PULLMAN – An old skirmish began anew on Tuesday when some New Jersey media members ambushed Mike Leach on the weekly Pac-12 coaches teleconference to press him about comments he made a year ago.
Last year during his weekly coach’s show, Leach was asked a question about how his staff judges high school talent when recruiting players. Leach harkened back to his time as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky during his answer, when he frequently recruited the Garden State.
“There’s guys out there who are great players (in high school) and turn out to be good ones, but based on competition, you won’t get a feel for it,” Leach said “I didn’t think I could evaluate New Jersey. Some of it was just experience with the leagues there. If you have a feel for quality, you can make a better judgment.”
The answer set of a tizzy in the Garden State, and many New Jersey high school coaches took the opportunity to point out WSU’s earlier loss to Rutgers, which has a roster composed mostly of instate players.
With the Cougars making a return visit to Rutgers this weekend, a couple New Jersey-based reporters asked Leach to clarify his comments. The gist of his answer was that he believes the talented players the state produces are somewhat less developed than those from other states, but because of a short season rather than a lack of coaching.
“Well, I pointed out they start late and have a short playoff,” Leach said. “Of course, what I said was taken out of context. I did say they’re a state with great players. The point of the matter was I thought when they came to college they developed quite a lot. So I did suggest it’s a pretty good place to recruit and I pointed out there’s a lot of them in the NFL.”
Adams not perfect
Eastern Washington alum Vernon Adams threw for 246 yards and rushed for 94 more against his alma mater in Oregon’s 61-42 win. But coach Mark Helfrich was just as impressed by Adam knowing that he still has still a long way to go before leading the Ducks to another Pac-12 championship.
Most impressive, he said, was the ability Adams has to tell if a play was executed correctly, regardless of its outcome.
“I think the biggest thing for a new player at any position –particularly quarterback – is knowing when you’re right and something doesn’t work, and knowing when you’re wrong and something does work,” Helfrich said. “He has a good feel for that and wants to fix that if it’s not perfect.”
Adams’ availability in No. 7 Oregon’s critical matchup at No. 5 Michigan State this week was in question after the quarterback took a scary hit from EWU linebacker John Kreifels, who was ejected. But Adams confirmed to reporters on Monday that he will play against the Spartans.
UCLA youngster shines
Josh Rosen was able to handle the bright lights of Hollywood when he was merely one of the most-hyped college freshmen in the country. Then he played a game, validating all that hype by completing 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-16 win over Virginia.
Rosen’s performance in his first college game earned him Walter Camp Player of the Week honors and thrust him firmly into the national spotlight. Still, UCLA coach Jim Mora says the 18-year-old is ready for the extra attention.
“Josh has had a lot of attention for the last several years,” Mora said. “He’s been under the microscope, certainly not to this extent, but he’s had a taste of it.”
