickness, he could be a pretty good, quick outside linebacker. He’s well-built at 6-0, 210, so it could be a really good move for him as well. And with all the issues we had trying to slow down Baylor’s running game – QB Robert Griffin had over 200 yards himself, remember – Beck is probably going to eat into some of Kendrick Dunn’s playing time at weak side LB.
But no matter what, we’ve GOT to stop the run, whether it’s Beck’s speed at linebacker, or if the tackles are going to be pushed out of the way, you better be strong up the middle in other areas with the safeties. Hopefully this change will help Trent man the middle of the field, because right now he’s all we’ve had out there!
3) The o-line is going to shuffle again, and this time it might be for the better. Vaughn Lesuma will move inside to guard, and that could be the best for him. Lesuma isn’t fully healthy, and even when he is OK, he’s always had some issues with the speedier rush ends out there. He’s a huge dude at 6-5, 330, so he might be better suited to be a road grater inside and lean on some defensive tackles with all that girth. Steven Ayers and Joe Eppele will fight it out for the left tackle spot. This is big news, as Wulff has mentioned in his radio show how high they are on Joe Eppele’s ability as a tackle, but his knee injury has held him back thus far. It sounds as though he is now ready to compete, so, we might see him play for the first time this year.
4) At QB – even with the turnovers shown by Lopina – Wulff made it sound like IF he’s good to go, he will start on Saturday. The wrist is sore, but it will likely be Lopina if he’s ready. We all have opinions on the QB, and the question can’t be fully answered yet if you ask me. I would be fine if they continue to split time this Saturday, and then see what happens. But in true foundless, blog-style rumor mongering…..we’ve heard a few things about the QB situation recently, and well, let’s just say it isn’t a shocker that Lopina is getting a long look.
Finally, Vince has a good round-up of the different positions Wulff spoke about yesterday. Check it out here (but you probably already have by now…)
So there you have it. If you keep failing at something, well, what do you do? You try something else. It’s pretty basic. But now that we are three games in, the coaches have found out quite a bit about the players they have and what they do on game day. And most of all, how they fit into what they are trying to accomplish. It’s been a tough three-game stretch, almost like a mini-NFL-preseason audition if you want to know the truth. But the first three games are now in the rear-view mirror, and these guys can now make some adjustments going forward. Let’s see how it all plays out on Saturday. I’m sure as hell hoping they taste victory, for everyone involved! These guys need a win right now.
In other news, the postings might be a little light this week. Real life is more or less getting in the way this week of our massive output of daily content…..we’ll try to stay on top of things, but it might be a lighter-than-normal week. But just know we aren’t going anywhere. Sorry. 🙂
Enjoy your Monday/week, and GO COUGS!
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