Cal Football: 5 Questions for Washington State Beat Writer
Cal (4-4) tries to end a four-game losing streak when it faces Washington State (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) at home on Saturday at 4 p.m.
To learn more about Washington State we asked beat writer Theo Lawson of the Spokane Spokesman Review five questions about the Cougars:
1. Washington State has lost four of its last five games. What has been the problem in that span and how much wind was taken out of WSU’s sails when it lost to UCLA after holding a 49-17 lead?
The UCLA loss was a tough one to swallow. More than taking the wind of their sails, it was the game that set in motion everything that happened during the first bye week. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys left the program abruptly and the Cougars made wholesale changes to their defensive secondary, moving a starting nickel to strong safety, a strong safety to corner and a corner to nickel.
So, while I’m sure the loss was a hit to their morale – I mean, it was the second-biggest comeback in FBS history – it also caused lots of disruption for a team that’s still adapting to a rearranged coaching staff and a reshuffled depth chart.
2. How good is running back Max Borghi, who leads the conference in rushing yards per carry at 7.3, which would be fourth in the nation if he had enough carries to qualify?
I’ve always maintained Borghi would have a chance to be one of the country’s top pure running backs if he played in a system that was more balanced. He nearly followed Christian McCaffrey – the back he’s most often compared to – to Stanford and it’s easy to imagine him carrying the ball 25-30 times per contest and reeling off 100-yard games every weekend.
But, if it says anything, Borghi’s been the first Leach-era running back to churn out three 100-yard games in a season and he’s done it despite averaging only nine carries. He’s also an ideal Air Raid running back and been a key safety valve for Gardner Minshew and Anthony Gordon these past few years. Lately, Gordon’s been targeting him more on check downs and he’s had 17 catches for 127 yards in his last two games to go along with 20 carries and 159 rushing yards.
3. Is quarterback Anthony Gordon as good as Gardner Minshew was last season? Why or why not?
Gordon wasn’t ready to win the starting gig when Minshew beat him out last season but I’d be interested to see how that competition may have played out this fall, because Gordon did make some pretty impressive strides between his junior and senior seasons.
Minshew’s name will always be attached to one of the most successful seasons in school history, but he also had the benefit of much better defense. The 2019 Cougars still have a few tough defensive challenges ahead (Cal and Washington), but Gordon’s led an offense that’s scored 41.8 ppg while Minshew’s offense generated just 37.5. Gordon gets the ball out quicker, which often buys him more time in the pocket, but Minshew’s ability to improvise is probably stronger and it’s something we’ve continued to see him do at the next level.
Gordon’s on pace to break a few Pac-12 records of his own, and he has a chance to get this team to a bowl game, but he won’t finish the year as a fifth-place Heisman finisher, and it’s hard to imagine him carving out the same NFL opportunity Minshew’s had. Granted, Gordon’s year isn’t over yet.
4. The Cougars are allowing more points than they did last year. Is the defense better or worse than it was last season, and who are the key players on the WSU defense?
By almost every measure, the defense is worse than it was a year ago, but the drop-off isn’t much of a surprise. Most anticipated the Cougars would regress some after losing sixth-year linebacker Peyton Pelluer, who played the most games in program history, and other major contributors such as defensive end Logan Tago and cornerback Darrien Molton. But, you had a sense things could go from bad to worse when safety Jalen Thompson was declared ineligible over the summer after purchasing banned substances, leaving WSU without a true enforcer in the defensive secondary.
The Cougars have lost three of their four Pac-12 games by a combined 10 points and some would say they’re a Jalen Thompson away from being 7-1, instead of 4-4.
Linebacker Jahad Woods is the top player on the defense – both in terms of skill and production – and leads the Cougars with 79 tackles. Cornerback Marcus Strong has pieced together a few nice games since struggling at Arizona State, and nose tackle Dallas Hobbs has emerged as one of the team’s best pass-rushers. He has 5½ tackles for loss since being promoted to the starting role.
5. What is the most interesting thing Mike Leach has said this season?
So many choices. But, with this being a Cal site, I’ll leave you with Leach’s comments about Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Fair Pay for Play Act:
“The state of California has trouble keeping their streets clean right now, so my thought is that they probably ought to focus on that. That’s just one guy’s opinion and I’m sure that I’m probably wrong, but at the rate California is handling their infrastructure and some of their other problems, you know, I think we’ll see how they do with that before I really think it would be that beneficial for the legislature of California to enter into college football.”
