Sky’s the limit

WSU linemen prepare to face-off against each other during a practice drill on Aug. 24, 2014.

WSU linemen prepare to face-off against each other during a practice drill on Aug. 24, 2014.

William Cheshier

Cougar football returns Thursday and the anticipation of kickoff continues to heighten.

The Cougars are coming off their best season in the last decade finishing with a 6-7 record and a bowl game appearance for the first time since 2003. However, the Cougars will look for a better result this year after suffering a 45-48 loss to the Colorado State Rams in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars return their top eight receivers, making them one of the deepest receiving cores in the nation.

Outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons has many weapons to utilize, but the offensive ideology will remain the same.

“Our philosophy has always been to put our best four out on the field at a time and to play our top eight,” Simmons said. “That’s the philosophy that has worked for us the past 15 years I’ve been with Mike (Leach) so we’ll have the same philosophy this year.”

The WSU receivers will look to redshirt senior quarterback Connor Halliday as the leader of the offense. Halliday is coming off of a career year after shattering WSU single-season passing records for attempts, completions and yards. The Spokane native also tied the school record for touchdown passes with 34.

The running game looks to improve on last year’s production in which the Cougars finished last in the Pac-12 in rushing. Redshirt freshmen Gerard Wicks and Jamal Morrow have been battling with redshirt senior Theron West for playing time out of the backfield.

Sticking with the offense, offensive line coach Clay McGuire said he’s looking for more consistency from his players.

“We got to get consistent and make routine plays on a consistent basis,” McGuire said. “Right now we have goods and we have bads, and we got to get there and even that out to the good side.”

The offensive line may not get the accolades for the Air Raid offense, but WSU Football Head Coach Mike Leach knows their impact on the offense.

“O-line is the most important position no matter what kind of offense you have,” Leach said. “It’s a group we recruit aggressively.”

Switching to the defensive side, the Cougars return six starters to a defense that finished 10th in the Pac-12 in total defense. The front seven on the defensive side looks to be the biggest strength of the defense.

Led by redshirt senior Kalafitoni Polé, the defensive line appears to be set. Redshirt junior Xavier Cooper returns after leading the Cougars in tackles for a loss last season. Junior Destiny Vaeao rounds out the defensive line starting at defensive end.

The linebackers return starting MIKE linebacker Darryl Monroe, SAM linebacker Cyrus Coen, and WILL linebacker Tana Pritchard. Junior linebacker Kache Palacio appears poised to claim the BUCK position.

           

The secondary comes in with the most questions. Junior free-safety Taylor Taliulu returns as the only starter in the secondary for the Cougars. Former Cougar Deone Bucannon’s replacement at strong safety remains unclear; however, redshirt freshman Darius Lemora and sophomore Isaac Dotson appear to be the frontrunners.

           

Sophomore Daquawn Brown has secured one cornerback position. Opposite to Brown, freshman cornerback Jeff Farrar, redshirt senior Tracy Clark and redshirt freshman Charleston White are all competing for the second starting spot.          

Although Simmons’s main focus is on the receivers, he’s noticed that Brown and Clark make it difficult on his receivers.

“Daquawn (Brown) has stepped up his game, he’s playing with a lot more confidence and for a guy smaller in stature he’s been able to play pretty physical,” Simmons said. “Tracy (Clark) is playing like a senior, he’s been around the block, he’s using his knowledge of the game to anticipate and keep himself in position and jump on some routes.”

 The Cougars kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. In the meantime, let the anticipation for Cougar football continue to rise.