What do want to know about Leach's Cougs?

Open to anything

Have any of them been locked in a shed so far, or are their fat little girl friends protecting them? ;)



Just kidding. I think you guys got a steal of a coach (in my opinion he got railroaded). How is the offense looking in camp and who will be your star players?

Who is looking better as QB under the Airraid system? Jeff Tuel or Connor Halliday?



Will Marquess Wilson have more than 120 receptions in 2012? Other than Wilson, who else will catch passes?

On the defensive side of the ball, will the defense improve from the 30 points per game it gave up last year? How is the 3-4 scheme looking with returning personnel?

How do you expect JC transfers to be utilized this year, how many will be starting/playing meaningful minutes?

It has been interesting so far. I went a couple of spring practicess and the spring game.



Those that follow it colsely think the offense is going to be scary good.



The QB Tuel is a stud. Almost 6 4 220lbs, big arm and can run. He tossed for nearly 3000 yards in 2010 and was sacked nearly 60 times(that is tough to do) If he not been hurt 3 plays into the first game subsequently missing pretty much all but 1 and 1/2 games of the season, WSU probably would have been in a bowl and Mike Leach would not be here. The Utah 3 point loss and the UCLA 3 point loss was all that kept them home.



WSU finished 9th in the nation in passing yards per game last season with a very average Senior Back up. When he was finally pulled in the ASU game the kid who will back up this season set the PAC 10/12 freshman record with 494 passing yards and 4 TDS.



Line is always a concern, but it should be better.



WR is absolutely loaded from top to bottom. This a major reason why I think Leach came. The QB's and WR already on the team were a huge part of it. There are very tall, 5 or 6 kids between 6 2 and 6 5.



The TE Lintz who was never used by the previous staff for some reason(guessing that is why they are gone) will be a factor. He is a 6 5 250lb slot back with wheels. He burst on the scence in spring and Leach loves him. Marquese Wilson is the goods at well at 6 4, the kid is on just about every Pre-season All American team. Wulff could not coach, but the guy could recruit skill kids.





Defense who knows. Three of last seasons starters tossed for Drugs, a fight and theft, but you always end up better without those guys in the long run. DB's and safties have all played a ton and are still very young. Travis Long is the horse on defense, kid is a stud and the defesne has been built around him since Leach arrived.



No knows what is going to happen, but Wulff was pretty dang close last season after inheriting a disater in 2008 and just about every starter is back.

YNot wrote:
Who is looking better as QB under the Airraid system? Jeff Tuel or Connor Halliday?



Will Marquess Wilson have more than 120 receptions in 2012? Other than Wilson, who else will catch passes?

Tuel is the guy. Poor kid as been hurt so much we are really hoping he gets a medical RS and can come back next season. Halliday played against Utah with a lacerated liver for 3 quarters and hardly did anything in spring. In the spring game Tuel was 19-21 for 285 yars and only played until 8 minute mark of the second quarter.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udvB2vGs5uw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



and this was his Junior Year



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg74nl5oSLo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Wilson will catch a ton of balls, but so will Andre Lintz, Kristoff Williams, Dominque Wilson, and about 8 other guys as the WR core is so deep. The for mentioned are 6 4, 6 5, 6 4 and 6 2

I think the Offense is going to look very good. D is the biggest question. Tuel should start, Halliday will get some reps. Other than Wilson look for Lintz, K.Williams, D. Williams, Ratliff, Simone, Marks, Bartolone, and Galvin to catch passes. Lintz is a beat who broke out this spring after being used almost solely for blocking under the former staff. He runs solid routes, and is 6'5" and about 245LBS. Tough matchup out of the slot. D. Williams RS last year, but has been making plays since he arrived. Look for M. Wilson, D. Williams on the outside and Lintz and Simone inside with others rotating frequently. Running game is a bit unknown, but Leach does not really focus on running the ball outside of keeping the other team honest.



D. is quite the question. Long is very good at the Buck (hybrid DE/LB) but it is his first year in that position. DB's have talent, but lack depth. Safety is pretty solid and D. Buchannon is a very good player. The DL is patchwork though. I expect to give up some big plays, but also get more takeaways. JC guys who may have an immediate impact would really only be Guata at the NT position so far. He will probably not start the first game, but may as the season moves forward.

YNot wrote:
On the defensive side of the ball, will the defense improve from the 30 points per game it gave up last year? How is the 3-4 scheme looking with returning personnel?

I think it will be better fit as it will put kids like Travis Long in a position to be moved everywhere and come from every direction. The DL recruiting under the last staff was underwhelming and the 3 man front will allow them to utilize better what is there. The DB's are all back and only 1 is senior. Next year WSU is going to be tough as in the 3 deep in the spring on defense there were only 3 seniors and now it is down to 2 with the dismissal of the DT Laurenzi.

hawkwing wrote:
How do you expect JC transfers to be utilized this year, how many will be starting/playing meaningful minutes?

Guessing there will be 4. NT Gauta, LB Sagota, RB West and OL Sale. All of these kids were recruited by tons of schools and leach snagged them.

Cougarfan87 wrote:
Have any of them been locked in a shed so far, or are their fat little girl friends protecting them? ;)



Just kidding. I think you guys got a steal of a coach (in my opinion he got railroaded). How is the offense looking in camp and who will be your star players?

Read the guys book it is just amazing who James got him run out of Texas Tech and we are glad he did.

I think this will be a great game, come August 30. Marquess Wilson is legit and it sounds like the tight end and other tall receivers could help Tuel pose an overwhelming challenge to the BYU secondary and linebackers.



I'm expecting both teams to reach the 30-point threshold. I don't know if that qualifies as a shootout or not, but it should be exciting. The amazing atmosphere and 64,000 crowd at Lavell Edwards Stadium and the fact that this will be Mike Leach's first game in a while should tip the game in the BYU Cougars favor. But it will be entertaining. What a great way to kick off the 2012 football season on ESPN!

Where do you think you guys will end up in the Pac12 standings this year?

hawkwing wrote:
Where do you think you guys will end up in the Pac12 standings this year?

Wish we were in the South, but would have to play SC as we avoid them this season



Oregon and Stanford they are the goods right now in the North and will be tough for anyone to beat. I really think they can beat Colorado(pullman0, UW(pullman), OSU, ASU, UCLA(as they are playing in Pullman in late Nov should be about 20 degrees by then). I really think they could finish 4th in the North, but were are not deep yet and injuries could derail that. This team I think is very capable of 7 wins. The game with you guys is going to be a blast, cant wait to watch it. We play Eastern Wa and UNLV in the other non-conference games and put 70 on the Rebels last season.

YNot wrote:
I think this will be a great game, come August 30. Marquess Wilson is legit and it sounds like the tight end and other tall receivers could help Tuel pose an overwhelming challenge to the BYU secondary and linebackers.



I'm expecting both teams to reach the 30-point threshold. I don't know if that qualifies as a shootout or not, but it should be exciting. The amazing atmosphere and 64,000 crowd at Lavell Edwards Stadium and the fact that this will be Mike Leach's first game in a while should tip the game in the BYU Cougars favor. But it will be entertaining. What a great way to kick off the 2012 football season on ESPN!

If BYU doesn't hold WSU under 20pts, we lose. BYU is notoriously a slow starting team offensively.

I ended up watching a suprising amount of WSU games last year. I'd go as far as to say the cougars are my favorite red team out there. :D and at least they have a cool mascot.



WSU seemed like BYU's 2005 team. They were good and just lost some games due to inexperience and bad luck, but otherwise better than their record indicated. Tuel seems like a stud of course. I hope they don't follow with a 2006 BYU type team. BUT BYU 2006 did lose their opener on the road (AZ). So it could turn out that they run right through the pac-12 after losing their opener. Which, of course, is what I'm hoping for.



I don't know that I have any questions. Leach is obviously steering your team in the right direction. I love that he's getting rid of the riff-Raff.



Here's a question. How does the offense seem to be integrating the new scheme?

BroncoBot wrote:
I ended up watching a suprising amount of WSU games last year. I'd go as far as to say the cougars are my favorite red team out there. :D and at least they have a cool mascot.



WSU seemed like BYU's 2005 team. They were good and just lost some games due to inexperience and bad luck, but otherwise better than their record indicated. Tuel seems like a stud of course. I hope they don't follow with a 2006 BYU type team. BUT BYU 2006 did lose their opener on the road (AZ). So it could turn out that they run right through the pac-12 after losing their opener. Which, of course, is what I'm hoping for.



I don't know that I have any questions. Leach is obviously steering your team in the right direction. I love that he's getting rid of the riff-Raff.



Here's a question. How does the offense seem to be integrating the new scheme?

Like butter. Leach put the entire offense in the first 4 days of spring camp. The previous staff it took nearly 3 seasons. The preson who covered the first 3 days of camp for recruiting site was quoted as saying, "WSU's WR, back and QB's fit the leach offense to a T" I went to a scrimmage after they had been working for about 8 practices and they ran 116 plays( :bug: ) and looked like they had been running the offense for about an entire season. By the srping game it was second nature, 8-12 WR and backs coming in and out every play, the play clock never got below about 20 seconds and there were very few mental mistakes. It just blew my mind after watching the old staff running a supposed no huddle offense and they could not snap the ball ever until about 3 seconds left on the play clock.



It is well known that Leach's offense is beyond simple to learn and run as the QB runs the entire show.

Here is the evidence to support my prognostication that this isn't even close to a gimme for BYU as some of you have suggested. BYUs offense > WSU's Defense, but by how much? We start slow on offense and i wouldn't call our O under Riley ("every game will be a close game") and Doman prolific...yet.

We better be ready for a shoot out, bc how often is BYU's D good at stopping up tempo offenses with a mobile qb???? Uh, like rarely if ever. If our DB's are not in Their WR's face and we play classic prevent, bend but don't break D, we will be in trouble. We will need Ziggy and KVN off the edges PDQ and Uona and Tree patrolling the middle or their qb will CARVE US A NEW ONE.

dmcougar wrote:
Here is the evidence to support my prognostication that this isn't even close to a gimme for BYU as some of you have suggested. BYUs offense > WSU's Defense, but by how much? We start slow on offense and i wouldn't call our O under Riley ("every game will be a close game") and Doman prolific...yet.

We better be ready for a shoot out, bc how often is BYU's D good at stopping up tempo offenses with a mobile qb???? Uh, like rarely if ever. If our DB's are not in Their WR's face and we play classic prevent, bend but don't break D, we will be in trouble. We will need Ziggy and KVN off the edges PDQ and Uona and Tree patrolling the middle or their qb will CARVE US A NEW ONE.

I think it is true that if you cant get to our QB it will be very difficult to stop the WSU O this year. They were 9th in the country passing last year with backups and stagnant playcalling. They have many more options this year than last. Our D will definately give up points, but they do have some To forcing guys on D. Should be a shootout type game IMHO. Last one with the ball wins!

I love the number of reps Leach has WSU running. I am not as optimistic about our pre-season record of max prepping and drilling. Today we had "cool" gauntlet to further our mental prep.