• It didn't come as a surprise that No. 2 Stanford (9-3, 1-0) took down WSU women's hoops (9-4, 0-1) Sunday afternoon in Beasley Coliseum. The manner in which they hammered the Cougs was. It seems that most every team in contending with players left out because of Covid protocol. Stanford was missing three from their roster which offered a glimmer of hope for Cougar faithful. The Cougs got off to a terrific start, leading 13-7 early on. However, it was the Cardinal who shut down their opponent the rest of the way. By halftime, Stanford went to the locker room with a comfortable 10-point lead, 37-27. Though they weren't short-handed, it was Wazzu who ran out of gas in the second half. WSU managed just 3-points in the fourth quarter. Arguably this was the worst performance by a Coach Kamie Ethridge team since she arrived on the Palouse. If you want more details, here's a link (I don't recommend further review):
  https://wsucougars.com/news/2022/1/2/womens-basketball-cougs-fall-to-no-2-3-stanford-on-sunday.aspx

• Colton Clark put together some good ideas regarding Coach Jake Dickert's offense performance in the Sun Bowl. There's no question the offensive line was the difference in the ball game. A review of the starting lineup shows not one guy playing a position he started during the regular season. That's the very definition of patchwork. To make matters worse, and explain the sub-par performance by the Wazzu offense in the first half, they were going up against one of the best defensive front seven's in the country. Central Michigan ranked in the Top 10 nationally in tackles for loss. No opinion on that point, just fact. If the Cougs had their usual OL for the Sun Bowl, they still would have been challenged mightily by CMU.
  “We knew what we could do up front against their O-line, and credit our defensive line because we did it basically without having to pressure,” CMU coach Jim McElwain said. “What you want to do against those (spread-offense) teams is just make them one-dimensional.”
  Learning on the job can be a painful process to watch, but sometimes it's necessary. On the plus side of things, every OL player who saw the field in El Paso will be in spring camp for Wazzu. Perhaps some lessons learned will allow for better performance. Don't be surprised if Dickert coaxes an experienced OL player to transfer to Pullman.
  Nakia Watson is the featured running back for Wazzu going into spring camp according to Dickert. He was the only RB to see the field in the Sun Bowl despite having four other guys at the position suited up and on the sideline. Not a ringing endorsement for anyone. As ineffective as the OL was, it's hard to discern whether Watson has the chops to be a featured running back. For that reason, it's likely Dickert will try to lure an experienced running back to transfer to WSU. No question it's a great opportunity for the right player who is seeking playing time.
  When Jayden de Laura went down near the end of the first half of the Sun Bowl, there was a collective gasp emitted by Cougar Nation. Sophomore walk-on Victor Gabalis stepped in and showed nerves for his first two series. After that he settled in and showed why former Wazzu coach Nick Rolovich was so high on the young man from Everett. There's little question the Pac-12 freshman offensive Player of the Year, de Laura, is the starting quarterback. Gabalis has proved he's a capable player. Wazzu also has an offer on the table for Cameron Ward, of FCS school Incarnate Word, to transfer to Pullman. There should be some concern that the last time an FCS player transferred to WSU, it didn't work out so well. Gage Gubrud was an FCS All-American at Eastern Washington. Remember him? If you don't, there's a good reason why. The guy who backed up Gardner Minshew in 2018, Anthony Gordon, had the tools necessary to not just tear up the Pac-12, he's still playing football in the NFL.
  One offensive position where the Cougs are locked and loaded is wide receiver. Lincoln Victor was sensational in his first game with significant playing time. Travell Harris is on record saying he will return for one more season. Renard Bell missed last season with an ACL injury. He'll be back. De'Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie both had very nice seasons and will remain on the roster. Then there's the guy with an "it" factor, Joey Hobert. He showed flashes of brilliance in the Sun Bowl and was a force on special teams in 2021.
  There's a look at where the Cougar offense is at in January. Will be exciting to see where they are at by the end of spring camp.

Go Cougs!!!