Washington State recently extended an offer to Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster defensive end Russell Ude. The 6-foot-3, 264-pound strongside defensive end is rated four-stars by Rivals and is committed to California.

In addition to Washington State and Cal, Ude holds offers from Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin and several others. Prior to committing to California in late October, Ude was seriously considering Miami, Oregon, UCLA and Missouri.

Coach Joe Salave'a is leading Ude's recruitment and was recently in Georgia to visit the top flight defensive prospect.

The DL looked like it was a different team in the second half, both in pass rush and stopping the run.

....I hate you DirecTV. Can some friendly fellow Coug briefly recap the 4 interceptions and fumble for me? All I heard is that the first (?) int was tipped by the D-line (?). Bad reads, bad throws, tips, great defense, receiver fell down.........???

Thanks in advance.

Washington State head coach Ernie Kent was semi available to the media today and took about three questions before getting on a plane for Alaska. The Cougars' head coach talked about Josh Hawkinson and previewed what to expect from Thursday night's opponent, UC Santa Barbara.

-Kent said that academics will be a little lighter during this week's road trip as opposed to the first road trip of the season to UTEP and TCU. Dead week and finals aren't for another two weeks, but it's still going to be a demanding trip in regard to playing three games in three days, he says.

"At the same time, three games in three days is going to be hard on anybody's body," Kent said. "Particularly with the travel for all of us teams coming up there. This is where your depth, your bench is going to be huge and obviously with our style of play will be huge, because we have to make sure we have the energy to get through the three days."

-On Josh Hawkinson, Ernie Kent says that now that Josh Hawkinson has kind of made a name for himself and team's now have film on him, he's going to have to make some adjustments to his game. However, he did note that it's going to be a good thing for the rest of the team that he's going to demand attention from opposing defenses.

"I hope they do have to pay more attention [to him] because that's going to open up the perimeter game more .... a lot of teams will play behind [him] instead of your guards," Kent said. "Now they can't play behind him because he can score; he can score inside, you can move him to the outside and now imagine a 6-8 or 6-9 guy having to chase him off of a screen the way he shoots the ball.

That's going to be difficult to do. It's going to be tough adjustments that teams are going to have to make because he's not just a low-post player. He can shoot threes, he can control the break, we can bring him off double-teams and he frees your up over the floor because now you have buckets everywhere with that smaller lineup you put on the floor. Now, we have give guys on the floor that can shoot the three and that's kind of what we've been moving towards.

"I'm not saying we're moving away from Junior or we're going away from Jordan, because they're going to be very important also to allow us success, but I think it will be hard to key on Josh when you have DaVonte and Dexter and Que and they're evolving their games at the same time, it just adds to your offensive firepower and we definitely need some more of offensive firepower."

-On UCSB, Kent says that they force a lot of turnovers and are very good defensively, but they're also a sound offensive team with a top player, Alan Williams, on the inside that will pose some problems in the paint.

"They're a very good defensive team, they're a very patient offensive team and have a potential pro inside, who is going to be very tough for us to shutdown and handle," Kent said. "And they shoot the ball well, so it's going to be a tough matchup for us but I'm sure they're looking at us and seeing some things that they're going to have to deal with us, as well."

He'll grow from this game.

It's not over, but it's looking bleak.

Washington State head coach Ernie Kent was on the Cougars' IMG Radio Network for the Coaches Show with Ernie Kent on Monday from Zeppoz in Pullman. I listened in and here's the things that I heard in bullet form.

Notes from Ernie Kent's radio show

-Kent said Washington State handled the Idaho State zone pretty well. He thought they moved the ball well and shot the ball well in the second half. He also said that he challenged DaVonte Lacy at halftime and he responded well in the second half.

-Kent said that in the second half the team played with a lot more fire, energy and confidence in the second half, which helped the team shoot the ball better.

-As for Lacy, Kent said great players, at some point in time, have to be selfish, take over a game and look to score more. He wanted him to have the green light and Lacy did just that.

-On Josh Hawkinson's monster game, Kent says he's enjoying the process and as his body is getting right, the confidence and overall game is coming around. "He's growing up in front of your eyes," Kent said. "He's a very smart basketball player. I was very proud of him."

-The basketball version of The Drive on Pac-12 Networks spent a large majority of last Friday in Pullman following the team around as the prepared to face Idaho State and during the game, too. They turn the mics off at halftime, which Kent says was nice because it's tough to have a mic on you at all times.

He says there was some cool stuff in the heat of the moment, but also some special moments that fans will like. They'll also follow the Cougars during an Oregon game and Washington game this season.

-The Cougars head to Alaska this weekend, beginning tomorrow, and Kent says that this trip will be a little different than the first road trip because there won't be a lot of academics, which should free them up more. They didn't practice on Saturday and Sunday, practiced hard today, will travel tomorrow and have a light workout on Wednesday before Thursday night's game against UCSB.

-Kent talked about the Gauchos of Santa Barbara and says they're similiar to the Cougars, as are, Rice, Mercer and Colorado State, whom they'll face likely. They have a low post guy and play with four guards, spread the floor, are patient, smart and he says the biggest challenge of the game will be to shut down their big man Allen Williams (21 points per game) inside.

-The game the Guachos played at Kansas, Kent says, was big for them because they were able to slow the game down and keep the game somewhat close. He says UCSB is a very disciplined team.

-Kent says that most of the teams in the eight team tournament are similar to the Cougars and that a neutral floor helps. He hopes that they'll be in the right state of mind and ready to play. Also, he doesn't see why they can't win a championship up there.

-As for Thanksgiving, they'll eat after the game on Thursday. There won't be much sight seeing because they're playing three games in three days. He then talked about Lil Wayne, Lil Boosie and Beyonce about something, but I got lost.

-How big will it be to have some success in Alaska? Kent says it's going to be huge if they can go into a challenge like this. It can boost their confidence for the rest of the season. They're not going to beat them up and so they're going to look for any kind of success on a small scale so they can boost that confidence on a bigger scale down the road.

-Kent talked about his new signing class a little more, beginning with Renard Suggs, who he says is an excellent scorer and will help replace Lacy's scoring next season. Derrien King is also a scorer that can shoot it from the perimeter, much like Suggs. They'll both come in the door as junior college transfers that will have familiarity with the college lifestyle.

-On Robert Franks, Kent says he's the skilled four-man that he wanted to get. He didn't know what they were going to get out of Hawkinson, so they wanted to add something there. Franks is more athletic than Hawkinson and Kent expects Franks to play in the front court with him next year.

-On Jeff Pollard, Kent says that it was important for his family to send Pollard to prep school for a year, much like his older brother, who is now at Rice. He's a smart kid, too.

-Kent says that Valentine Izundu, who transferred in from Houston, is a guy that can dominate in the post. He also thinks it's good that he'll be able to sit out this year to develop his skills a little more. There's a lot of pressure on huge players like Izundu because he's tall and people think he should be dominant right away, which isn't the case.

Kent wants him to develop this year and game confidence. He's coming into his body right now and he'll get there, he says.

-Hawkinson and Railey both started against Idaho State, but then went to a four guard rotation around Hawkinson. Kent says that he's still calculating what "seven or best eight players he has and adapt his offense that fits them." Right now he's trying to get the most productive players in the rotation but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll have big guys in together.

"We have to score better," Kent says. He says that he's going to tinker with things, play with things differently and isn't afraid to play a bunch of small guys to manufacture more points.

-On Ny Redding, who had 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds on Friday, Kent says the biggest thing that he does is that he creates accountability. As a freshman, he struggled coming into practice scoring the ball, but then got in the gym every night, battled through some adversity and has bought in.

"He's going to make other players better on this team because his play is going to hold others accountable," Kent said. "He takes basketball very seriously. If a freshman comes in and outworks everyone else, he's going to play."

-Kent wants Ike Iroegbu and Dexter Kernich-Drew to be more aggressive and be on their "a-game." They need to be consistent knowing their jobs and doing their jobs. He thinks all of the guys are buying in, but now it's a matter of having the accountability in place to be successful. He sees that happening on a daily basis.

-On Que Johnson, Kent says that he doesn't envision him coming off the bench. He wants him to continue to understand the speed of the game and focus on the defensive end. "His game is going to demand a starting job sooner rather than later," Kent said. "I need about two or three guys to do that and then we have something special."

-Kent says that Lacy and Que are similar in that they shoot the ball well, but Que brings an added dimension to rebounding. Lacy is better at getting into the lane better. For them to have success this year, Kent says they have to play at a high level together.

-On trying to get Cheatum, Longrus and Railey consistent, he says that's been a big challenge. "We're going to need them," Kent says. "I look at their numbers combined and if their numbers combined give us great contributions, we'll be fine." Kent says they aren't doing that and since they're going to be a "three-headed monster," they'll need to play better rotationally.

-On Longrus, he says he loves his screens, his rebounding and vocality on defense, but he "really loves scoring." He needs Longrus to score more and understand that that's also one of his responsibilities.

Link: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/wire.asp

D1 opponents 2008-2011.

Woof!

It's going to be a monster recruiting weekend for Washington State, who is expected to host double-digit prospects when the Cougars host Washington in the Apple Cup. While this list is subject to change, per usual, here's the confirmed official visitors we have right now and, as always, check back for more information as I receive it.

Weekend visitor notes

-I spoke to Lawton (Okla.) cornerback Darreyl Patterson this morning and the three-star tells me that he had to move his official visit, which was set for this weekend, to mid-December because he's getting ready for state playoffs. Patterson has a top three of Arizona State, Kansas State and Washington State, in no particular order.

-Another prospect who previously told me that he'd be in Pullman for the Apple Cup is Concord (Calif.) De La Salle athlete Je'Vari Anderson. The three-star was originally expected to visit for the USC game, however the staff moved his visit back. I have been unable to confirm his plans for this weekend, so I'm not including him on the list as of now. Check back for more later.

-Washington State offensive tackle commit Austin Maihen told me he will no longer be taking an official visit this weekend because his parents would not have been able to make it, so he's going to reschedule. Coach McGuire will have an in-home visit with Maihen next Tuesday. Maihen recently picked up an offer from Stanford and is currently going through the admissions process.

-A pair of Hawaiian offensive lineman were also expected to visit this weekend - Pesi Savea - though they confirmed last week that their visit plans have been moved to December.

-The Cougars will be hosting Walnut Creek (Calif.) Las Lomas offensive tackle Noah Myers on an unofficial visit this weekend. Myers, who committed to Washington State shortly after an unofficial visit this summer, has already taken an official visit during the Portland State weekend.

-Steillacoom (Wash.) inside linebacker Fotu Leiato says he'll be in Pullman this weekend for an unofficial visit. The in-state product currently holds offers from Eastern Washington and Wyoming.

Visitor updates

11/26, 10:55 a.m. —— I spoke with La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti this morning and he tells me that Tony Brown, who was previously expected to visit this weekend, no longer has plans to do so. The three-star does not yet have a visit set up, though Moschetti said that doesn't mean he won't visit. Brown, who recently picked up an offer from UCLA, will visit Colorado next weekend.

11/26, 12:12 p.m. —— I just exchanged a few text messages with Washington State running back commit James Williams who says he had surgery to repair his ACL tear this morning and will no longer be visiting this weekend. The three-star says he'll take his official visit in December.

11/28, 2:06 p.m. —— I'm able to confirm that Cerritos (Calif.) C.C. linebacker Aaron Porter and Salt Lake City (UT) Cottonwood defensive end T.J. Fehoko will be in Pullman this weekend for official visits, too. Porter has been committed to Washington State for several months while Fehoko is a Colorado commit and will be taking his first official visit.

11/28, 2:22 p.m. —— Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln receiver Jayson Williams II will unofficially visit Washington State for the Apple Cup, he tells me.

Expected official visitors for the Apple Cup

VERBAL COMMITS:

-Four-star defensive tackle Thomas Toki of Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis
-Three-star receiver Deontay Burnett of Gardena (Calif.) Serra
-Three-star inside linebacker Aaron Porter of Cerritos (Calif.) C.C.

OTHER PROSPECTS:

-Four-star outside linebacker Kyahva Tezino of Los Angeles (Calif.) Salesian
-Three-star offensive tackle Davis Perrott of Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe
-Four-star defensive end Adam McLean of North Potomac (Md.) Quince Orchard
-Four-star cornerback Taeon Mason of Pasadena (Calif.) Muir - (USC commit)
-Three-star defensive end T.J. Fehoko of Salt Lake City (UT) Cottonwood



This post was edited on 11/28 2:23 PM by Britton Ransford

Lawton (Okla.) CB Darreyl Patterson says he'll now visit Washington State in December after previously scheduled to visit for the Apple Cup. Patterson, a three-star cornerback, had to reschedule because Lawton is getting ready for the state playoffs. He has a top three of Washington State, Kansas State and Arizona State and has only officially visited Iowa State so far.

Mike Leach was on the Pac-12 teleconference this morning and here's what he had to say, which wasn't a lot.

(ASU played a lot of press coverage against your receivers. How did you feel WSU receivers performed with that and is that something UW will do a lot of?) "I thought it was mixed. I think Washington will do some of it, not a lot of it. I mean, you just have to react to it. Other than turning the ball over, we did throw the ball for over 600 yards, so I don't know what Washington will do, but it's not their nature to press that often."

(Despite a rivalry game against a tough team, with this late in the season, do you start to play some younger guys, get them a look and think towards next year?) "No, that already pretty much happens naturally. We have 33 guys playing this season that hadn't played before this season, so that's pretty much taken care of where we're at, you know."

And that was it.

You started the season thinking 6 was pretty much a gimme. 7 and 8 were possible. We've certainly regressed.

Personally, in the offseason, I think:
- Breske goes. I think he recruits Eastern WA, because he's not a great recruiter. Getting a new DC will create a positive buzz amongst the program.

- Leach is given the "your contract isn't rolling over speech" Won't be with much fanfare. Leach is told he has 2 more left to get us back to a bowl game.

- You will see an all hand's on deck approach to recruiting....don't be shocked to see a few semester signees.

- We start to see a fair number of kids decide to pursue other options at end of semester....I think Leach really puts his eggs in the basket to be good next season (and most importantly) the season after.

- I hope, we get some more depth at kicker, even if it costs us a scholarship. See the above to free up space.

Just in terms of hope, youth, QB play etc, was it all that different? The one area that I would say is different is I would take Cooper over Laurenzi, and probably Destiny over Rankin, plus there is more depth that has played along that defensive line.

I suppose we could debate Pippins White and Brown are vastly superior to Simmons, Horton and Washington, or that Lemora and Taylor T are better than Toomer and Buchanon. Not sure I would take that argument.

I like what I see with Falk. I think he could be a very effective QB here. But I also see growing pains, as we saw last Saturday. So for 2015 will we be able to score enough points to make up for our defensive miscues, or will our DB's somehow getting better, or will the schedule be more favorable to get us to 6-6 and a bowl game.

Washington State just released this week's depth chart and there's a couple changes on both sides of the ball, including the return of an important piece on offense.

Depth Chart Notes

-Redshirt freshman running back Gerard Wicks is once again listed on the depth chart after missing the last few games with an illness (mononucleosis).

-River Cracraft is listed as the starter at Y-receiver ahead of Tyler Baker, which is a change from last week. Baker got the start last week and both players played significant snaps against Arizona State.

-Marcellus Pippins played well in relief of Daquawn Brown last week and is now listed as the starting field cornerback while Brown is again listed as the starter at BOUNDARY cornerback. Charleston White is listed as the No. 2 behind Brown and Pat Porter is the listed backup to Pippins.

-Cole Madison is now listed as the No. 2 at right tackle, though he hasn't played for three weeks. Jacob Seydel has filled in for Madison and is still listed as the starter at right tackle. Madison is also out with an illness (mononucleosis).

-Rickey Galvin is listed as the starter at H-receiver ahead of Robert Lewis, who got the start at Arizona State on Saturday.

Depth Chart[/B]



This post was edited on 11/24 11:29 PM by Britton Ransford

Washington State head coach Ernie Kent was on the Cougars' IMG Radio Network for the Coaches Show with Ernie Kent on Monday from Zeppoz in Pullman. I listened in and here's the things that I heard in bullet form.

Notes from Ernie Kent's radio show

-Kent said Washington State handled the Idaho State zone pretty well. He thought they moved the ball well and shot the ball well in the second half. He also said that he challenged DaVonte Lacy at halftime and he responded well in the second half.

-Kent said that in the second half the team played with a lot more fire, energy and confidence in the second half, which helped the team shoot the ball better.

-As for Lacy, Kent said great players, at some point in time, have to be selfish, take over a game and look to score more. He wanted him to have the green light and Lacy did just that.

-On Josh Hawkinson's monster game, Kent says he's enjoying the process and as his body is getting right, the confidence and overall game is coming around. "He's growing up in front of your eyes," Kent said. "He's a very smart basketball player. I was very proud of him."

-The basketball version of The Drive on Pac-12 Networks spent a large majority of last Friday in Pullman following the team around as the prepared to face Idaho State and during the game, too. They turn the mics off at halftime, which Kent says was nice because it's tough to have a mic on you at all times.

He says there was some cool stuff in the heat of the moment, but also some special moments that fans will like. They'll also follow the Cougars during an Oregon game and Washington game this season.

-The Cougars head to Alaska this weekend, beginning tomorrow, and Kent says that this trip will be a little different than the first road trip because there won't be a lot of academics, which should free them up more. They didn't practice on Saturday and Sunday, practiced hard today, will travel tomorrow and have a light workout on Wednesday before Thursday night's game against UCSB.

-Kent talked about the Gauchos of Santa Barbara and says they're similiar to the Cougars, as are, Rice, Mercer and Colorado State, whom they'll face likely. They have a low post guy and play with four guards, spread the floor, are patient, smart and he says the biggest challenge of the game will be to shut down their big man Allen Williams (21 points per game) inside.

-The game the Guachos played at Kansas, Kent says, was big for them because they were able to slow the game down and keep the game somewhat close. He says UCSB is a very disciplined team.

-Kent says that most of the teams in the eight team tournament are similar to the Cougars and that a neutral floor helps. He hopes that they'll be in the right state of mind and ready to play. Also, he doesn't see why they can't win a championship up there.

-As for Thanksgiving, they'll eat after the game on Thursday. There won't be much sight seeing because they're playing three games in three days. He then talked about Lil Wayne, Lil Boosie and Beyonce about something, but I got lost.

-How big will it be to have some success in Alaska? Kent says it's going to be huge if they can go into a challenge like this. It can boost their confidence for the rest of the season. They're not going to beat them up and so they're going to look for any kind of success on a small scale so they can boost that confidence on a bigger scale down the road.

-Kent talked about his new signing class a little more, beginning with Renard Suggs, who he says is an excellent scorer and will help replace Lacy's scoring next season. Derrien King is also a scorer that can shoot it from the perimeter, much like Suggs. They'll both come in the door as junior college transfers that will have familiarity with the college lifestyle.

-On Robert Franks, Kent says he's the skilled four-man that he wanted to get. He didn't know what they were going to get out of Hawkinson, so they wanted to add something there. Franks is more athletic than Hawkinson and Kent expects Franks to play in the front court with him next year.

-On Jeff Pollard, Kent says that it was important for his family to send Pollard to prep school for a year, much like his older brother, who is now at Rice. He's a smart kid, too.

-Kent says that Valentine Izundu, who transferred in from Houston, is a guy that can dominate in the post. He also thinks it's good that he'll be able to sit out this year to develop his skills a little more. There's a lot of pressure on huge players like Izundu because he's tall and people think he should be dominant right away, which isn't the case.

Kent wants him to develop this year and game confidence. He's coming into his body right now and he'll get there, he says.

-Hawkinson and Railey both started against Idaho State, but then went to a four guard rotation around Hawkinson. Kent says that he's still calculating what "seven or best eight players he has and adapt his offense that fits them." Right now he's trying to get the most productive players in the rotation but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll have big guys in together.

"We have to score better," Kent says. He says that he's going to tinker with things, play with things differently and isn't afraid to play a bunch of small guys to manufacture more points.

-On Ny Redding, who had 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds on Friday, Kent says the biggest thing that he does is that he creates accountability. As a freshman, he struggled coming into practice scoring the ball, but then got in the gym every night, battled through some adversity and has bought in.

"He's going to make other players better on this team because his play is going to hold others accountable," Kent said. "He takes basketball very seriously. If a freshman comes in and outworks everyone else, he's going to play."

-Kent wants Ike Iroegbu and Dexter Kernich-Drew to be more aggressive and be on their "a-game." They need to be consistent knowing their jobs and doing their jobs. He thinks all of the guys are buying in, but now it's a matter of having the accountability in place to be successful. He sees that happening on a daily basis.

-On Que Johnson, Kent says that he doesn't envision him coming off the bench. He wants him to continue to understand the speed of the game and focus on the defensive end. "His game is going to demand a starting job sooner rather than later," Kent said. "I need about two or three guys to do that and then we have something special."

-Kent says that Lacy and Que are similar in that they shoot the ball well, but Que brings an added dimension to rebounding. Lacy is better at getting into the lane better. For them to have success this year, Kent says they have to play at a high level together.

-On trying to get Cheatum, Longrus and Railey consistent, he says that's been a big challenge. "We're going to need them," Kent says. "I look at their numbers combined and if their numbers combined give us great contributions, we'll be fine." Kent says they aren't doing that and since they're going to be a "three-headed monster," they'll need to play better rotationally.

-On Longrus, he says he loves his screens, his rebounding and vocality on defense, but he "really loves scoring." He needs Longrus to score more and understand that that's also one of his responsibilities.

only 6 seniors total in the two deeps for this game.

hopefully, that bodes well for the future.

So far it looks like our two high school players have not played any games. Our two JC transfers have however started play. Renaldo Sugg's team has played 6 and lost 1. I couldn't find any stats but according to some news articles he appears to be scoring in double figures with at least one game of 20 points. Derrien King's team is 2-2 he is averaging 15 points a game, with games of 15, 14, 19, and 12. He also has had rebounds of 3, 6, 7, 4. Just information for what ever its worth

Link: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1708377

The cougs are still actively recruiting 7'0- 245 pd juco center Andrew Zelis. His coach David Williams states that they "love his skill set" He also has been offerred by the ASU Sun Devils .So Kent is still trying to improve his team.

Washington State offensive line commit Noah Myers says he'll take an unofficial visit this weekend.

North Potomac (Md.) Quince Orchard defensive end Adam McLean will now officially visit Washington State this weekend instead of his previous plans to visit Dec. 5. The Rivals250 four-star is rated the No. 9 defensive end in the nation. McLean de-committed from Penn State last week.

McLean was originally scheduled to officially visit with Tim Settle, another Rivals250 four-star, though Settle will visit USC this weekend and take his Washington State official next weekend.

...some recruits like Stanley Norman, etc. and where they stand?

LET IT BEGIIIIIIIN!!

So we've now established that Falk isn't the panacea. Time to bring on Bender I guess.

By 20 yards.