While not as drastic, I was at WSU not even a decade ago (almost though) when we were 6-3, ranked, and everyone was talking about 8+ wins... and we proceeded to lose our last 3 games (two at home) and didn't even get picked up for a bowl game. I tend to base success on what's happened... not what might or should happen. I think we've got a a good shot at 7+ wins. But right now we are a 5 win team... and thats why I also tend to wait until after the season to assess the program. There is a lot of football left to be played.
Has WSU's start validated Coach Leach?
- Thread starter MikeFingLeach
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While not as drastic, I was at WSU not even a decade ago (almost though) when we were 6-3, ranked, and everyone was talking about 8+ wins... and we proceeded to lose our last 3 games (two at home) and didn't even get picked up for a bowl game. I tend to base success on what's happened... not what might or should happen. I think we've got a a good shot at 7+ wins. But right now we are a 5 win team... and thats why I also tend to wait until after the season to assess the program. There is a lot of football left to be played.
Isn't that the year the entire DL went down? Doba started doing some stupid 5-2 scheme with LB's playing DE and the DE's trying to fill tackle slots? If memory serves, it wasn't just a complete meltdown for no reason.
Fair enough. If, literally, EVERY viable wide receiver option gets injured for the year, things could go sideways. If Falk goes down, that's also a potential issue.
But I also think saying "right now, we're a five win team" isn't a conversation being had by any other five win teams- they're forecasting the rest of their seasons based on what's most likely (or even being hopeful!- like some here) not the worst case scenario.
I know Hill, Bumpus, and I think the #3, all went down early in the UA game, and were out for the last two. Then you had Sterk as your bowl advocate, so, yeah...
right... but I'm not forecasting. If I were to guess (forecast) I'd say we probably finish 7-5 (wins against Colorado and UW) with a possible 8th win depending on the bowl game matchup... which would be fantastic. My "right now, we're a five win team" is only in reference to assessing this coaching staff and the direction of the program. I chose to assess based on what has happened, not on what might happen.
I don't recall the extent of injuries toward the end of the 2006 season. I know we had a few big ones... but thats part of football. Injuries, poor coaching decisions, and uninspired play contributed to that meltdown.
The Doba years were plagued with injuries it seemed. I once questioned what Oviatt was doing over on BX and was in no uncertain terms told that Rob Ovaitt is God and how dare I question why the team resembled a MASH unit. Apparently Cougs are inherently unlucky, though I would like to point out that injuries seem to have gone down a TON since he's moved on.
*wanted to add - I'm in no way hating on him, just that sometimes what was working before doesn't work anymore and its time to change and/ or move on.
It was smoke and mirrors, with Eicheleberger and another guy (Tarkington?) at nose running a three man line. What really hurt was when Hill and Bumpus both got hurt during the Arizona game.
Oh man, I am getting bad 2006 flashbacks. I think you used that term back then over on BX back in 2006, "smoke and mirrors". If it wasn't you, it was someone, or maybe that was just the general consensus.
Ok, I'm done with that. 2006 was painful, not sure I need/ want to relive it.
To be fair, my understanding is that Sterk had successfully sold the Poinsettia Bowl on WSU but the NCAA forced them to take Northern Illinois instead of us because they had a 7-5 record and we didn't. This is just my opinion, but WSU getting forced to stay home so 41,000 empty seats could watch NIU get crushed 37-7 by TCU was a critical factor in the NCAA changing the rules to allow bowls to select any bowl eligible team rather than ranking them by winning percentage first when selecting at-large teams.
Yes, the "ANY winning team, THEN .500 teams if need be" was... not great. Pretty sure none of the other 6-6 teams in conference got boxed out, though. And now, there's so many bowls, you'll see losing teams soon enough, and not just the UCLA example from a few years ago.
The tear down was baked into the cake from the get go. By design. Carefully engineered, if you will.
Sorry comprehension of this fact is beyond your intelligence.
Not as much as your need to defend him- it's the only thing you've contributed, while everyone else has moved on. Today is a pretty good microcosm for the board as a whole.
He baked up a cowpie, not a cake. That wasn't by design. Or maybe it was, and the design was awful.
Arizona got the shaft that season at 6-6 too. At that point in time, they were extremely butthurt because it was the first time that they had been bowl eligible since 1999, when they got hosed as well.
Wulffui Stormy and BG&C: Your apprehension is undoubtedly that of all of us who have followed Coug football over the years. 'Sure, things are looking good now but I remember back when..........' There are some bad memories in the back of our heads. Those of my generation can remember when Jim Sweeney's teams or Walden's teams would start out well then fade in November. This guy would sprain a knee and that guy would suffer something else. With no capable backups the team would start to collapse. You could put money on it. Even the 1997 season which lead to the Rose Bowl was in large part because the O-line stayed healthy all year. Such an air-out-of-the-balloon collapse is much less likely with Leach because we are finally seeing depth. That said, I too will be relieved when and if we gain that sixth victory.
I totally agree with it is a microcosm of the board. We are talking about validating Leach, you, Tron, 1990 (small degree) and Yaki bring up something about Wulff.
Yaki talks about Ball, you talk about Wulff. Yeah, I agree, you are compulsive.
Yes, I am not the one who has moved on but you and the three I mentioned above have. You bring up a guy who has been gone for four years, but I haven't moved on. Thanks for the chuckle.
Good post.
Beat Stanford and suddenly, this becomes a very special season where everybody is talking about the Cougars
How are you part of "we"? You contributed a hot pile of nothing (well, five words about how quickly Leach might leave- shocker)... until Flat wondered why Leach went 3-9 here and not at TT.
There's still a few of you- really, mostly just you- who, especially in light of how this year has played out, should accept that a lot of why Leach had two three win years here- and nothing close to that at TT- might be more about what he inherited from 9-40 than changes to his coaching (see also: we suck at running, why won't he run more!)
But you literally can't leave any Wulff criticism alone.
This. This. This. Is exactly correct.
Why did Cutcliffe go 3-9 twice in year 3 and 4
Why did bill Snyder go 5-6 in year 4
And the answer is... they were digging themselves out of a terrible hole. Moos acknowledges it. Everyone in the media acknowledges it. The only people that don't accept that are Flat, Ed etcs.
Every single issues points out to the fundamental flaw that you won't accept.
Accept that it was a WAC level team dressed as a Power 5/BCS one...then EVERYTHING makes sense.
Why we looked so undersized in comparison to BYU in game 1 of the Leach era.
Why we didn't have lineman and had QBs running for their lives
Why in 2014 we had no upperclassmen in the secondary to transition to because in 2011 class there were zero defensive backs
Why it took till 2015 for us to get a stable of quality RBs to cycle like the WRs
Why it took till 2015 to get a calm accurate QB that was Leach selected. Not Wulff hand me down.
All of that. The recruiting, the roster structure, the depth, talent level...all of that now starts to materialize NOW because those things take time to come to the surface. That's why, and it all starts with Wulff was trash. You accept Wulff is trash. Everything else makes sense.
Now as to him brought up. He'll always be brought up. His legacy of the dark ages for the program will live on. It will be referenced. Joked about for the rest of cougar history. Many years from now (I hope not) we will hire some coach, and people will say Is this new coach a Wulff? He will always be referenced as a low point. So you all need to get used to that too.
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And just to hammer this already brutally dead horse once more... what bowl did those two very good coaches get to in year two while still putting out the tire fire?
Was it... none?
Why the hell are you still wasting time on this? Get a frickin' life. I know you live in Yakima (or from there) and that makes you a petty little man, but seriously, quit obsessing about me. I'm a little creeped out.
I remember hearing Coach T talk about how he'd write a book about his time at WSU. Now I wonder, what would a book written by his players be like? Constant revolving door of players, horrible coaches, horrible strength program, incredible beat downs. WTF do you think pregame and half time speeches were like? I can only imagine what Coach T said when the apple slices and Capri Sun's ran out. You had guys with a FREE EDUCATION that thought so little of Coach T that they gave it up and rolled out of town after a semester, year, two years. He literally laid out the blueprint for every BCS school in the nation on what NOT TO DO.
Yet here we still have people bringing him. Let this era fade to black and move on.
Yet here we still have people bringing him. Let this era fade to black and move on.
Preach on! It was great to see that even though ESPN didn't give us Gameday, they gave us a little love with the Leach costume. That kind of stuff is a lot more fun to focus on.
I did appreciate the "You mad Bro?" sign that a Temple fan had.
Bumpus managed to play in the AC that year but was limited, and Akey made Carl Bonnell look like Joe Montana.
I've stated this before and still believe it...
As long as Moos is our AD, Leach will stay. He values trust after his past experience probably more than most coaches.
The only complication is that if our new president is not as supportive of Leach as was Floyd. That would be a dynamic that would change the equation for him.
FWIW, I'd place Meyer above Saban as the best coach in college football. I'd rank them #1 and #2.
Those two are elite-level coaches.
And no, Petersen is not as good as either contrary to HHusky's likely sentiments.
