QB ROAD Thursday, September 1, 2022 BYILLUSTRATIONSTAFFMOLLYQUINN sPECIaL sECTION INsIdE I PrEVIEWs I PrEdICTIONs I PrOFILEs I COMMENTary Hoping to follow in the footsteps of past legends on the Palouse, Cameron Ward is set to take the stage as WSU’s new lead slinger
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE FOR THESE PASSERS Ranking the 40 best quarterbacks among Inland Northwest programs over the past 40 years.
Producer: A first-time head coach, Dickert earned his title through both chance and merit. He led a defensive resurgence as a WSU coordinator in 2021. When a uniquely odd situation left the Cou gars coachless at midseason, Dickert seemed like the best choice to steer the ship on an acting basis. Dickert proved himself as a unifying presence, pulling the fractured team together and guiding it to a winning season and a rare Apple Cup triumph. His interim tag was removed in late November. It wasn’t how he imagined, but Dickert had become a head coach after 15 years climbing the occupation al Afterladder.an encouraging offseason of program-building, Dickert is all set to debut his remade team, the “New Waz zu,” he calls it. Album review: The Cougars have the makeup of a winning team, so we’re comfortable predicting an above-.500 finish and a bowl berth. We’re going to stay conservative with our estimate, considering the uncer tainties that come with a first-year staff, a freshly installed offensive sys tem and several new faces occupying key roles on the field. WSU certainly has the potential to outperform our record prediction. But let’s not get too carried away before we see the “New Wazzu” in action. Prediction: 7-5 Colton Clark can be reached at coltonc@spokesman.com.
Side B (defense): The Cougs are staying mostly consistent with their defensive approach and building upon the foundation Dickert set as defensive coordinator over the past two years. WSU’s new DC, Brian Ward, shares coaching philosophies and strategy with“BrianDickert.Ward has a very similar scheme – same philosophy,” edge-rush er Brennan Jackson said. “There’s still a big emphasis on turning the ball over, being ballhawks and just sprinting to the ball – 100% effort, every play.” The Cougars played a resilient, swarming style of defense in 2021 and finished the season fifth nationally in takeaways (29). WSU’s defense is paced by the edge-rushers, a deep and disruptive group that brings back all-conference stalwarts/team captains in Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. WSU is fortified up front with an ultra-experienced rotation of tackles.“Youcan’t take off days when you play against this type of defense,” Cameron WardThesaid.Cougs landed a profession al-caliber recruit this offseason in se nior Nevada transfer Daiyan Henley, an outside linebacker who quickly distinguished himself as one of the team’s top pound-for-pound players. He’ll pair with co-starters Brown and Francisco Mauigoa to form an athlet ic linebacking corps that shouldn’t take a step back despite graduating longtime starters Jahad Woods and JustusNickelRogers.Armani Marsh, a Spokane na tive, reprises his role as captain of the WSU secondary, which lost both of its starting safeties and its lockdown corner – Jaylen Watson, now with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cougs gained an impact transfer to take the job at strong safety in senior Jordan Lee. Oth erwise, WSU isn’t blessed with experi ence at the safety spots. The cornerbacks might lack star power, but the group is fairly tested and has four reliable pieces.
TYLER TJOMSLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW; STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION Tour dates 9/3: Idaho, 6:30 p.m. 9/10: at Wisconsin, 12:30 p.m. 9/17: Colorado St., 2 p.m. 9/24: Oregon, TBD 10/1: Cal, TBD 10/8: at USC, TBD 10/15: at Oregon St., TBD 10/27: Utah, 7 p.m. 11/5: at Stanford, TBD 11/12: Arizona St., TBD 11/19: at Arizona, TBD 11/26: Washington, TBD
Washington State has high expectations for transfers Cameron Ward, Daiyan Henley.
The primary question for WSU’s CBs: Can senior Derrick Langford Jr. replace Watson effectively and blanket the Pac-12’s best receivers? Extras (special teams): The Cougs have few concerns – if any – re garding their kicking and punting units. Dean Janikowski emerged last sea son as the Pac-12’s most accurate place kicker and claimed first-team all-con ference honors. Australian punter Nick Haberer impressed in his first season playing American football and took home freshman All-America honors. WSU should be effective in the re turn game with two of its most electric offensive playmakers – Victor and Bell –catching kicks and punts. Surprise hits: Two dynamic young skill players had breakout performanc es this preseason and both are expected to contribute significantly off the bench in True2022. freshman tailback Jaylen Jen kins wowed onlookers throughout fall camp with his elusive running style and exceptional top-end speed. He of fers a change of pace for a running back group that will be spearheaded by a power-centric ball-carrier in Nakia Watson.Receiver Orion Peters, a second-year freshman, established himself as WSU’s No. 3 option at slotback early this preseason. Peters made sharp cuts to shake off defensive backs and came up with plenty of highlight-reel side line receptions this preseason to secure a key rotational role in WSU’s passheavy offense.
LONG, WINDING ROAD LEADS TO PULLMAN
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New frontman Cameron Ward brings excitement and an up-tempo rhythm as Jake Dickert’s Cougars look to produce some smash hits
PAGE 7 HEY SEAHAWKS: DON’T LET ME DOWN With Geno Smith and Drew Lock replacing Russell Wilson, it could be a long year for Seattle. PAGE 12 GOOD DAY SUNSHINE Today we kick off the football season with previews of Washington State, Washington, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Whitworth, as well as the Seattle Seahawks. Next Thursday, we’ll preview all of our area high schools in a separate section.
WASHINGTON STATE
Pictured: Quarterback Cameron Ward will lead a new version of the Air Raid offense for the Washington State Cougars.
By Colton Clark THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW And so begins the Jake Dickert era at Washington State. For real, this time. The Cougs played well under Dick ert for the final six games of the 2021 season, after coach Nick Rolovich was dismissed for failing to comply with a state COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Yet Dickert’s seventh game at the helm – 6:30 p.m. Saturday versus Ida ho – will signal the proper start to his head-coaching career at WSU. He’ll be joined on the sidelines by the staff he assembled this offsea son – eight new assistants, including two coordinators. WSU will debut its revamped version of the Air Raid of fense. Several prized additions from Dickert’s first recruiting class will play starring roles. It will be the team Dickert shaped, not the team he inherited. Of course, many familiar faces are back from WSU’s 2021 roster, a group of players that handled last season’s turmoil with grace and came up one game shy of a Pac-12 championship berth. The Cougs had to replace 11 starters, but they return a strong core of leadership – especially on defense –and a handful of potential standouts who played behind established veter ans last year. WSU won a few important recruiting battles for coveted transfers this offsea son. No Cougar player has attracted more public interest than the headliner of the 2022 class, quarterback Cameron Ward. Side A (offense): The Cougs are counting on Ward to operate the Air Raid efficiently and live up to his ev er-building expectations of stardom. He was a highly touted signal-caller coming out of FCS Incarnate Word –where he dazzled over the past two seasons under coach Eric Morris, who is now coordinating WSU’s offense. This preseason, Ward looked the part, exhibiting the uncommon skill set that had made him one of the top-rat ed transfer players of this recruiting cycle. He has “elite pocket presence,” Dickert noted, plus mobility and the arm strength and precision to make any throw – even when he’s firing from off-balance footing. “I was really amazed with his arm and I think everyone talks about his arm, but I don’t think people talk enough about his leadership,” slot re ceiver Lincoln Victor said. Ward will be surrounded by a deep and talented group of pass-catchers, captained by Victor and seventh-year senior slotback Renard Bell, and in cluding returning starters on the out sides in De’Zhaun Stribling and Dono van“It’sOllie.the best receiving corps I’ve been with,” Bell said. WSU reloaded fast after losing its two leading receivers from last season in Calvin Jackson Jr. and Travell Harris. Nakia Watson will shoulder run ning back duties after sitting last year behind the senior duo of Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh. But the Cougars will take a “by-committee” approach on the ground and play three or more tailbacks. Watson, a 500-yard rusher at Wisconsin between 2019-20, is the only Coug RB with game reps. The key for WSU’s offense will be keeping Ward clean. The Cougs’ of fensive line is unproven after being re made this offseason following several departures.TheAirRaid has returned to Pull man, but it will only partially resemble the system former coach Mike Leach employed from 2012-19. Although WSU’s new offense will lean on the passing game, it boasts the ability to ground and pound. Expect the Cou gars to operate at a quick pace and send out a variety of formations – from fivewide sets to “bunch” formations with two tight ends. “It’s a diverse offense,” linebacker Travion Brown said. “They’ve got a lot of stuff going on. It’s really good for the defense because it gives us a lot of looks.”
PAGE 3 TOP QBS HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE New quarterbacks are set to take over at WSU, EWU and UW, three schools with rich traditions.
T2 • Thursday • sepTember 1, 2022 Special SecTion
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“I’m another puzzle piece.”
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under stands that the attention “comes with theHe’sterritory.”ahigh-profile transfer quarter back who will lead Washington State’s new offense – a pass-heavy Air Raid system – this season under a first-year coaching staff. So, Ward isn’t surprised by all the public interest surrounding him. It’s part of the job. “I think I’ve handled it well, but at the end of the day, I don’t really believe in pressure,” Ward said recently. “It’s football. I’ve been doing it since I was 8 years old. I’ll just take it one snap at a time and whatever happens, happens. I know it’s in God’s plan for me.” The hype began to build when Ward signed with WSU in January as a prized recruit out of Incarnate Word. The ex pectations have only grown since. He seems to be taking it all in stride. “Cam loves it. He’s born for it,” Cou gars coach Jake Dickert said earlier this month. “I really believe that, when you get around him a lot and you really get a chance to sit down and talk to him, he lives for the moment.” WSU retained a strong nucleus of veteran players from last year’s squad, but the Cougars made several signifi cant additions via the transfer portal this offseason as they reshaped their program and laid the foundation for the Dickert era. WSU signed 10 imme diate-impact transfers, a haul head lined by a pair of potential superstars in Ward and senior linebacker Daiyan Henley, a former Nevada standout. “I realize that I’m walking into something that’s already built, and it’s an honor to be a part of it,” Henley said. “I’m walking into a great culture. There are guys in the locker room that are al ready leaders and faces of the team, and they welcomed me into the union, ‘We know you’re going to be needed. You’re an older guy and we need you to be a senior leader.’ ” WSU’s two most touted transfer players are relishing the opportunity to assume key roles for their new team and to prove themselves on a national stage. Ward and Henley sat down with The Spokesman-Review last week to share their thoughts on becoming firsttime Cougar leaders at a notable junc ture in the program’s history, ahead of a highly anticipated season. “I tend to push all of that to the side,” Ward said when asked about the mag nitude of this moment in his career. “I stick to my job, which is to go to school and play football for coach Dickert. Him bringing me here in January and giving me the keys to the kingdom, it just showed me a lot about how much he believes in me and trusts me to op erate this system. The team feels that way about me and I trust the team. I feel like we’re going to be one of the best teams in the country by the end of theWard,season.”athird-year sophomore, pro duced staggering stat totals over the past two seasons while steering the Air Raid at Incarnate Word under coach Eric Morris – now the Cougars’ offensive coordinator. Ward raked in All-FCS honors, then became one of the most valuable transfer QBs on the market after experts started noticing his uncommon passing abilities. He essentially clinched WSU’s starting job on arrival. His physical tools were instantly impressive. Ward eased him self into a leadership role among his new teammates. “I had to approach it a different type of way, coming in with coach Mor ris and with everything that had hap pened, with their head coach getting fired and all that,” he said, referencing Nick Rolovich’s dismissal in October over his failure to comply with a state COVID-19 vaccine mandate. “I approached it the way I needed to. It’s worked out for myself and for the team. The team knows me now and they trust me to get our offense in the best situations to win games.” His on-field leadership qualities have grown tremendously over the past month, according to his coach. “How he carries himself, how he understands that his voice matters in everything he does – we’re just seeing him take those steps,” Dickert said. “How you run off the field matters, es pecially when you’re a leader and have that many eyeballs on you. I’ve been happy with his development, and he doesn’t make excuses. He takes a lot of ownership. He expects to play at a high level and he holds himself to that everyWardday.”describes himself as “lev el-headed” and “a humble dude” –good traits to have for someone in the spotlight. The Cougs’ fan base has been discussing his prospects all year while eagerly awaiting his debut. Fellow students recognize him on campus. His name has come up a few times among national media mem bers as a “breakout FBS star” candi date. Ward was named recently to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, given annually to the best all-around player in college football. Of course, he’s heard the chatter. “I see some of the stuff on social me dia. My friends always send me things,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, you still gotta prove it on the field.” Teammates sometimes tease Ward for his semi-celebrity status. “I’ll be walking around campus and they’ll see me and be like, ‘Whoa, that’s Cam“I’mWard!’like, ‘Chill,’ ” Ward said, chuck ling. “They always got their jokes with me. They know I don’t really like it like that. I’m a low-key dude. It comes with the territory, but I’m always going to be humble and feel blessed to be here.” After an offseason of rising ex pectations, Ward will finally have a chance to show his potential when he makes his major college football debut at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at home against Idaho. “My first time being able to play with more than 3,000 fans, playing in a packed stadium, especially in a town like Pullman – a town that just loves their football – it’s a blessing,” Ward said. “I wanted to play at a Power Five school coming out of high school, but I had to take my own route. “Everything happens for a reason and I know I was put here for a reason. I’mHenleyready.”is poised to make a splash this year in his first and only season with WSU. He spent the past five years at Nevada – first as a receiver/return man, then as a defensive back before transitioning to outside linebacker full time in 2020. Henley exhibited a high motor and hard-hitting abilities in a dynamic skill set last year and earned All-Mountain West honors as the Wolf Pack’s defensive ace. He was one of the top-rated defen sive transfer players in the 2022 re cruiting cycle. Henley passed up sever al high-level offers and chose to follow Brian Ward – WSU’s first-year defen sive coordinator and the former DC at Nevada – to Pullman. “You’re always a little bit unsure about someone who’s new, but they knew I was a player and I appreciate them for accepting me,” Henley said. “There’s always doubt that comes with transfers. So, the first thing on my mind when I got here was to prove myself and earn their trust. … The big gest thing for me was being genuine, being myself and not letting the out side noise corrupt who I am as a per son. I think the guys could see that I’m 100%“It’sgenuine.notsomething that’s easy to do, jumping into a new group of guys and thinking they’ll trust you. Coming into this season, I feel like I’ve earned their trust and they believe in me.”
ONE-HIT WONDERS
Standout transfers talk new home New Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward was raised in West Columbia, Texas, a rural town in the southeast corner of the state. He spent his first two years of college in San Antonio, the nation’s seventh-largest city, before returning to a smaller, tight-knit community on the Palouse. “I never know where football is going to take me,” he said. “I’m just blessed to be in a town that not only cares about the team but cares about us as people, too. Pullman has made me more of a caring person than I already was.” Fellow transfer Daiyan Henley grew up in the heart of the Los Angeles metro in Crenshaw, California, then lived for five years in Reno, the “Biggest Little City in the World.” The linebacker enjoys the change of pace that Pullman offers and the fervent support for WSU. “It’s a different type of support here than I had at Nevada,” he said. “That’s not a shot at Nevada. I love those people. They raised me. But being in Pullman, it’s a different vibe here because it’s such a smaller town compared to where I’ve been. Cougar athletics, we hold a lot of weight in the community and we can make people’s days good, and we can make a lot of days bad. Being embraced like this and having that type of support is something I haven’t got to -Coltonfeel.”Clark
Henley gained respect quickly among his new teammates for his deft play and deep knowledge of the game. He fit in “seamlessly on the field,” con sidering that he’s “coming into a de fense I already know.” Clearly, Henley passes the eye test. Without question, he’s one of the team’s most talented players – that be came apparent during spring ball, and it was obvious throughout fall camp. Henley should be a major playmak er this season for WSU and will make a fine replacement for Jahad Woods, who graduated after starting at outside LB for five years. Henley landed on the watch list recently for the Butkus Award, presented annually to college football’s top linebacker. “Having the opportunity to be a socalled ‘face’ of the team and whatnot, it’s an honor,” Henley said. “It’s not taken lightly. I appreciate that regard. It matters, but it’s not my focus. I just want to be a part of the team and pro vide my Henleycontribution.”“tookitto heart” when coaches asked him to share leadership responsibilities with a host of proven returners in WSU’s defensive front. His exuberant personality and high-energy playing style mix nicely with the spir ited character of the Cougs’ defense, which returns a corps of vets that spearheaded a breakthrough campaign for the unit in 2021. “It isn’t something I had to help build,” he said. “That’s why I can’t completely agree with me being a ‘face’ of the team and all that. This was a unit that was already built. I got to witness it last year. They rallied after everything they went through, beat the rivals … made it to a bowl game. I saw them battle.
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By Colton Clark THE PULLMANSPOKESMAN-REVIEW–CameronWard
Washington State expects big things from an array of newcomers – led by Cameron Ward and Daiyan Henley
Two high-profile transfers, quarterback Cameron Ward, left, and linebacker Daiyan Henley, bring talent, leadership and excitement to Washington State this season.
Washington State’s nonconference football slate features two favorable matchups against lower-level opponents and one major test on the road against a notable Power Five foe. The Cou gars open Pac-12 play with a grueling month-long stretch, during which they will face four of the confer ence’s best projected teams – including defending cham pion Utah. WSU’s schedule for November is much less daunting. The Cougars close their season with four very winnable games, all against opponents they beat in 2021. Sept. 3 vs. Idaho After a five-year hiatus, the Battle of the Palouse is back. The border neighbors are both led by first-year coaches in Dickert and Jason Eck, who were coworkers at a couple of past coaching stops. That adds intrigue to a farmland feud that has been largely uninter esting over the past two decades – the Cougs have outscored the Vandals 396-99 over nine straight wins. WSU will be a heavy favorite over Idaho, which dropped back down to the Football Cham pionship Subdivision in 2018. WSU, 45-10. Sept. 10 at Wisconsin Dickert returns to his home state for one of WSU’s most anticipated nonconference games in some time. The Badgers eventually wear WSU out with their powerful running game, combined with a tenacious defensive front and a booming home-field advantage of more than 80,000 fans. Wisconsin, 30-24. Sept. 17 vs. Colorado State WSU gets back on track against a Mountain West Conference bottomfeeder and cruises to a well-rounded victory. WSU, 37-13. Sept. 24 vs. Oregon The Cougs go toe-to-toe with a ranked Ducks team before a rowdy crowd at Gesa Field, but the Air Raid can’t find enough cracks in an Or egon defense led by first-year coach Dan Lan ning, who guided the Georgia Bulldogs’ su perpowered defensive unit over the past three seasons. UO,Oct.33-26.1vs. California WSU comes out firing on homecoming and maintains its big early lead over a middling Cal team. WSU, 40-24Oct. 8 at USC Southern Cal is off to the Big Ten Conference in two years. So, the Trojans have a target on their back and will probably get everyone’s best shot this season. But USC also has a talent ad vantage over perhaps all of its Pac-12 peers. The Trojans, who rejuvenated their program this off season with the addition of a vaunted head coach (Lincoln Riley) and a host of standout transfers, present matchup issues for WSU’s secondary. USC, 41-28Oct.
There always seems to be at least one wacky home game on WSU’s schedule. The Cougs and Devils trade blows in a shootout for much of the night during a wild edition of “Pac-12 Af ter Dark.” Ward leads an up-tempo possession in crunch time but a potential walk-off field goal misses the mark in wintry conditions. ASU, 31-29.Nov. 19 at Arizona The Cougs take out their frustrations on a struggling Wildcats team led by former WSU QB Jayden de Laura, who sees steady pressure in his pocket throughout the night. WSU, 40-14. Nov. 26 vs. Washington The Cougars retain the Apple Cup trophy. Dickert improves to 2-0 in the rivalry series. Why not? WSU, 38-27.
Nov. 12 vs. Arizona State
Colton Pac-12: 4.Washington2.Oregon1.Utah3.USCState5.OregonState 8.Arizona7.Washington6.UCLAState9.Stanford10.Cal11.Arizona12.Colorado
TYLER TJOMSLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
predictedClark’sorder of finish in the
By Colton Clark THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
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15 at Oregon State
The Beavers’ stout rushing attack and play-ac tion game gives WSU’s defense a considerable challenge, but the Cougars’ aerial attack proves too explosive for Oregon State’s defensive backs to contain. WSU,Oct.34-2627vs. Utah Utah, visiting Pullman for the first time in four years, grinds out its fourth consecutive win over the Cougars. The Utes, the favorites to win the Pac-12 this season, churn out a few long possessions behind veteran QB Cam Rising, and their loaded defensive front rattles WSU’s unproven offensive line on a bitter Thursday night. Utah,Nov.27-16.5 at Stanford Cameron Ward outduels touted Cardinal QB Tanner McKee, and the Cougars’ veteran-laden defensive line clamps down on Stanford’s per sistent ground game as WSU extends its winning streak in the series to six games. WSU, 30-17.
THE PICKS WashingtonpredictionsGame-by-gamefortheStateCougars
When Dan Hawkins talks about quarterbacks, he doesn’t like to use the word “coaching.”
A OF FRONTMENELITE
See QUARTERBACKS, 6
By Dan Thompson FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Matt Kegel’s first collegiate start came in one of the most hallowed ven ues in all of college sports: the Colise um on the campus of the University of SouthernLeadingCalifornia.uptothat game on Nov. 11, 2000, neither the Cougars nor the Tro jans were having a great season. Each was 1-5 in Pac-10 play. Just a few weeks later, USC would fire coach Paul Hack ett and replace him with Pete Carroll, who had been fired by the New En gland Patriots the year before. But this game, played in front of 40,000 fans on a cloudy Los Angeles afternoon, bore great significance to Kegel.“All the years that led up to that, in the 19 years of development, commit ment and study and knowledge, all came together,” Kegel said this week. “That was my first real opportunity on a national stage to lead a team and showcase my ability. The ball bounced my way, and we got some good results.” Playing because usual starter Jason Gesser had broken his leg the week be fore against Oregon, Kegel completed just 12 of 32 passes, but they went for 242 yards, and he committed no turn overs. The Cougars took a two-score lead into halftime and won the game 33-27.The next weekend, Washington dis mantled WSU, 51-3, ending the Cou gars’ season with a 4-7 overall record. But the next season, Gesser returned and started all 12 games, 10 of which the Cougars won. The year after that, in 2002, the Cougars won 10 games again. Kegel didn’t play much those two years, during which he completed 47 of 83Butattempts.hestuck around, and he knew what his role was. “I was raised as a loyal person,” said Kegel, who was born in Havre, Mon tana, “and when I gave my commitment to play football at Washington State, that was a commitment to uphold and a dream to fulfill.” It wasn’t always easy. “It took loyalty and willpower to stay and compete every day knowing you’re a backup,” Kegel said. “I felt like I al ways competed and prepared to be one snap away and be the guy, and unfortu nately for me it was a four-year wait.” But that wait prepared him for other circumstances in life later, he said. And anyway, he was waiting for something special: the chance to be a starting quarterback at Washington StateThisUniversity.wastheprogram that had by then attracted, developed and suc ceeded under the likes of Ryan Leaf, Drew Bledsoe, Mark Rypien and Jack Thompson, three of whom were topthree picks in the NFL Draft. It is the program that has since seen eight more of its quarterbacks drafted or signed by NFL teams. And in the state of Washington, it is notThealone.Washington Huskies can also claim to be a quarterback powerhouse, with graduates such as Warren Moon, Hugh Millen, Chris Chandler, Billy Joe Hobert, Mark Brunell, Damon Huard, Brock Huard, Cody Pickett, Jake Lock er and Jake Browning. Then there is Eastern Washington University in Cheney, which in only the last 17 years has produced three quarterbacks who were named the national FCS offensive player of the year, and three more who were named All-America selections.
All three of those programs are be ginning this football season with new quarterbacks who have yet to prove their pedigree at each institution. Cam eron Ward will start at Washington State. Michael Penix Jr. will do so at Washington. Gunner Talkington is now the starter at Eastern Washington. All follow in a line of great quarter backs, many of whom went on to play and even star in the NFL. All three are out to prove this fall that they are the next frontman to lead his team to great seasons. Because at these programs, through exhaustive recruit ing and rigorous development and re tention, excellent quarterback play has become the standard. So, when Kegel became the full-time starting quarterback for Washington State in 2003, he felt he was ready. “Most quarterbacks that get to that position in programs like Washington State or Washington have put in the work, and they know what it means to get your hands dirty, and to potential ly reap the benefits of all your years of blood, sweat and tears, and dedication and study,” Kegel said. “Most of these things don’t happen overnight, and a lot of prep for many years goes into the development of a quarterback and any type of collegiate athlete.”
‘Is he going to be an All-American?’ Damon Huard was recruited by the University of Washington to play quar terback there in the early 1990s, and the pitch was pretty straightforward. Billy Joe Hobert – who quarter backed the 1991 Huskies to a 12-0 re cord and a national championship –had been a teammate of Huard’s in high school. Huard’s brother Brock would later follow both down the road to the Seattle university. “We were a feeder program for the University of Washington,” Damon Huard said. “No other program fed UW like Puyallup did in the 1990s.” It wasn’t just Hobert who influenced Huard’s“Warrenchoice.Moon, Kerry Collins,” Huard said, listing just two prior Hus kies quarterbacks. “Every one of them played in the NFL. It seemed like the right thing to do.” Huard admitted that he also liked the offense run by Mike Price at Washington State. But Huard ulti mately canceled planned visits to Miami and Notre Dame, and from 1992 to 1995, he started 31 games for the Huskies. Later he won two Super Bowls as a backup quarterback with the New England Patriots. Huard – whose son Sam is a quarter back at Washington – is now director of community and external relations for UW. He remembers when coach Chris Peterson was encouraging Jacob Eason – a Lake Stevens native who first played at Georgia before opting to transfer elsewhere – to come play quarterback for his hometown Huskies. “Look, dude, it’s special to be a Hus ky QB,” Huard said, paraphrasing the pitch made to Eason, who accepted and started for Washington in 2019. That’s a similar pitch to the one made by Aaron Best at Eastern Washington, a program that just fielded one of the most prolific college offenses in histo ry under the leadership of quarterback EricBarriereBarriere.finished his career with 15 games in which he amassed at least 400 yards of offense, tying Steve McNair for the record in the Football Champi onship Subdivision. Barriere won the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the best offensive player in the FCS. “That’s always going to be the ex pectation, is to find the next All-Amer ican,” Best said. “That’s where we start our conversations off. You’ve got a guy (at the high school level). My question back is: Is he going to be an All-Amer ican? That’s the standard we live by, is All-American quarterbacks.” ‘Our eyes sometimes lie to us’ Yet that’s not always such an easy thing to predict. Troy Taylor, who is now the head coach at Sacramen to State of the Big Sky, was Eastern’s co-offensive coordinator in 2016, but before that he was the head coach at Folsom High School just outside Sac ramento, California. Those experienc es have given him a look at recruiting from both sides of the desk, as a high school coach and a college recruiter.
“I always talk about handling the quarterback,” said Hawkins, who first
FOOtbaLL 2022
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New lead slingers take the reins at Washington State, Eastern and UW, schools where excellent QB play is the standard STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
LEGACY
“The things that are the most im portant, you can’t measure objectively,” Taylor said. “A lot of it is subjective and projecting future success based on past performance can be hard.” That’s because the level of talent surrounding a quarterback can be so different and can influence a quarter back’s play in so many different ways. A quarterback with a fantastic offensive line will have the time to make more throws, for example, than one who is running for his life every play. College recruiting also has a certain momentum, Taylor said, where, as players are mentioned, they just climb and climb. He gave the example of two quarterbacks he had at Fulsom. “One guy had a beard, 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and could throw the ball 70 yards,” he said. “You’d walk out onto the field and you’d be like, ‘Who’s that guy?’That” player was going to be a junior. But there was a freshman competing for the starting job as well, and nobody really said much about him, Taylor said. The week of the team’s opening game, he decided they would play both, but that the freshman would start. The junior quit. The freshman threw 11 touchdowns – in just his first game. That freshman’s name? “He was Jake Browning,” Taylor said. At Folsom Browning set Califor nia prep records for passing attempts (1,708), completions (1,191), yards (16,775) and touchdowns (229). At the University of Washington, he started 53 games and won 39 of them, more than any other quarterback in Pac-12 history. “That’s just a little microcosm of how hard it is to evaluate. Our eyes sometimes lie to us. So it starts with evaluation and recruitment,” Taylor said. “And then it’s development.”
With playing time developmentcomes
The pressure is on Gunner Talkington, Cameron Ward and Michael Penix Jr. – starting for Eastern Washington, Washington State and UW – to continue the legacy of great quarterback play at their respective schools.
Continued from 5
CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW WSU quarterback Matt Kegel throws a pass against Stanford on Oct. 18, 2003, in Palo Alto, Calif.
TYLER TJOMSLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Washington State quarterback Gage Gubrud pauses during a practice on Aug. 7, 2019, in Lewiston. Gubrud transferred to WSU after a successful run at Eastern Washington.
QUARTERBACKS
T6 • Thursday • sepTember 1, 2022 Special SecTion FOOTbaLL 2022 became a head coach at Division III Willamette before coaching at Boise State, Colorado and, for the last five seasons, at UC Davis. “(Former NFL coach) Bill Walsh used to say very few people know how to evaluate quarterbacks and even few er know how to coach them,” Hawkins said. “I think that’s probably true.” The term “handling” implies that there is a specialness to the position, that the play of that person is somehow more important than others’ play. And it is hard to say otherwise. “You don’t have to have to be great at QB to win, but it will help you win,” said Timm Rosenbach, a WSU quarter back from 1986 to 1988 who is now the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at MontanaMontana.won10 games last year, starting with a 13-7 victory over Wash ington in which the Huskies gained just 232 yards on offense. The Griz zlies dealt with injuries at quarterback much of the season, and they finished seventh among the Big Sky’s 13 teams in passing offense. “We won 10 games, but a lot of that was our defense,” Rosenbach said. “You can win a championship that way for sure, but if you have a great quarter back, you always have a chance.” That formula worked for Washing ton State in 2003, when Rosenbach was in his first year as the Cougars’ quarter backs coach after serving as the offen sive coordinator at Eastern Washing ton the two years prior. “A great defense can make an average offense or QB pretty good,” Kegel said. “I wouldn’t say that was the (case) in my time, but it certainly didn’t hurt to have a record-setting defense on my team.”Kegel threw for the fifth-most pass ing yards (2,947) and had the fourthbest passer rating (128.1) in the Pac-10 that season, trailing the likes of Matt Leinart (USC), Aaron Rodgers (Cal) and Kellen Clemens (Oregon). All three of those players were later taken as first- or second-round picks in the NFLButDraft.theCougars fielded a top-three defense that season, and it culminat ed in a 28-20 victory over Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Kegel completed 18 of 32 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions.“Thatwasone of many fond mem ories of that season,” Kegel said. “We walked the walk on that team, and to compete against a big-boy program like Texas and really for three quarters put it to them was a fun time in my life. That’s a lifelong memory.” Importantly, Kegel wasn’t entirely inexperienced when he took over as starter that season. While he had only started the two games at the end of the 2000 season, he appeared in every game in 2001 by running the first series of the second quarter, which was by coach Mike Price’s design, Kegel said. “That was a commitment that he had with me, and that kept me engaged and excited and a part of the team,” Kegel said. “I think it was as valuable for coach Price and the staff as it was for me to be Rosenbachready.”said Kegel’s play in 2003 was a testament to the quarterback’s ability to get the job done and to battle. “He knew the situation. He knew that he may have to come in at any time (in earlier seasons) to pinch-hit for Ja son (Gesser), and he was going to wait his turn, and he won 10 games,” Rosen bachThatsaid.season Kegel was the most vet eran in a talented quarterback room, Rosenbach said. Josh Swogger was right behind him, Alex Brink was a freshman, and Mike Reilly, who red shirted that season, went on to be star quarterback at Division II Central Washington and eventually was named the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017. “Wazzu’s the place where you’re sit ting in the room as the quarterbacks coach with five guys,” Rosenbach said. “Three can play at the next level, and only one can get on the field at a time.” The one-at-a-time truism is all the more apparent and relevant in an age when transferring between NCAA schools is easier than ever. It’s a reality coaches are continuing to grapple with. But transfers – especially at the FCS level – are nothing particularly new. Swogger, for example, transferred from WSU to Montana and led the Grizzlies to the FCS semifinals and a 12-win sea son in “You’re2006.always developing,” said Cal Poly coach Beau Baldwin, who won a national title as Eastern’s head coach in 2010. “You want to try to recruit guys who have the ability to be starters someday, but it’s not easy in this world of revolving doors and transfers. “Once you start going down the road of bringing in transfers, sometimes it’s hard to get back to just the develop ment of the high school kid.” While Baldwin was at Eastern, he tried to follow that philosophy, though he made a notable exception when he got Bo Levi Mitchell, the eventu al MVP of that national title game, to transfer from SMU. But Baldwin al ready knew Mitchell; he had hosted him on a recruiting visit to Cheney two years earlier. Yet no matter how well a coach knows a player or how they end up on campus, there is no substitute for game action, coaches said, which compli cates the whole process of maintaining great quarterback play. Do you go with a two-quarterback system, like Tay lor did last year at Sacramento State? Schedule three easy non-conference games so that the backup gets to mop up after halftime? Like Price with Kegel, coaches will try to get game experience for their backup quarterbacks precisely because that time in games is so valuable and because someday, hopefully, that back up ascends, and coaches want to know how players will react. “You can’t replicate what a game sit uation is like for a quarterback,” Taylor said. “You can’t prepare how you’re going to react to getting drilled by a 325-pound guy. … You have to live it and see how they react.” Montana coach Bobby Hauck, who played three different quarterbacks last season because of injuries, described his own straightforward approach. “I think you get better by playing in football, so developing quarterbacks, I think it’s a huge advantage if you can get your other quarterbacks other than your starter in the game and give them a chance to play,” Hauck said. “So, the more they get a chance to play, the more ready they’re going to be when they win the job.” All of these approaches imply a de sire to minimize variables along the stages of quarterback recruitment and development: the more talent in the room, the more likely it is that at least one will become great. And the more who become great, the better the program. ‘We havedifferent’something When Price was recruiting quar terbacks to come to Washington State during his time there from 1989 to 2002, he was aggressive in trying to get theTheybest.would identify the top 10 quar terbacks nationally who fit their sys tem, and then Price hopped on a plane to see them all. “All the great QBs who were playing, I was looking at them,” Price said earli er this month. But when he recruited those ath letes, there was already momentum. They ran a system quarterbacks liked because they threw the ball a lot. And by the mid-’90s, the Cougars had pro duced a future Super Bowl MVP in Rypien and a first-overall draft pick in Bledsoe.“They see Rypien, Bledsoe and Leaf, and they see themselves being able to play that position here at this school,” PriceJustsaid.like Huard said of Washington, the recruiting at Washington State benefits because programs with great anything – not just quarterbacks but especially them – self-germinate their own flowering. It is the case, too, at Eastern Wash ington, where a school future re cord-setting quarterback Gage Gubrud hadn’t much heard of until Vernon Ad ams Jr. led the Eagles to a win over Or egon State in 2013. Now, Gubrud is part of that fraternity of great quarterbacks. “It’s a great thing to be able to say, even going to job interviews (for non-football positions),” Gubrud said. “You say, ‘I played quarterback at East ern Washington,’ and everyone knows not just the program but the great tra dition they’ve had at quarterback.” Kegel said that Jack Thompson, the first of Washington State’s star quarter backs, remains crucial to maintaining not just the legacy of Cougars quarter backs but their connectedness as well. Kegel has gotten to know not just the quarterbacks with whom he played at Washington State but also those who came before and after him. “To have an opportunity after our playing days are done to come and develop a relationship with the per son is almost as valuable as watching them and knowing them on the field,” KegelThompsonsaid. said he does what he can to foster those relationships because of his love for Washington State, as a program and as a university. And, he said, the quarterbacks genuinely like each“Weother.have something different, and I think that is very enticing to quar terbacks being recruited,” Thompson said. “They see the special bond up close and in person, and that’s a differ ence-maker.”Afterhistime at Washington State, Kegel signed with the Minnesota Vi kings and spent about six months there before the team released him. After that, he moved back to his home state of Montana, and since 2006 he has worked for Medtronic, a medical de vice company. He and his family live in Great Falls, and he makes it back to Pullman for Cougars games and other events during the year. By the time Kegel was the starting quarterback, he felt like he had con fidence he could do what was asked. He felt he was ready to do what every quarterback wants: to face down a de fense and make a play for his team. “No matter what you’re doing in this life, if you walk in with confidence and the belief you’re going to be suc cessful, you’re going to be successful,” Kegel said. “The younger players who get in the battle, they get that feeling, whether it’s the intensity of the game or the adrenaline rush they feel. But it is something we strive for from a young age, and especially a quarterback. “We want that feeling,” Kegel said. “We want to be in that position.”
September 1, 2022 • thurSday • T7Special SecTion FOOTBALL 2022
TOP 40 COUNTDOWN
40 seasons 200 24 24 RANK INDICATES TOP-RATED FROM SCHOOL RANK RANKNAME—School Years, passing touchdowns, passing yards NAME—School Years, passing touchdowns, passing yards NAME—School Years, passing touchdowns, passing yards JOHN FRIESZ—Idaho 1986-89, 77, 10,697 JASON GESSER—WSU 1999-2002, 70, 8,830 RYAN LEAF—WSU 1995-97, 59, 7,433 VERNON ADAMS—EWU 2012-14, 110, 10,438 GARDNER MINSHEW—WSU 2018, 38, 4,779 ERIC BARRIERE—EWU 2017-2021, 121, 13,809 DREW BLEDSOE—WSU 1990-92, 46, 7,373 DOUG NUSSMEIER—Idaho 1990-93, 91, 10,824 LUKE FALK—WSU 2014-17, 119, 14,481 BO LEVI MITCHELL—EWU 2010-11, 36, 4,590 TIMM ROSENBACH—WSU 1986-88, 39, 5,995 MARK RYPIEN—WSU 1981-85, 28, 4,573 ERIK MEYER—EWU 2002-05, 84, 10,261 KEN HOBART—Idaho 1982-83, 79, 6,677 ALEX BRINK—WSU 2004-07, 76, 10,913 MATT NICHOLS—EWU 2006-09, 96, 12,616 ANTHONY GORDON—WSU 2018-19, 48, 5,596 MATT KEGEL—WSU 2000-03, 24, 3,982 GAGE GUBRUD—EWU 2015-19, 87, 9,984 JOHN WELSH—Idaho 1998-2001, 55, 7,401 CONNOR HALLIDAY—WSU 2011-14, 90, 11,308 SCOTT LINEHAN—Idaho 1982-86, 45, 7,018 NATHAN ENDERLE—Idaho 2007-10, 74, 10,084 JOEL CLARK—Whitworth 2003-06, 71, 8,513 RICK WORMAN—EWU 1984-85, 47, 5,588 HARRY LEONS—EWU 1994-97, 36, 4,964 MATT LINEHAN—Idaho 2014-17, 62, 10,752 JOSH BLANKENSHIP—EWU 2002, 30, 3,243 RICK SLOAN—Idaho 1984-85, no stats available JAYDEN DE LAURA—WSU 2020-21, 28, 3,684 IAN KOLSTE—Whitworth 2013-17, 82, 9,747 RYAN FIEN—Idaho 1996, 27, 3,674 ERIC HISAW—Idaho 1992-95, 29, 3,470 RICKY TURNER—WSU 1982-83, 9, 1,727 BRIAN BRENNAN—Idaho 1994-97, 42, 5,028 FRED SALANOA—EWU 1999-2001, 36, 4,973 MARK TENNESON—EWU 1989-92, 51, 7,492 BRIAN LINDGREN—Idaho 2001-03, 44, 6,451 CHAD DAVIS—WSU 1994-95, 22, 4,167 SCOTT BIGLIN—Whitworth 1999-2002, no stats available 3 17 31 5 19 3233 18 30 16 29 15 28 6 20 347 21 358 22 369 23 3710 3811 25 3912 26 4013 27 14 PHOTOS: Quarterbacks from left to right, Whitworth’s Joel Clark, EWU’s Vernon Adams, Idaho’s John Friesz and WSU’s Jason Gesser SPOKESMAN-REVIEW ARCHIVES By John Blanchette FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW 1 STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
In the quest to rank every sporting thing under the sun comes this contribution in which apples will be compared to ... apple cider vinegar. Actually, it’s quarterbacks to quarterbacks, but you’ll get the drift. With apologies to Billy Diedrick and Slingin’ Steve Olson and the Throwin’ Samoan – standard setters of the 1960s and 70s – it’s pretty much a given that the Golden Age of College Quarter backing in our neck of the gridiron extends from the early 1980s to today. In that span, the college programs of the Inland Northwest have produced 10 NFL draft picks, five Walter Payton Award winners and 26 of the 30 winningest quarterbacks in the schools’ collective histories. So 40 pretty good years. Let’s see if we can come up with the best quarterbacks, from 1 to 40. There is a built-in flaw in the construct of this endeavor, of course. Our neighborhood schools range from a Power 5 program to an FCS redblood to a football-in-proper-perspective retreat that offers no athletic scholarships – plus Idaho, which has pinballed from one perch to another. How can you compare an Idaho quarterback against Wash ington State’s best? How can the Whitworth guy possibly be measured against his Eastern Wash ingtonOnlyplaceholder?fromavirtual barstool like this. For ingredients, we began with every quarter back who started a game in the past 40 seasons –yes, Kevin Lopina is in there, and Ed Powers and Andy Beitia, too. Then we cooked up a database stew of stats, honors won, rivalries dominated, championships, bowls and playoffs achieved and, perhaps most important, pitcher-of-record determinations.Thenwesalted it to our taste. That means three-year starters had the advan tage over one-year wonders, unless that single season was a watershed moment. That means, given the programs’ relative statues, a 12-win Wazzu quarterback might have more heft than an Eastern guy with 22 to his name, especially since the EWU guy couldn’t get off the bench when he became a Cougar. Still, you’ll note that there are three Division III quarterbacks in there among the guys who cele brated FCS playoff and Apple Cup victories – and no, even though all three were conference players of the year, it’s improbable that any would have taken a snap in the Pac-12. But if that’s all this exercise is about, then you might as well rank Cougar quarterbacks 1-through-15, then tack on the 10 best from East ern and Idaho and call it a day with a top 25. Ultimately, after all the honors and statistical ratings, the tipping point needs to be value – how much these quarterbacks meant in reaching peaks and pulling programs out of valleys. Who was calling the signals in the defining moments? Who lifted a team to unexpected heights?
Friesz, Gesser set standard for greatness among local college QBs over the
So you get, say, WSU’s Gardner Minshew at No. 5 despite being a one-off transfer, as he passed the Cougars to their first 11-win season in history. You get John Welsh, who as a freshman led Idaho to its first bowl game – and victory – over Connor Halliday, the only Coug to throw for more than 700 yards in a game. You get Bo Levi Mitchell and his national championship ahead of fellow Eastern greats Matt Nichols and Erik Meyer, who won 47 games between them. And you get Idaho’s John Friesz at No. 1 over WSU’s two Rose Bowl quarterbacks. Here’s the raw resume: First quarterback in the area to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season. First to win the Payton Award as the top FCS offensive player. Three time Big Sky player of the year. Twenty-nine wins – and a 22-2 conference record. And three Big Sky championships.Onemorebitof bookkeeping: Only perfor mances from 1982 on have been factored. That robs Idaho’s Kenny Hobart of two productive seasons and maybe a spot higher on the ladder. And it also bumped WSU’s Clete Casper from the fab 40 completely, with the Cougars’ 1981 Holiday Bowl season eliminated – though he remains the quarterback of record in the most stunning Apple Cup upset in history. So start your quibbles. It’s all about armchair quarterbacking now. Maybe next time we’ll fash ion a top 40 for that. past
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Left tackle Jaxson Kirkland was the only Husky named to the preseason All-Pac-12 Conference first team. To boost the talent level, DeBoer brought in some key players via the transfer portal, particularly quarterback Mi chael Penix Jr. (Indiana) and running back Wayne Taulapapa (Virginia). Both had been team captains at their former schools. Late in training camp, DeBoer named Penix his starting quarterback. Side A (offense): DeBoer con ducted a three-way quarterback race in camp with Penix competing against last year’s primary starter Dylan Mor ris, and promising redshirt freshman Sam Huard. Penix is an intriguing pass/ run threat who was limited by knee and shoulder injuries. But, when healthy, his potential is witnessed by his 2020 effort on the road against Ohio State when he passed for 491 yards and five touchdowns.RomeOdunze and Jalen McMillan are the leading returning receivers, while Taulapapa appeared to be earn ing consideration as the lead running back in the preseason. Side B (defense): The defense finished 23rd in the nation in total yards and 36th in scoring last season, but stopping the run was a chronic weakness. Six starters lost off that unit include cornerbacks Trent McDuff ie and Kyler Gordon, drafted in the first two rounds to the NFL. UC Da vis transfer Jordan Perryman, an FCS all-American, brings immediate help to the Returningsecondary.isedge rusher Zion Tu puola-Fetui, who was limited by in juries in 2021, but was first-team AllPac-12 in 2020 with seven sacks. Extras (special teams): Return ing senior Peyton Henry connected on 11 of 14 field goal tries last season, but the Huskies have to replace punter Race Porter (48.5-yard average). Ida ho State transfer Kevin Ryan (45.6 av erage) has been brought in to tend to those duties.
Producer: Coach Kalen DeBoer spent the past two seasons at Fresno State. Album review: The Huskies need to score points and stop the run. DeBo er’s offenses have been high-powered, but the Pac-12 isn’t the Mountain West. A middle of the Pac finish would feel like a step forward, and Penix should bring some excitement to the offense. Prediction: 6-6
Tour dates 9/3: Kent St., 7:30 p.m. 9/10: Portland St., 1 p.m. 9/17: Michigan St., 4:30 p.m. 9/24: Stanford, TBD 9/30: at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. 10/8: at Arizona St., TBD 10/15: Arizona, TBD 10/22: at Cal, TBD 11/4: Oregon St., 7:30 p.m. 11/12: at Oregon, TBD 11/19: Colorado, TBD 11/26: at Washington St., TBD
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we perfection,chasewe can catch excellence.”
5. Washington (8-4, 5-4): Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has sustained enough injuries through his college career to raise concerns over reliability. But the Huskies were more talented than they showed last year. The results and personnel should move in lockstep this fall.
By Dave Boling FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Pictured: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. played four seasons at Indiana before transferring to Washington.
For context, a brief recap of the grim 2021 season: The Washington Huskies opened their football season with their first loss in history to an FCS team (Montana) and wrapped it up with a 40-13 shellacking by their in-state rival Washington State. In be tween, they won just four games and agreed to shell out $9.9 million to be rid of their head coach, Jimmy Lake (a former player at North Central High and Eastern Washington). The Huskies had gone 7-6 in 13 games under Lake, in just his second season, before he was suspended for a sideline incident in November and ul timately fired. As a replacement, UW hired Kalen DeBoer, from Fresno State, who earned acclaim as a head coach in the NAIA ranks, and as an FBS assistant, but has just two seasons’ experience as a head coach in a non-Power 5 program. So, 2022? Yeah, reasonable doubt. Lots of it.
6. Oregon State (6-6, 4-5): One of several teams that could make these projections look foolish. The defense should improve under new coordinator Trent Bray, but will the offense dominate on the ground with a retooled line? If so, the Beavers could land on the top tier. 7. StateWashington(6-6,4-5): WSU’s 2021 season was so extraordinary that we hesitate to make it the basis for assumptions this fall. Our questions aren’t about coach Jake Dickert’s leadership or quarterback Cam Ward’s talent but about the fellas up front. Will the lines hold? 8. Cal (6-6, 4-5): Transfer quarterback Jack Plummer (from Purdue) is on the short list of the Pac-12’s most intriguing players in 2022. If he takes the offense to a higher level of efficiency, a breakthrough season could follow. Because you know the Bears will play sound defense. 9. Arizona State (5-7, 3-6): Perhaps the toughest team to project due to immense roster turnover, coaching staff changes and the looming threat of NCAA sanctions. It’s not hard to sketch a path to mediocrity for the Sun Devils, especially if the discipline improves and the yellow flags vanish. 10. Stanford (4-8, 2-7): We’re not convinced a bounce-back season looms for the Cardinal, partly because of the wobbly defense but largely because of the unforgiving schedule that includes Utah, Oregon, Washington and Notre Dame on the road and 10 weeks without a break. 11. Arizona (4-8, 2-7): Learning how to win is the first essential step for a program that has one victory in the past two seasons. For all the roster improvements, coach Jedd Fisch needs more than one offseason to fully close the gap on the pack. Check back in Nov. ’23. 12. Colorado (3-9, 2-7): The Buffaloes could surprise – they did just that in the COVID year –but the talent lost to the transfer portal greatly exceeds the talent gained. Also, the offensive line is a work in progress, and we’re skeptical the quarterback play will support a midlevel finish. Championship game: Utah 31, Oregon 26 Two weeks after their loss in Eugene, the Utes cement their status as the Pac-12’s top program with their second consecutive title. But multiple losses once again prevent a CFP appearance.
Vince Lombardi
WASHINGTON
T8 • Thursday • sepTember 1, 2022 Special SecTion
The developments on the field will be more riveting than the action on it, just not as accessible to the viewing public. Will Oregon, Washington, Stanford and Cal sign up, or depart for the Big Ten? Will Arizona, ASU, Utah and Colorado flee for the BigWill12? they stick together and stand on 10, or grow theClaritymembership?couldbe months away. Meanwhile, a vital season awaits. The Pac-12 has seven new starting quarterbacks, four new head coaches, three ranked teams (in the AP preseason poll), two mammoth season openers and one collective pursuit: Place a team in the College Football Playoff for the first time in six years. It needs someone to excel this fall. Perhaps USC rises above with new coach Lincoln Riley. Far better for the conference would be the emergence of a playoff team that isn’t currently pledged to the Big Ten. Utah and Oregon are the top candidates, and both have showcase games to start the season: The Utes visit Florida while the Ducks face Georgia, the defending national champions.Avictory by either would generate instant credibility and open a path to the playoff, however daunting it might Loomingbe. above this crucial conference season are two incontrovertible truths:–No two-loss team has ever reached the playoff. – No Pac-12 team has gone undefeated in league play during the CFP era. If Oregon or Utah loses the opener, its path to the grand stage narrows considerably.
Oh, and there’s one more unprecedented piece to the Pac-12 season: There are no more conferenceMonthsdivisions.ago,thetweaked the qualification process for its championship game. Instead of the North and South winners participating, the teams with the best conference record (by thatpredictionsthey12-teamstandingsaltogether.scrappedthepercentage)winningwilladvance.Thissummer,ittooknextlogicalstepandthedivisionsTheleaguewillshowasinglegrouping,justasdoinbasketball.Ourorder-of-finishbelowreflectchange. 1. Oregon (9-3, 8-1): We expect a slow start with so many new pieces and two challenging early assignments (Georgia and Brigham Young). But the stout defense should carry the Ducks until the offense finds its form. In the end, rookie coach Dan Lanning makes it look easy. 2. Utah (10-2, 7-2): The defending conference champs must, for the first time, deal with the pressure that comes with taking everyone’s best shot. Look for a stellar start at Florida, two losses in conference play, followed by a successful title defense. (See below.) 3. USC (9-3, 7-2): We’re buying the hype, but at a reduced price. The Trojans don’t quite have the talent or depth across the lines of scrimmage to pull off the 13-0 or 12-1 season that’s required for a playoff bid. But give Riley one more recruiting cycle, and the CFP awaits. 4. UCLA (9-3, 6-3): With three non-conference cupcakes and eight home games, the schedule is built for a successful season. So is the coaching staff (new defensive coordinator: Bill McGovern) and the roster (same quarterback: contender.ConsiderThompson-Robinson).DorianUCLAatitle
A summer like no other for the Pac-12 has given way to a football season that defies all reason. How else do you explain the twin threats of pathogen and smoke while two teams have one foot out the door and the other 10 must decide if they’re walking down the aisle or feeling for the hills? It has been 57 days since USC and UCLA announced their departures for the Big Ten in the summer of ’24, and the Pac-12 is no closer to settling its future than it was when the ground liquified.Asitsteams seek national relevance on the field, conference and campus officials will determine whether to sign a new media rights contract, expand the membership or disband.
After a year of dismal performances, Huskies hit stage with a lineup led by an exciting new duo – Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr.
JENNIFER BUCHANAN/SEATTLE TIMES; STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Utah, Oregon and USC look like headliners as possible breakup looms
Surprise hit: Massive (6-6, 335) of fensive guard Ulumoo Ale was moved in the offseason to the defensive line to help shore up the Huskies rush defense. UW has had success with big men at that position, and Ale could be the next.
SYNDICATEDCOLUMNIST WILNERJON
FOOTbaLL 2022
Jeff Robinson, Idaho Program career record: 57.5 quarter back sacks The NCAA didn’t start officially collecting sack statistics until 2000, so Robinson’s total, which he racked up from 1989 to 1992, does not rank among the NCAA record books. But it is certain ly the most in Vandals history – 18 more than the 39.5 Ryan Phillips had from 1993 to 1996. Rob inson set a single-season Idaho record with 20 sacks in 1991. A graduate of Ferris High, Robin son was twice named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
Scott Miller, Whitworth Program record: 105-yard kickoff return By definition, this record, which Miller set in 1984, is unbreakable – the NCAA counts any re turn that begins in the end zone as starting at the goal line, so 100 yards is the official maximum.
John Friesz, Idaho Program career record: 305.6 passing yards per game Friesz, who also set an Idaho record by throw ing for at least 300 yards in 14 consecutive games, set this record during a memorable fouryear career from 1986 to 1989. Doug Nussmeier, his successor and Idaho quarterback from 1990 to 1993, is second on the list with 277.5 yards per game. At the FCS level, Friesz’s average ranks 13th all-time, but of the 12 names above him, only five played more than the 35 games Friesz did.
Chuck Nelson, Washington Program and FBS record: 30 consecu tive made field goals Nelson made his last five field-goal attempts in the 1981 season, and then he began the next year by making 25 more in a row to set an FBS record. Even great Huskies kicker Jeff Jaeger –who holds the program career record with 85 field goals – never had a streak longer than 16. Infamously, Nelson’s streak ended in the fourth quarter of the Huskies’ final regular season game, when they trailed the Cougars, 21-20. Nel son missed a 33-yarder to the right of the goal post, and the Cougars won the game, 24-20.
Hugh McElhenny, Washington Program record: 100-yard punt return for a touchdown In the years 1950, 1951 and 1952, the NCAA saw five players return punts for 100 yards, and McElhenny – in a 20-13 loss to USC in 1951 – had one of them, still the longest in program history and among the 12 longest ever in the FBS (Idaho’s Keo Shiloh, in 2007, had another 100-yard punt return). Rarely do returners field a punt at their goal line any longer, and in Huskies history the next-lon gest return belongs to Steve Bramwell, who brought a punt back 92 yards against Oregon State in 1963. Aaron Fuller’s 88-yard punt re turn touchdown in 2019 is the fifth-longest in Huskies’ history and most recent among the program’s top 10. Sources: Football media guides from Wash ington State, Washington, Idaho, Eastern Wash ington and Whitworth; NCAA record books for FCS (2022), FBS (2021) and Division III (2022) from ncaa.org.
It’s hard to pick just one record for a player whose name appears 41 times in the FCS record books, nevermind all the times he is mentioned in Eastern Washington’s. But this is perhaps the most unbreakable of Kupp’s records at Eastern, considering that no one else has more than 253 career receptions. Consider also: Kupp’s four single-season reception totals of 117, 114, 104 and 93 are all top-five records in their own right. He made those receptions count, too, as his 6,464 receiving yards are an FCS record.
The saying suggests that records are meant to be broken, but the circumstanc es of these records – all of them the best in their respective program and some at their respective level of college football – make these marks particularly unique and difficult to surpass. Here’s a look at records from Wash ington State, Washington, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Whitworth that would require something – or someone – to be remarkable in order to be supplanted.
Sonny Sixkiller, Washington Program single-game record: six in terceptions thrown There are some memorable names lower on this list: Cody Pickett once threw five intercep tions, as did Don Heinrich and Brock Huard. But Sixkiller’s six drive-killers in a 1970 game against Oregon State stand as a Huskies’ single-game record, one that is all the more remarkable be cause it came in a Washington victory, 29-20. In passing yardage, Sixkiller ranks eighth all-time among Huskies quarterbacks with 5,496. But he does hold one record all to himself: 51 intercep tions, seven more than anyone else.
Spider Gaines, Washington Program career record: 23.6 yards per reception The Huskies have had many a speedster wide out in the years since Gaines played for them from 1975 to 1978, but none have really come all that close to the receiver’s career yards per re ception average of 23.6 (with a minimum of 50 receptions). Next best is Brian Slater’s 19.2 yards per catch (from 1985-88), and the last player to come anywhere close was Hunter Bryant (201719), who caught 85 passes at an average of 16.4 yards. Gaines had eight receptions of at least 50 yards in his career, a number bested only by John Ross, who had 11. In all, Gaines had 70 re ceptions for 1,651 yards.
Eastern Washington linebacker Jack Sendelbach flexes after the defense stops Idaho on Oct. 16, 2021 in Cheney. The victory was EWU’s 20th straight at Roos Field.
Bryan Peterson, Whitworth Program and D-III single-game record: 58 completions In a wild game in California that featured six lead changes, quarterback Bryan Peterson com pleted 58 of 82 passing attempts, including a 14yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fullman with 30 seconds left that gave Whitworth a 50-48 victory at La Verne on Sept. 20, 2014. Peterson – who set school records for competitions, at tempts and passing yards (580) in the game –also did not throw an interception, making those 82 attempts an NCAA D-III record for most in a game without also being picked off.
Eric Barriere, EWU Program (and FCS) single-half record: 53 passing attempts If anyone’s name appears as much as Coo per Kupp’s in Eastern’s record book, it might be Eric Barriere. The quarterback won the Walter Payton Award last season as the best offensive player in the FCS and in the process became the program’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (121), completions (1,007), yards (13,809) and to tal offensive yards (15,394). But his last appear ance as an Eagles quarterback epitomized just what he meant to the program, as Barriere at tempted 53 second-half throws in a 57-41 playoff loss to Montana. His 34 fourth-quarter attempts in that game is, like the 53, an FCS record for that duration.
STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Whitworth Pirates defense Program single-season record: 34 points allowed, 34 interceptions In the first of three straight one-loss seasons, this Sam Adams-coached Pirates team in 1959 fielded a suffocating defense, holding oppo nents to 34 total points across a nine-game sea son. The 34 interceptions in nine games (nearly four per game) is also a program record. During Adams’ seven-year tenure from 1958 to 1964, the Pirates had six winning seasons.
Cooper Kupp, EWU Program career record: 428 receptions
September 1, 2022 • thurSday • T9Special SecTion FOOtbaLL 2022 FROM KUPP’S 428 RECEPTIONS TO MAYES’ 357 RUSH YARDS, THESE RECORDS PROBABLY WEREN’T MADE TO BE BROKEN
Willis Smith, Idaho Program career record: 8.73 career yards per carry From 1929 to 1932, Willis Smith averaged 8.73 yards per carry, more than two yards more than any other Vandals running back with at least 80 career carries. Smith went far beyond that min imum, too, rushing 347 times for 3,029 career yards, which ranks third-most in program history.
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Connor Halliday, WSU Program and FBS single-game record: 89 passing attempts Just 10 minutes into a game against No. 2 Or egon on Oct. 19, 2013, the Cougars were already down by double-digits, and Halliday just kept throwing and throwing and throwing. Halliday’s record-setting day was not the only time the quarterback was asked to throw and throw and throw to get the Cougars back into a football game, but it was certainly the most statistically memorable. The Ducks won the game, 62-38, but Halliday set a program and FBS record by attempting 89 passes. He completed 58 of them for 557 yards, which was his second-highest sin gle game total behind the school -and FBS- re cord 734 he had against Cal in 2014.
Jason Hanson, WSU Program and FBS record: 20 field goals from 50-plus yards No other Cougars kicker has come anywhere close to beating Hanson in this category. His 20 made field goals of at least 50 yards from 1988-91 is 15 more than anyone else to kick for the Cougars (Rian Lindell is second with five), and Hanson’s total also represents an FBS re cord. Hanson also holds the FBS record for made (and attempted) field goals from 40-plus yards, having made 39 of 66 attempts from such distances. His career long of 62 (against UNLV in 1991) is still a program best, though Andrew Furney came close with a 60-yarder against Eastern Washington in 2012.
Walt Spangenberg, Whitworth Program single-game record: 4 fum ble recoveries Spangenberg holds one of the more obscure records in Whitworth’s history, set in 1953, when he recovered four fumbles in one game against Western Washington. The offensive and defen sive lineman played three seasons for the Pirates, and during that stretch from 1953 to 1955 the Pi rates went 24-1 and won three Evergreen Con ference titles.
By Dan Thompson FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Luke Falk, WSU Program single-game record: .914 (32-35) completion percentage If Connor Halliday epitomized the early years of Mike Leach’s Air Raid tenure in Pullman, then Luke Falk can serve as the poster child for a more mature and successful mini-era for the former WSU coach. In 2016 the Cougars lost their first two but then rattled off eight consecutive victo ries, one of which was a 69-7 drubbing of visiting Arizona. Falk, whose name appears among the top 15 in various FBS career record categories, was perhaps at his very best in this game when he completed 32 of 35 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns. No other WSU quarterback has had such an efficient line while attempting at least 10 passes. Tyler Hilinski, who took over for him later in the game, came close, complet ing 15 of 17 attempts for 163 yards and two more touchdowns. They combined, then, to complete 47 of 52 attempts that day. WSU won its next game but then lost its last three.
Eastern Washington Eagles Program record: 20 consecutive home victories This streak began in 2017 after a loss to Weber State and ended last season with a loss to We ber State. Between those games, Eastern built up what was the longest active home winning streak in the FCS. That included three playoff victories in 2018 on the Eagles’ way to a national title game appearance, a 38-24 loss to North Da kota State in Frisco, Texas.
Tristen Taylor, EWU Program career record: 60 starts Like all players who were eligible during COVID-19, Taylor had the chance to play more games than athletes of prior eras, and he made the most of it, setting Eastern’s career starts re cord from 2016 to 2021 with 60, eight more than anyone else in program history. Since Taylor started every game of his career, his 60 games played are also a program record.
Rueben Mayes, WSU Program single-game record: 357 rushing yards Set in a 50-41 victory over Oregon in 1984, Mayes’ single-game team record of 357 rushing yards was at the time also the Division I record as well. Twelve FBS running backs have since surpassed his mark, but Mayes’ total still stands as the best in WSU history, and it’s not all that close. Bernard Jackson remains second with the 261 yards he had against Oregon in 1971. Jerome Harrison has the next three best totals of 260, 247 and 240 set during the 2004 and 2005 sea sons. Mayes went on to play parts of six seasons in the NFL for the Saints and Seahawks.
Tom Hennessey, Idaho Program single-season record: 180 tackles As a senior in 1986, Hennessey broke what was then Sam Merriman’s single-season tackle record by 35 tackles in just one more game. Hennessey, a linebacker, averaged 15 tackles a game that sea son. In the years since, two other Vandals have surpassed Merriman’s mark of 145 tackles, but David Vobora (148 in 2007) and Jason Shelt (148 in 1993) were still far from Hennessey’s record. Tre Walker made a run at it in 2019, when he had 138 tackles, tied for sixth-most in team history.
Side B (defense): The Eagles broke from their mold a bit defensive ly this year by adding five transfers to their back seven, including a trio of linebackers (Jaren Banks from Rice, Sherwin King Jr. from Fresno State, and Derek Tommasini from Idaho) and a pair of former Washington State de fensive backs (sophomores Alphonse Oywak and Zane Thornton). The line backers add significant depth and will likely see more game action early on than the defensive backs, who already had a strong core. Senior captain and safety Anthany Smith leads an experi enced secondary that helped the team finish fifth in the Big Sky a year ago in pass defense. Preseason All-Confer ence selection Joshua Jerome leads a defensive line corps that rotates in eight or nine players.
Side A (offense): Senior Gunner Talkington spent the last few years backing up Eric Barriere, but he will get his chance to continue the histo ry of strong quarterback play for the Eagles. “I’ve been his roommate for a long time,” said sixth-year tight end Dylan Ingram. “I have a lot of respect for him. … He’s been patient, he’s wait ed, but he’s also put in the work behind the scenes, and I think that’s definitely showing up right now. I’m really ex cited to see what he can do.” He’ll be throwing to a group of receivers led by junior Freddie Roberson and soph omore Efton Chism III, a preseason All-Conference selection. The Eagles look to have plenty of options at run ning back, and while their offensive line has three new starters this year, that has long been a position Eastern has developed well.
T10 • Thursday • sepTember 1, 2022 Special SecTion FOOTbaLL 2022 EASTERN WASHINGTON
Montana State returns starting quarterback Tom my Mellott, who led the Bobcats to three playoff victories last season. The sophomore quarterback and Isaiah Ifanse, the Bob cats’ senior running back, landed on the preseason watchlist for the Walter Payton Award. Breakthrough hit: Portland State. The Vikings return two of the top defensive play ers in the FCS in safety An thony Adams and end VJ Malo. If sophomore quar terback Dante Chachere can ably replace David Al exander, an experienced Vikings team should push for a playoff spot. Falling down the charts: Weber State. The Wildcats near ly clawed their way back into playoff contention last season after losing four of their first six and finished 5-3 in conference play. While their nonconference schedule isn’t as daunting this season, the Wildcats’ Big Sky schedule sure is. The three teams they won’t play are Northern Colo rado, Cal Poly and Idaho, which combined for just six conference wins last season. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room for a team seeking to replace half its defensive starters.
Tour dates 9/3: Tennessee St., 1 p.m. 9/10: at Oregon, 5:30 p.m. 9/24: Montana St., 1 p.m. 10/1: at Florida, 9 a.m. 10/8: at Weber St., 5 p.m. 10/15: Sacramento St., 4 p.m. 10/22: at Cal Poly, 5 p.m. 10/29: Portland St., 1 p.m. 11/5: at Idaho, noon 11/12: at Montana, noon 11/19: N. Colorado, 1 p.m.
Pictured: Sophomore receiver Efton Chism III caught 80 passes for 735 yards last season.
Big
In the last year, three of the top teams in the Foot ball Championship Sub division announced their intentions to ascend to the Bowl Subdivision, some thing that could be seen as a considerable blow to the competitiveness at the FCSYetlevel.atthe summer Big Sky football meetings, coaches from the league – which dropped to 12 football members after Southern Utah left to join the Western Athletic Con ference – were not con cerned about the viability of football at their level. If anything, they vouched for itsLastsolidity.season, the Big Sky sent five teams to the play offs, and Montana State reached the champion ship game. Matching those markers is the benchmark now for the conference. Chart toppers: Sac ramento State, Montana, Montana State. The Hornets went 8-0 in the Big Sky last year but didn’t have to play Eastern Washington or Montana State (they did beat Mon tana, in Missoula). They utilize two quarterbacks, Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara, and last year field ed one of the top three de fenses in the Big Sky. Montana overcame in consistent quarterback play last year with a strong defense, and much of that defense returns this sea son, led by the senior duo of Robby Hauck and Pat rick O’Connell, who are both on the watchlist for the Buck Buchanan Award.
By Dan Thompson FOR THE SPOKSMAN-REVIEW It has never been easier for a college football player to switch programs, yet Eastern Washington has experienced very little turnover in that regard the last two seasons since the NCAA loos ened its transfer rules. For the most part, Eastern has con tinued to heavily recruit high school students and develop them, creating an atmosphere that players appreciate, defensive end and team captain Mitch ell Johnson said. “This is just an extremely special place. I wouldn’t play a sixth year here if I didn’t love it here,” Johnson said midway through preseason camp. “(I love) the coaches, the players, the tra dition here.” The Eagles’ tradition is a rich one, with 12 playoff appearances since 2004, including a national title in 2010. But they play in a strong Big Sky Confer ence and enter the season with a quar terback who is, at least in game action, unproven outside the program.
DEFECTIONS ROCKED THE FCS, BUT BIG SKY ROLLS ALONG WITH A WINNING MIX
By Dan Thompson FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
TYLER TJOMSLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Extras (special teams): Ju nior kicker Seth Harrison will look to bounce back after battling injuries last season, when he appeared in only sev en games and made 6 of 12 field-goal attempts. In his first two seasons, in cluding the COVID spring, Harrison made 18 of 21 such kicks. Punter Nick Kokich, a junior, will try to improve his play after the Eagles had the worst punt average (39.4 yards) in the Big Sky last season. Last season the Eagles were not explosive in the return game, but Chism returns as the team’s prima ry punt and kickoff returner. Surprise hits: Wide receiver Nolan Ulm had just eight receptions last sea son, but he had a big spring game and has looked good in fall scrimmages, too, as a sophomore. Junior cornerback Demetrius Crosby Jr. came on strong last season and finished with a teamhigh 11 pass breakups despite starting just two games. Producer: Aaron Best has been around the program for 26 years, and since he became head coach in 2017 the team is 41-17 with three playoff appear ances in five seasons. In each of his sea sons, including the COVID-shortened spring season, the Eagles have won at least five conference games. Doing so again this year would be a great testa ment to the work of Best and the staff, considering the difficult schedule they seem to have in front of them. Album review: Eastern should be improved on defense, and Best vowed to address the special teams, which struggled last year. Offensively, the Eagles should still be able to move the ball, even if they are unlikely to match their record-setting numbers from last year. Expect more close games in the 20s and 30s and an incredibly import ant game Nov. 12 at Montana. Prediction: 6-5
Despite a string of hits (12 playoff appearances since 2004 and a 2010 national title), the Eagles face some challenges on the road this season without their longtime lead slinger
Montana State Bobcats running back Isaiah Ifanse (22) runs the ball against EWU as time runs down during the second half of a game on Nov. 6, 2021, at Roos Field in Cheney. Montana State won the game 23-20. picSkyks Dan 12.11.10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.finish:predictedThompson’sorderofMontanaSacramentoStateMontanaStateUCDavisPortlandStateEasternWashingtonWeberStateNorthernArizonaCalPolyIdahoNorthernColoradoIdahoState
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September 1, 2022 • thurSday • T11Special SecTion
Producer: Rod Sandberg en ters his ninth season as Pirates’ head coach with a 58-17 record, looking to lead the Pirates to their second NWC title during his time in Spokane. The team’s 7-3 record drives the coaches, too, he said, to be better this season. “We re evaluate where we are off, what we can do differently,” Sandberg said. “I’ve never had a more moti vated offseason personally.” Also, for the first time since his first few years of coaching, the defen sive-minded Sandberg is working on the offensive side by helping with the running backs. Album review: Linfield rolled through the conference last year, though they did so with Wyatt Smith, a Gagliardi Tro phy finalist, who has graduated. George Fox and Pacific are more formidable than they’ve been. And the Pirates’ non-conference schedule provides stiff compe tition. It’s tough to see any team running the table in the North west Conference this year. Prediction: 8-2
FOOtbaLL 2022
By Peter Harriman FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Side A (offense):
Side A (of fense): The Pirates should be deep ernspentafterarefromsivestartingFourturniahHinesfromrunningTheirdyningledquarterback,atbyreturnstarterJaePrewitt.toptwobackslastyear,andIsaJones,reaswell.oftheiroffenlinemenayearagoback,andayearatSouthUtah,Ian
Side B (defense): Whit worth was vulnerable against the run last season but partic ularly strong against the pass, and its opponent third-down conversion rate (29.3%) was second best in the NWC. With three starters returning in the secondary (Colten Chelin, BJ Mullin and Jacob Hogger) and all three starting linebackers back too (Patrick Serrano, Der rick Platt and Dylan Ventress), the focus will be on whether the defensive line can stay healthy and become a strength through out the year. Extras (special teams): Se nior kicker Nate RaPue earned First-team All-Conference hon ors last year, making 11 of 17 field goals and 36 of 37 point-after attempts. As a unit, the Pirates’ kickoff coverage ranked first in the NWC. Starting punter Alvaro Campos-Ontiveros is back, too.
The Vandals are loaded with players who can make something happen with the ball in their hands. Idaho returns Terez Traynor, its leading receiver, who had 50 catches for 737 yards and three touchdowns a year ago. Hayden Hatten, an all-Big Sky performer from the 2021 spring season, is back from an injury that limited him to four games last year. Indiana remem bers him. He scored both Idaho touch downs in a 56-14 loss to the Hoosiers lastIdahoyear. also has capable tight ends in Alex Moore and Connor Whitney. The Vandals can attack with a deep corps of running lacks, led by power runners Aundre Carter and Roshaun Johnson. Elijah Cummings and fresh man Anthony Woods provide speed out of the Threebackfield.quarterbacks split time in camp and each has shown flashes. C.J. Jordan and McCoy both had game ex perience at quarterback last year, and are joined by South Dakota State trans fer J’Bore Gibbs. The offensive line is anchored by third-team all-Big Sky left tackle Lo gan Floyd, who is joined by Abe Chris tensen, Nate Azzopardi, Beau St. John, and Morningside University graduate transfer Jason Hahlbeck.
As disappointing as last year’s 7-3 record was to the Whitworth Pirates, with nine returning start ers each on defense and offense, they are getting a rare chance to redeem it with PiratesinConference,Northwestangetbeenhasn’tsinceinIIIthelastsameentirelyalmosttheroster.WhitworthmadeDivisionplayoffs2018,butthenitquiteabletothroughimprovedwhichthefinished fourth last sea son behind perennial power Lin field and rising programs Pacific and George Fox.
Producer: This is Jason Eck’s sec ond tour through Moscow. He was the offensive line coach for Idaho in 200405 and the Vandals’ tight ends coach and run coordinator in 2006. As offensive coordinator, he took Minnesota State Mankato to the NCAA Division II championship game in 2014 and South Dakota State to the 2020 Covid-season FCS championship game and the semifinals in 2021. Eck led one of the top 10 FCS offens es at SDSU, and he was the American Football Coaches Association FCS as sistant coach of the year in 2019. Album review: Anything north of .500 would be reason to celebrate in Eck’s first season. A retreat from last year’s 4-7 record would be cause for concern. The ceiling for the Vandals this year is probably eight wins. Prediction: 6-5
Under the direction of new maestro Jason Eck, confident Vandals look to speed up the tempo in hopes of producing a winning tune
But the Pirates are sure they’ve got the pieces to right the ship. “I think it’s more now about handling our business and our selves,” running back Solo Hines said.
By Dan Thompson FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Kolste has returned as offensive coordinator. “We have a lot of weapons on offense for sure,” Hines said. “Maybe too many.”
Side B (defense): Idaho hopes to rotate a half-dozen down line men across a three-man front to pro vide consistent pressure. Senior Nate DeGraw provides experience, and newcomer Tuiumi Aiono is a stout, 325-pound presence in the middle. The Vandals will also employ a rush defensive end in a two-point stance who can drop into coverage. Julia no Falaniko, a graduate transfer from USC, and senior Leo Tamba have been working there. Idaho is sound and deep at lineback er with Fa’Avae Fa’Avae, who made 76 tackles including four for loss last year, anchoring the unit. Notre Dame grad uate transfer Paul Moala and Mujeeb Rufai should join him as starters. Jeremiah Salaam, Tommy McCor mick, and newcomer Murvin Kenion III should be mainstays in a second ary that will be snugged up tighter to receivers than Idaho fans were accus tomed to seeing in recent seasons. Extras (special teams): Ricardo Chavez will handle the punting, PATs and field goals. Logan Prescott will kick off. Nick Romano, second-team all-Big Sky kick returner from the spring 2021 season, is back. Surprise hit: Freshman speedster Anthony Woods rushed for 1,584 yards and 24 touchdowns as a high school se nior in Palmdale, California. In presea son camp with the Vandals, he showed how he was able to do that.
Tour dates 9/3: at WSU, 6:30 p.m. 9/10: at Indiana, 5 p.m. 9/17: Drake, noon 9/24: at N. Arizona, 1 p.m. 10/1: N. Colorado, 6 p.m. 10/15: at Montana, noon 10/22: Portland St., noon 10/29: at Sac. St., 6 p.m. 11/5: EWU, noon 11/12: UC Davis, 4 p.m. 11/19: at Idaho St., noon IDAHO
Pictured: Linebacker Fa’Avae Fa’Avae anchors the Idaho defense under new coach Jason Eck.
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Feeling the blues a year ago, Pirates excited to bring the band back together as they look to climb the NWC, Division III charts
TYLER TJOMSLAND PHOTO/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW; STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION Coach Rod Sandberg has a 58-17 record in eight seasons at Whitworth. Tour dates 9/2: at Carnegie Mellon, 4 p.m. 9/10: E. Oregon, 1 p.m. 9/17: Scripps,Claremont-Mudd-1p.m. 10/1: at Lewis & Clark, 1 p.m. 10/8: Linfield, 1 p.m. 10/15: at Pacific Lutheran, 1 p.m. 10/22: at Willamette, 1 p.m. 10/29: Puget Sound, 1 p.m. 11/5: at Pacific, 1 p.m. 11/12: George Fox, 12:30 p.m.
Surprise hits: Prewitt praised junior receiver Riley Morrison, a transfer from Simon Fraser, the same program Hines came from a year before. Mor rison caught 45 passes for 405 yards last season at SFU. Anoth er transfer, Michael Workman, is also in the mix at wideout. Now a junior, the Mead High graduate spent the last two seasons with the Idaho Vandals but did not see any game action there.
They do not lack confidence. Recently, in advance of their sea son-opening game against Washington State on Saturday, the Idaho Vandals under new coach Jason Eck were prac ticing specific game situations. In one of these, quarterback Gevani McCoy took a snap under center, re treated a couple of steps and dropped to a knee in a win-preserving victory formation.Sincetheir 9-4 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl winning season in 2016, the Van dals have been unable to post a winning record and were 4-7 a year ago. But a new coach always trails optimism in his wake, and Eck has come to Moscow with a vision of what it will take to re awaken what he calls the “sleeping gi ant of Idaho football.” Idaho opens with a pair of imposing challenges, the Cougars from the Pac12 and Indiana from the Big Ten. After that, the Vandals return home to en tertain Drake in the first of five home games.InEck’s first season, Idaho appears to favor speed rather than size at most positions. It is not the worst thing to be in the wide-open Big Sky Conference.
WHITWORTH
PICKSTHE Game-by-gamepredictionsfortheSeattleSeahawks
The Seahawks’ young players should be advancing by this part of the season but the Cardinals seem to play well in Seattle. Arizona, 24-20. Oct. 23 at L.A. Chargers
How did the Pete Carroll/ John Schneider golden age come to Simply,this?a series of subpar drafts and the aging of corner stone stars couldn’t sustain the level of play that had made the team perennial contenders. Fol low up a 7-10 season (last in the NFC West) by trading the fran chise’s best quarterback (Rus sell Wilson) and releasing the all-time leading tackler (Bob by Wagner), and here you are. Starting from the bottom. Supporting that theme, the prime candidates for Wilson’s re placement, Geno Smith and Drew Lock, also have been touted as the worst quarterback prospects in the league. While Lock was lim ited with untimely COVID, Smith performed with mixed results during the Meanwhile,preseason.therest of the squad failed to convince fans they were adequately capable of tackling, catching the football, or executing the fundamental requirements of special teams. A number of the better players saw limited action, which might cause fortunes to rise once the real games start. At times, rook ies showed flashes of poten tial. The assimilation of those rookies, and the trajectory of other young replacements, will determine if the Seahawks can bounce back off the canvas or if fans will have to wait until the 2023 conscription of draftees to dare expect the team to chal lenge again.
Giants
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By Dave Boling FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Several preseason power rankings consigned the Seattle Seahawks to the NFL cellar. No. 32. Dead last. It adds particular relevance to a staple tune played over the loudspeakers at Seahawks practices for several years, Drake’s “Started from the Bot tom,” which stands as a per fectly appropriate theme for the 2022 season. For much of the preseason the Seahawks did little to suggest their pros pects were anything above di visional doormat.
Side A (offense): The pre season battle between Smith and Lock mostly displayed what was expected: Neither will reach the level of prime Russell Wilson. But neither did Russell Wilson in 2021. Smith, named the starter last week, has been somewhat steady (without much help from backup receiv ers), while Lock had little op portunity to show whether he has steadied the uneven perfor mances that have characterized his career thus far. The drafting of two tackles –Charles Cross in the first round, and Abe Lucas (Washington State) in the third – helped give a few returners up front the look of a much-improved offen siveTheline.bankable portion of the offense will be the receiving corps, anchored by veteran Ty ler Lockett (three straight 1,000yard receiving seasons) and the contractually locked-up D.K. Metcalf (12 receiving touch downs).Andalthough running back Chris Carson was forced into an injury retirement, his re placement, former first-rounder Rashaad Penny, was the hot test back in the NFL down the stretch and led the league with a 6.29-yard average per carry. Health has been the nagging concern for Penny, who rushed a modest 280 attempts in the first four seasons of his career. Rookie second-round pick Kenneth Walker III could be a key addition in the backfield but missed time in the preseason with abdominal surgery.
By Dave Boling FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Sept. 12 vs. Denver
SEATTLE
FOOTbaLL 2022
JENNIFER BUCHANAN/SEATTLE TIMES; STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith, left, and backup Drew Lock bring different skill sets in their quest to replace Russell Wilson.
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The Lions had three wins last sea son, with the Hawks pounding them at home. The Lions look to be rebuild ing and will make this closer, but the Hawks squeak this out. Seattle, 2421. Oct. 9 at New Orleans
If aged Tom Brady is still on both legs, he has his way with the Hawks. Tampa Bay, 31-20. Nov. 27 vs. Las Vegas This could be the time of year that the Seattle youngsters mature and the rush offense meshes on a rain-soaked turf. Hawks make it close but fall. Las Vegas,Dec.17-14.4 at L.A. Rams
These games in the desert can turn weird so let’s say Arizona takes this one in overtime. Arizona, 9-6. Nov. 13 vs. Tampa Bay in Munich
The Pete Carroll-John Schneider duo has produced plenty of big numbers, but the loss of frontman Russell Wilson could leave Seahawks out of tune
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Long trip for a sorry Giants team. Seahawks take care of business. Seat tle, 31-17.Nov. 6 at Arizona
The Rams are too much for Seattle again, but the Hawks make it close. Rams, 31-28. Dec. 11 vs. Carolina Baker Mayfield can’t over come an improving Seattle defense. Seahawks, 21-14. Dec. 15 vs. FranciscoSan Hawks get a second win in the same week on a Thurs day night in Seattle. Sea hawks, 24-17. Dec. 24 at Kansas City The Hawks don’t have the offensive firepower to stick with the Chiefs on Christmas Eve at Arrowhead. K.C., 27-17. Jan. 1 vs. N.Y. Jets Jets nearing the end of a long season with a long trip. Seattle celebrates the new year with a win. Seattle, 31-17. Jan. 8 vs. L.A. Rams The Rams have their playoff position secured but still pull out a slim win. L.A., 21-17.
The Falcons were one of the worst teams in scoring defense last season. This could be one of those “ba rometer” games to see how much fight the Hawks will have in them this sea son. Seattle, 20-10. Oct. 2 at Detroit
The Saints pulled off a close one, 13-10, in Seattle last year. They will have more breathing room at home as the Seahawks’ season enters a tough stretch. New Orleans, 27-17. Oct. 16 vs. Arizona
T12 • Thursday • sepTember 1, 2022 Special SecTion
The Chargers are a team on the rise, and quarterback Justin Herbert will give the Hawks secondary a long day. Chargers,Oct.27-17.30vs.
Side B (defense): With Wagner gone, Jordyn Brooks gets the chance to grow into a new Wagner. Brooks was second in the NFL with tackles last sea son with a Seahawk record 183. The other linebackers have a great deal to prove. The Hawks finished next-tolast in the league in pass defense in 2021. Former All-Pro safe ty Jamal Adams is coming off a down year, but safety Quandre Diggs had five interceptions in a Pro Bowl season. A number of new faces may see action at the corners and nickel with a pair of rookies, Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen, looking like the corners of the Darrellfuture.Taylor (6.5 sacks last season in his first year active), rookie Boye Mafe, and Uchenna Nwosa will likely provide most of the edge pressure for what is expected to be a more aggressive defense led by new coordinator Clint Hurtt. Extras (special teams): Michael Dickson remains one of the most talented punters in the league with snapper Tyler Ott highly dependable. Kicker Jason Myers’ 17-23 performance was his lowest percentage of success in his three seasons with the Seahawks. Coverage and return units were less than adequate in the preseason, when many of the units were comprised of border line players. Surprise hits: Fifth-round cornerback Tariq Woolen, at 6-foot-4 and with sub 4.3 time in the 40, has the look of some of the young Legion of Boomers in their early days. Producer: Pete Carroll be gins his 13th season with a re cord of 119-73-3 Album review: Vegas has the Seahawks’ win total set at 5.5, and that’s probably fair. To get past six wins, they’ll need to get steady quarterback play, stay healthy and hope the promising rookie class grows up in a hurry. Five home games in the last seven could help spur a late rally. Prediction: 6-11
What will a full-house crowd at Lumen Field do when Russell Wil son runs onto the field in a Broncos uniform? Monday Night crowd in the season-opener? Plenty of drama for a matchup between teams that were 7-10 last season. Wilson knows how to win in this building. Add another one for him. Denver, 24-20. Sept. 18 at FranciscoSan The Niners have a new quarterback themselves, Trey Lance, leaving them a largely unknown quantity early this season. The Sea hawks swept them last sea son, but this time? Maybe not. San Francisco, 20-17. Sept. 25 vs. Atlanta
