Leach appreciative of team chemistry
Washington State coach Mike Leach is normally one to be critical of his players, but his negative comments have been at a minimum this season.
“This is one of the more coachable teams that I’ve ever been a part of,” Leach said at his weekly news conference on Monday. “Everybody’s on the same page. Everybody’s pulling in the same direction.”
The Cougars looked unbeatable in the first half last week against Oregon, taking a four-touchdown lead before holding on to beat the Ducks 34-20 in Pullman, Wash.
The No. 14 Cougars (6-1, 3-1) are in control of their own destiny in the Pac-12 North as they head to Palo Alto, Calif., this week to face No. 24 Stanford on Saturday. The Cardinal (5-2, 3-1) was an early three-point favorite.
Washington State has been a surprise team this year after being projected in the Pac-12 preseason media poll to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North. Significant losses on the offensive line, at quarterback and with several positions on defense were a contributing factor to people being skeptical of the Cougars’ chances. Five assistant coaches also left.
Despite all of that, Washington State is strong because of its chemistry.
“I think some of that comes from coaching — we’ve got some really good coaches that all complement the efforts of each other and pull in the same direction,” Leach said.
“I think we’ve got players that way too, and I think it’s refreshing to go to work every day and, all of a sudden, you say something once and typically it starts taking shape.”
Despite significant losses on defense, the Cougars lead the conference in sacks, with 21, as well as several other categories.
Rush linebacker Dominick Silvels has 3.5 sacks, and weakside linebacker Jahad Woods has three. Middle linebacker Peyton Pelluer has 4.5 tackles for loss, while defensive end Logan Tago has 5.5.
“I think the most important thing a defense does is affect the quarterback,” Leach said. “There’s a difference between sacking him and affecting him, but you have to at least affect him.”
