Tag: Washington State University

Week 2 Washington college football round-up

How did the major college football programs in the Evergreen State handle the second week of the season?

We may be focused primarily on the Seattle Seahawks with this publication, but we love all football, especially college football. Each week, we at Seahawks Wire will give a quick round-up of how the major football programs in the Evergreen State did over the weekend.

Last week, it was a strong showing for Eastern, Washington State and Washington, who all went 1-0 at home. Central Washington did not play, but they had their first game this past weekend. Without further ado, here is the latest installment for college football round-up:

Eastern Washington University: Eagles lose 35-32 in overtime to Drake

  • Saturday was one of the sloppiest games I can remember watching the Eagles play. For large portions of the game, it seemed as if neither team wanted to win. Endless penalties, untimely turnovers and poor clock management on both sides had this game headed into overtime at 29-29 despite several lead changes. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs prevailed in the first meeting between these schools with a walk-off touchdown in overtime.
  • Next Up: The Eagles go on the road for the first time this season as they head to Hammond, LA to play Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions are 0-2 this year, and are fresh off a 35-10 loss last week.

Central Washington University: Wildcats lose 26-7 to San Diego

  • Saturday marked the season debut for the Wildcats, who were on the road to play the University of San Diego Toreros. Unfortunately, they traveled back to Ellensburg with a multiple-score defeat. Quarterback Kennedy McGill completed only 50% of his passes for 109 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
  • Next Up: Central will be back on the road to play Colorado Mesa University.

Washington State University: Cougars dominate Texas Tech 37-16

  • Unofficially the Mike Leach Bowl, the Cougars hosted the Red Raiders as the two teams the legendary Leach both coached. In Leach’s honor, Washington State absolutely dominated Texas Tech with an astonishing 301 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. WAZZU had built up a 27-10 lead at halftime and the game was essentially over from there.
  • Next Up: The Apple Cup at Lumen Field.

University of Washington: Huskies defeat Eastern Michigan 30-9

  • The Huskies have successfully defended home turf twice to start the season in the Jedd Fisch era. Their opponents haven’t been world beaters by any means, but they took care of business by beating two teams they should easily succeed against. Now, the Huskies will go “on the road” to Lumen Field to play the Cougars in an Apple Cup that has lost significant meaning thanks to the near-dissolution of the Pac-12.
  • Next Up: The Apple Cup at Lumen Field

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Week 1 Washington college football round-up

How did the major college football programs in the Evergreen State fare in the first weekend of action?

Here at Seahawks Wire, we are starting a new on-going series for this season. Each week, we will take a look at how all the major college football programs in our lovely Evergreen State fared. So far in Week 1, it’s all wins for Washington, as all teams who played ended the weekend with a 1-0 record.

Note, Central Washington University did not play this weekend, so there is nothing to report. But we will include our friends in Ellensburg as well!

Eastern Washington University: Eagles defeat Monmouth 42-27

  • It was a battle of birds of prey last Thursday on the iconic Infero of Roos Field. The Eagles swooped down and snatched any chance of victory away from the Hawks. Quarterback Kekoa Visperas was nearly perfect, completing 25-of-28 passes for 275 yards and five touchdown passes. Three of those scores came from Efton Chism III, who hauled in 12 receptions for 175 yards through the air.
  • Next Up: Eastern will remain in the friendly confines of Cheney to host the Drake Bulldogs.

Washington State Univeristy: Cougs obliterate Portland State 70-30

  • Washington State wasted little time getting their offense going after the Portland State scored an opening drive touchdown. After taking their 7-0 lead, the Vikings were quickly left in the dust behind the Cougs’ explosive offense. Starter John Mateer threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns in the start of head coach Jake Dickert’s third season as head coach.
  • Next Up: WAZZU will stay in the Palouse to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who narrowly surived in overtime to win 52-51 against Abilene Christian.

University of Washington: Huskies handle business 35-3 vs. Weber St.

  • In their first action since their embarrassing 34-13 defeat in the National Championship, Washington took care of business and defeated the Wildcats convincingly. Will Rogers, in his first action as a Husky, played fine, completing 20-of-26 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. The offensive standout was running back Jonah Coleman who had 16 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Next Up: A third straight Washington-based team who gets to enjoy Week 2 at home. The Huskies will host Eastern Michigan, who is fresh off a 28-14 win over the UMass Minutemen.

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2022 NFL draft: Twitter reactions to Seahawks selecting WSU’s Abe Lucas

Seattle’s picks have generally had positive buzz and Abe Lucas is another hit.

The Seattle Seahawks went into this draft knowing their consistent weakness was the offensive line, and they made it a point to deal with it. Seattle used their first pick to select Charles Cross, and three selections later the Seahawks drafted tackle Abraham Lucas from Washington State University.

With all the 12’s east of the Cascade Mountains likely thrilled, Lucas is staying in the Pacific Northwest and will help anchor Seattle’s much maligned big men up front.

Seattle’s picks have generally had positive buzz and Abe Lucas is another hit.

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Seahawks agree to terms with Geno Smith on 1-year deal

The Seattle Seahawks love having an experienced backup quarterback, and Geno Smith is a good bet to win the job over UDFA Anthony Gordon.

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with quarterback Geno Smith on a one-year deal, according to multiple sources – including Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The move has not been made official, per the NFL transaction report, nor has a corresponding roster move been made to keep the roster at 90 players.

It was always expected the Seahawks would bring in someone to compete with former Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon, who Seattle signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 NFL draft.

Gordon was among the best quarterbacks in college football last season, but coach Pete Carroll has always preferred his backup to Russell Wilson to be someone with NFL experience. Smith not only has that, but he has a full year of experience in Seattle’s offensive scheme under his belt, despite not playing a single down last year thanks to Wilson’s impeccable record of health.

Gordon will still be given every chance to win the backup job over the summer, but considering the likelihood of a condensed training camp and Carroll’s preference for a veteran, it seems like a good chance that the Seahawks will go into 2020 with the same quarterback room they had last year.

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A look at the signing bonuses for Seahawks undrafted free agents

The Seattle Seahawks gave out signing bonuses to a handful of their undrafted free agents, including WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon.

Shortly after the NFL draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks brought a whopping 17 undrafted free agents onto the roster to compete for spots in this unique, mostly virtual offseason.

Most of them won’t make the final roster, but with a bigger gameday roster and a bigger practice squad to work with, it makes sense for Pete Carroll and his staff to take a look at as many interesting players as they can get their hands on.

While it’s not always a direct correlation, we do have an idea who the team might be favoring by looking at the signing bonuses given out to Seattle’s undrafted free agents, information that was revealed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Anthony Gordon, the quarterback from Washington State who was unexpectedly left undrafted, got the biggest bonus at $12,500 dollars. He was followed by $11,500 for Mississippi State tackle Tommy Champion, $10,000 each for Maryland tight end Tyler Mabry and Baylor safety Chris Miller, and $8,000 for Albany defensive end Eli Mencer.

The signing bonuses are usually more an indication that other teams were interested in said prospects, not necessarily that they have a better chance of making the active roster.

Gordon is the most likely candidate to break camp with the team, as he is the only other quarterback on the roster besides Russell Wilson.

Champion and Mencer seem like they have decent chances as well, playing at positions of need for the Seahawks that also don’t have a ton of depth.

Until we can see these guys on the field, which may be a while, it will be hard to know what Seattle has with their undrafted free agent pool – although this team has had plenty of success finding diamonds in the rough in recent years.

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3 undrafted free agents who could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks have 17 undrafted free agents vying for roster spots this summer. Here are three that could make it.

The Seattle Seahawks have now signed a whopping 17 undrafted free agents to the 90-man roster, after reportedly coming to terms with 12 more on Monday afternoon.

Add in the eight draft picks and the Seahawks have 25 first-year players vying for spots on the active roster this summer.

While most of the draft picks are expected to earn a spot, that is not the case for the undrafted guys. Seattle has had plenty of success with undrafted free agents in the past, including Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Poona Ford, but for the most part they are camp fodder who end up getting cut in early September.

Still, of the 17 newcomers, there are a handful who appear to have the tools, athleticism, and performance to make this squad out of camp.

Here are the three with the best chance, and why they could find themselves on the field in Week 1.

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PFF ranks Anthony Gordon 2nd best undrafted free agent

Pro Football Focus ranked QB Anthony Gordon, who recently agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks, the second best undrafted free agent.

The Seattle Seahawks went to work just minutes after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL draft, reportedly agreeing to terms with a handful of undrafted free agents.

No signings have been made official, but one of the reported additions is Washington State University quarterback Anthony Gordon – who would become just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster behind Russell Wilson.

Gordon will surely face competition during training camp to be Wilson’s backup during the 2020 season, but there is little doubt Seattle found themselves a strong contender for the job, based on his college production and the recent success of his predecessor, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew.

In fact, Gordon was named the second best undrafted free agent who has agreed to terms with a new team, according to Pro Football Focus.

PFF had Gordon No. 82 overall on their draft board, which falls behind University of Washington tight end Hunter Bryant – who went undrafted and agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions.

“NFL teams often fall in love with the quarterbacks who have ideal size and big arms while discounting the most important trait a quarterback needs to be successful — accuracy,” Ben Linsey of PFF wrote in the article. “He joins Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks on the roster at the moment, in prime position to earn a backup job in the same state he played in college.”

Gordon was expected to get drafted on Day 3 of the NFL draft. His free-fall out of the draft entirely could be a blessing in disguise though, as he gets to develop under superstar Russell Wilson – which should help him hone his skills in the short-term, and could potentially land him a cushy job as his backup during the 2020 campaign.

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Seahawks plan to sign Washington State QB Anthony Gordon as UDFA

The Seattle Seahawks finally added a 2nd quarterback to the roster, signing Washington State star Anthony Gordon as an undrafted free agent.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see the 2020 NFL draft end without Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon – who threw for a whopping 5,579 passing yards last year – getting drafted.

However, it worked out to the benefit of the Seattle Seahawks, who reportedly agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

With Geno Smith still an undrafted free agent, Gordon becomes just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster, behind Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks will certainly bring in one or two more players to compete with Gordon during training camp, but at least for the moment he has the edge on the backup quarterback job.

Gordon’s numbers from his lone season as a starter in Mike Leach’s air raid offense at Washington State are eye-popping. He posted a 48-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio with over 5,500 passing yards and a stellar 71.6% completion rate – earning him lots of comparisons to the team’s starter in 2018, Gardner Minshew.

Gordon does not have the awareness and arm strength Minshew has, however, and will have to work on those and a handful of other things to become a successful NFL starter at the next level.

Getting to learn under Russell Wilson will be extremely helpful in that regard, and if he performs well in camp and the preseason there’s a good chance he heads into the 2020 regular season with the Seahawks.

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Could the Seahawks pursue WSU receiver Dezmon Patmon?

The Seattle Seahawks love big, speedy wide receivers, and Washington State’s Dezmon Patmon could be an intriguing addition.

Over the past two seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have dipped into the local talent pool by selecting players from the University of Washington in back-to-back drafts.

However, even though the program improved tremendously with coach Mike Leach at the helm, Seattle rarely tapped into the pool of players from UW’s rival, Washington State University.

Part of that is simply a schematic issue, as Leach ran an air raid offense with tons of passing and very little defense, which didn’t leave a lot of NFL-caliber players at positions Pete Carroll and his staff like to target in the draft.

The group of WSU Cougars who are hoping to hear their name called in 2020 are more of the same, though one name could be of interest to Seattle: Receiver Dezmon Patmon.

Patmon had over 750 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, leading WSU with 816 and five touchdowns as a junior and hauling in eight scores last year.

Patmon will appeal to the Seahawks much in the way DK Metcalf did, as a big-bodied receiver with surprising speed. Patmon is six-foot-four and 225 pounds, which makes his 4.48 40-yard dash time extremely impressive. It was first among all PAC-12 receivers and 19th overall at the combine.

Patmon doesn’t have the ball skills and physicality that Metcalf has, and he had drop issues in college, but it’s not hard to imagine the Seahawks taking him on as a project if he is available as an undrafted free agent.

With Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Phillip Dorsett, David Moore, Malik Turner and John Ursua in the mix, Seattle does not need an immediate impact receiver. Patmon would be a nice player to stash on the practice squad and develop into a more physical, tougher receiver.

If it works, he could be another diamond in the rough and might even open up the door for more Cougars to make their way west to Seattle.

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