SPORTS
Thursday, October 10, 2019
East Oregonian
B3
Washington State shakes up defense after back-to-back losses
By NICHOLAS K.
GERANIOS
Associated Press
Washington State coach
Mike Leach is shaking up
the Cougars’ underperform-
ing defense in the wake of
defensive coordinator Tracy
Claeys’ abrupt resignation.
The Cougars have made
some personnel changes on
a squad that is yielding 30
points per game, ranking it
10th in the Pac-12. Leach
said they are also simpli-
fying defensive schemes
that he believes were too
complicated.
“We didn’t have any short-
age of strategy,” Leach said
this week. “We had too much
strategy.”
Washington State (3-2,
0-2 Pac-12) had a bye last
week and plays at No. 18 Ari-
zona State (4-1, 1-1) on Satur-
day facing an urgent need to
get the season back on track.
The 0-2 start in league play
is the worst for Washington
State since 2012.
Claeys abruptly resigned
last week after the Cougars
gave up a total of 105 points
in losing their first two Pac-
12 games. Washington State
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Utah running back Devonta’e Henry-Cole, right, carries the ball as Washington State corner-
back Marcus Strong (4) defends in the second half of an NCAA college football game on Sept.
28, 2019, in Salt Lake City.
gave up 50 points in the sec-
ond half of a 67-63 loss at
home to UCLA, which rode
the second-biggest comeback
in FBS history to victory. The
Cougars followed that with a
38-13 loss at Utah.
After the Utah game,
Leach called his players “fat,
dumb, happy and entitled.”
He also criticized his
defensive backs for playing
“street ball.”
“I think guys just run
around and do what they
want to do,” Leach said.
But Leach has insisted he
was surprised by the resigna-
tion and said Claeys, a former
Minnesota head coach who
had been with the Cougars
only 1 ½ seasons, was not
pushed out.
“He chose to resign for his
own reasons, which he wasn’t
very specific about,” Leach
said. “It was sudden and it
was in the middle of things,
but we wish him the best.”
Claeys sent a tweet Friday
that read: “The defense has
struggled and I am respon-
sible. We couldn’t agree
on solutions.”
The Cougars defense
is giving up 444 yards per
game, ranking 105th nation-
ally. They’re giving up 178
rushing yards per game and
have allowed teams to con-
vert on 42% of third down
situations. The one area
where they excel is recover-
ing opponent fumbles, where
they lead the league with
seven.
Leach has elevated Roc
Bellantoni, the inside line-
backers coach, to interim
defensive coordinator and
Darcel McBath, the corner-
backs coach, to co-interim
defensive coordinator.
Bellantoni will call plays
from the press box, while
McBath will work down on
the field, Leach said.
The Cougars held an
all-team meeting after the
Utah loss to discuss ways to
improve.
Among the most effec-
tive speakers was Pat Nunn, a
freshman who is moving into
the starting lineup at nickel-
back, said offensive lineman
Josh Watson.
“He’s one of the younger
guys around here, but I felt
like he had a pretty good mes-
sage in his speech,” Watson
told The Spokesman-Review.
Watson said it is more
effective when players hold
each other accountable.
“It’s powerful when a
coach does it, but you think
about it more when it comes
from your peers,” Watson
said.
Leach said Monday
the team would consider
some personnel changes on
defense, and sure enough
there were several when the
depth chart was released.
Safety Daniel Isom was
moved into a starting position
at cornerback. Skyler Thomas
will replace Isom at strong
safety. Nunn takes over for
Thomas at nickelback.
Dallas Hobbs will start
at nose tackle, while previ-
ous starter Misiona Aiolupo-
tea-Pei is now the backup.
Backup nose tackle Lamonte
McDougle is no longer listed
on the two-deep chart.
There were some addi-
tional changes among the
backup defensive players.
Washington State needs
to win at least three of the
next seven games to become
bowl-eligible for a team-re-
cord fifth consecutive season.
U.S. women’s hoops announces college exhibition games
ical times in which we had
the opportunity to show-
case our national team in
this light, women’s college
basketball is at an all-time
high as far as exposure. This
will increase the exposure
to women’s basketball. And
I’m excited. ... It’s more prep
time. The more time we
have, the better we will per-
form in Tokyo.”
Staley won’t be coach-
ing during the tour because
she will be focused on her
own college team, South
Carolina. Olympic assistant
coaches Dan Hughes and
Cheryl Reeve will lead the
team.
“I’m going to tell Cheryl
and Dan, do what you got to
do to win the game. Whether
it’s our stuff or their stuff.
Instincts take over. We just
want to win the games,”
In this July 14, 2012, file photo, U.S. women’s Olympic basket-
ball players Diana Taurasi (12) and Sue Bird (6) watch during
practice in Washington.
Jeff Snell
Taylor Smith
Ron Gibbs
Brett Kane
Mike Appleton
34-16
7-3
34-16
6-4
32-18
6-4
32-18
5-5
31-19
4-6
Hermiston
Pendleton
Pilot Rock
Kiona Benton
Millersville
Oklahoma
Eastern
Oregon
Chiefs
Rams
Eagles
Chiawana
Pendleton
Pilot Rock
Kiona Benton
Millersville
Oklahoma
Eastern
Oregon
Chiefs
49ers
Vikings
Chiawana
Pendleton
Pilot Rock
Kiona Benton
Lock Haven
Oklahoma
Eastern
Oregon
Chiefs
Rams
Eagles
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK — The
U.S. women’s national bas-
ketball team’s college tour is
set to tip off next month.
USA
Basketball
announced
Wednesday
that members of the wom-
en’s team will play exhi-
bition games at Stan-
ford, Oregon State, Texas
A&M and Oregon in early
November to prepare for
the FIBA tournament later
in the month.
“Historically speaking,
it has been great for our
program to have a college
tour,” U.S. coach Dawn Sta-
ley said. “All our past USA
teams that had a college tour
went on to win Olympic
gold medals. So, if we can
pull back into some histor-
WEEK 6
Overall:
Last week:
Chiawana at Hermiston
Pendleton at LaSalle
Union at Pilot Rock/Nixy
Mac-Hi at Kiona Benton
Lock Haven at Millersville
Oklahoma at Texas
Montana State Northern
at Eastern Oregon
Texans at Chiefs
49ers at Rams
Eagles at Vikings
THANK YOU TO
LAST WEEK’S
GUEST PICKER
STEVE HOFFERT
AP Photo/Nick Wass, File
Ronald Bond
mike in the core group. The
game at Stanford will be
a homecoming for Ogwu-
mike, who starred at the
school. The roster for the
November exhibition games
will be rounded out by
Seimone Augustus, Layshia
Clarendon, Napheesa Col-
lier and Kelsey Plum.
Gray will miss the game
at Stanford and Plum will
miss the first two games
due to previous personal
commitments.
This is the Americans’
first extended college tour
since training for the Bei-
jing Olympics in 2008. The
only loss came in 1999-2000
against Tennessee, with the
U.S. winning the other 39
games.
The U.S. will play another
series of exhibition games
against colleges in February.
Daniel
Wattenburger
29-21
8-2
Annie Fowler
Aaron Karlson
Ronald Bond
29-21
5-5
28-22
4-6
26-24
4-6
Chiawana
Chiawana
Chiawana
Pendleton
Pendleton
La Salle
Union
Pilot Rock
Pilot Rock
Mac-Hi
Kiona-Benton Kiona-Benton
Lock Haven Lock Haven
Lock Haven
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Eastern
Eastern
Montana State
Oregon
Oregon
Northern
Chiefs
Chiefs
Texans
Rams
Rams
49ers
Vikings
Vikings
Eagles
Chiawana
Pendleton
Pilot Rock
Kiona-Benton
Lock Haven
Oklahoma
Eastern
Oregon
Chiefs
49ers
Eagles
Chiawana
Pendleton
Union
Mac-Hi
Lock Haven
Oklahoma
Eastern
Oregon
Chiefs
Rams
Eagles
Donna
Biggerstaff
KER
GUEST PIC
Chiawana
Chiawana
Pendleton
Pendleton
Pilot Rock
Pilot Rock
Kiona-Benton Kiona-Benton
Lock Haven
Millersville
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Eastern
Eastern
Oregon
Oregon
Texans
Texans
49ers
49ers
Eagles
Vikings
GOOD LUCK
TO ALL THE
PICKERS!
IS ROOTING FOR
IS ROOTING FOR
IS ROOTING FOR
IS ROOTING FOR
IS ROOTING FOR
IS ROOTING FOR
Aaron Karlson
(7-3)
IS ROOTING FOR
Staley told The Associated
Press last month.
The Americans revealed
at the WNBA All-Star
Game that they would have
an expanded training pro-
gram to help prepare for the
Tokyo Olympics, where they
will be trying for a seventh
consecutive gold medal. The
exhibition games will be the
first of five training periods
leading up to the Olympics.
As part of the expansion, a
core group of players led by
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi
will be paid $2,000 a day at
each of the training camps
and games.
The two stars, going for
their unprecedented fifth
Olympic gold, are joined
by Elena Delle Donne, Sky-
lar Diggins-Smith, Sylvia
Fowle, Chelsea Gray, A’ja
Wilson and Nneka Ogwu-
IS ROOTING FOR
Daniel Wattenburger
Ron Gibbs
Jeff Snell
Brett Kane
Taylor Smith
Mike Appleton