And after Washington State beats his Bruins Saturday night, I won’t text him, but I will snicker silently to myself, knowing that karma and the Cougs teamed up to get him back.
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They are 7-2 and have the No. 1 pass defense in the Pac-12.
Being the arrogant Husky alum that they all are, Mora got a kick out of himself and probably doesn’t even remember busting my chops, but I do. However, Alex Grinch, the former Missouri safeties coach, has come in and immediately changed that perception, at least from an insider’s perspective.
But it is the defense’s marked improvement that has pushed Washington State toward the upper echelon of the Pac-12 North and off to a bowl game for just the second time in 12 years.
Grinch and the Washington State defensive coaching staff exude a ton of energy and you can see it on the field come Saturdays. “They are big and physical and they can run, like most good defensive lines do”.
The Cougars have a prolific offense, one that throws the ball on more than 70 percent of its offensive plays.
With just one more home game at the Rose Bowl, UCLA remains on track for the Pac-12 South title. “He seems to be a guy that has answers, and now that he’s got an offensive line that’s really good, he’s got a quarterback that understands the system, he’s got a group of veteran receivers, it’s kind of working for him now”. Now, you are 6-3 with UCLA, Colorado and UW left on the schedule, plus a bowl game after that. How far can this team go and how gratifying is this season that looks to be finishing well ahead of schedule and expectations for the program?
“Gabe is from Venice, I’m from Santa Monica, so we grew up around each other”, Payton said.
This is a good football team that’s getting better as we get deeper in the season.
Oh, and by the way, I thought we had the worst punter in the conference but we don’t. The Bruins have notched nine sacks in their past three games, and that’s happened without any contributions from outside linebacker Deon Hollins, who led the team with nine last season. A 9- or 10-win season wouldn’t be a surprise at this rate, and for a few, it’s expected. Marks, a junior who redshirted last season, has 192 career receptions and needs four catches on Saturday against No. 18 UCLA to become the leading receiver in the history of Washington State.
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OR will return home for its final four matches of the season. Sophomore quarterback Luke Falk, who has thrown for 3,736 and 33 touchdowns, is as talented a passer as Leach has had, leading the Pac-12 in virtually every passing statistic.
