A Grip on Sports: There was a trifecta of sorts for local sports fans on Saturday, a day that may loom large in the near (and distant) future

A GRIP ON SPORTS • An intriguing hire. An interesting game. A couple losses without even playing. It was that type of Saturday around these parts.

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• Washington State athletic director Anne McCoy knows her university as well as anyone who has ever worked in the Cougars’ athletic department. More than two decades pacing the Bohler Gym halls, taking care of all the under-the-radar chores that need to be done, good or bad, leads to such knowledge.

And it’s that familiarity with the ecosystem that has informed her head coaching hires thus far. She made her highest-profile decision yet on Saturday, as Washington State announced the hiring of Jimmy Rogers as head football coach.

Who? OK, that’s a fair question. It’s the same one most folks had, we’re sure, when Fresno State tabbed Kalen DeBoer to fill its vacancy in 2020.

That hire worked out well for the Bulldogs and even better for Washington, as a guy with head coaching experience only in the lower levels of college athletics showed winning translates.

Now we’re not comparing Rogers to Alabama’s current head coach. Nor are we comparing WSU to Fresno State, though the two schools have more in common that either alumni base might like to admit.

But we are comparing Rogers’ winning ways to those of DeBoer. And believe his first FBS head coaching stint can be as successful. Of not more so.

DeBoer played at Sioux Falls, an NAIA school in South Dakota. Became his alma mater’s offensive coordinator, then ascended to the head coaching position. In five seasons in that spot, was 67-3, with three of those wins (and one of the losses) coming in NAIA title games.

Back in 2009, though, DeBoer knew such things didn’t matter as much to athletic directors. He then went on a journey, moving to the FBS ranks as an assistant. Finally, in 2020, Fresno State hired him as its head coach. His second season, the Bulldogs won nine games and won the New Mexico Bowl.

Rogers also played his college football in South Dakota. A linebacker for South Dakota State. Then an assistant coach. Defensive coordinator. Finally, in 2023, the Jackrabbits’ head coach.

His first year? A 15-0 record, winning the FCS title by dominating Montana in the championship game. His second? A second consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference crown, a 12-3 record, ending with a 28-21 FCS semifinal loss at North Dakota State a week ago.

The commonality between the two coaches? Winning. Often. Mainly because their teams, while not as athletically gifted as their opponents, were meticulous in their play. They out-executed their opponents, in DeBoer’s case with an offensive slant and, in Rogers’, with a disciplined, physical and effective defense.

Though Rogers grew up in the Phoenix area, he found a home in Brookings, S.D., a community of 23,377 about 210 miles west of Minneapolis and 60 miles north of DeBoer’s alma mater.

Farming country. Sure, mostly corn, which contrasts with the area around Pullman, but a place where Ford pickups and John Deere tractors are just as common. Not much of a culture shock for a football coach making a new home for his family.

• A simple basketball question. What’s a foul?

There’s actually only one right answer. Whatever the official decides. And that’s why the outcome of any game revolves in a large degree around the third time on the court.

It’s a hill we’re willing to plant our flag. Have been for more than 50 years. And we’re not at all surprised with how Gonzaga’s 65-62 loss to UCLA in Southern California turned out Saturday.

We watched UCLA blow a 16-point lead eight days ago, losing 76-74 to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden. Watched as the Tar Heels rallied in large part due to Bruin foul trouble. Eric Curry, Mike Greenstein and Roger Ayers whistled Mick Cronin’s aggressive team for 25 fouls (and N.C. for 22). The Heels shot 35 free throws. Outscored the Bruins by 11 from the line.

The handsy, physical nature of UCLA’s defense didn’t fly with the trio, especially in the second half, when UNC shot 57% from the floor and 19 free throws.

It’s Cronin’s style. And he admitted after the UNC loss his team needed to figure out how to defend without fouling – coaching code for it was not our fault, it was the way the game was called.

Fast-forward to yesterday. The Bruins, playing just 15 miles from campus, played the exact same way. Fine. The difference? Keith Kimble, Kipp Kissinger and Jeff Anderson didn’t believe what UCLA does rises to the level of a foul as often. Both teams were called for 15 fouls. The Bruins shot 18 free throws, the Zags’ eight.

Nothing wrong with that. But we are confident in saying if the two crews were reversed, UCLA defeats UNC and loses to Gonzaga.

Maybe the Zags win if Kissinger was a little more consistent as well. The Midwest-based veteran – all three officials Saturday rarely work games in this part of the country, while two of the three in New York last week for the UNC game are West Coast-based officials – called two crucial offensive elbows-to-chin fouls completely opposite, and the eight-point swing had a huge impact on the outcome.

The first was on a scoring attempt by GU’s Michael Ajayi, whose elbow connected with Tyler Bilodeau’s chin, as Bilodeau attempted to stop Ajayi’s move the rim. Kissinger immediately called it an offensive foul, then, with his compatriots, upgraded it to a Flagrant 1. The foul shots and possession led to five UCLA points. Fine. It is how Kissinger and the crew decided to adjudicate the rule.

But all any basketball player wants is consistency. And that disappeared as the game came down to the wire. Trailing by two, UCLA’s Sebastian Mack drove on Emmanuel Innocenti.

Replays showed Innocenti making contact with Mack. Yep. His chin with Mack’s left elbow. The same replays show Mack seeing Innocenti trying to catch up, and initiating the contact. He knocked Innocenti for a loop, made the basket and was the recipient of a free throw. Three more points for the Bruins. Three crucial points. The final margin.

An inconsistent enforcement of the rule. And by calling the foul on Innocenti, the crew felt they could not even view video to see if Mack’s elbow was flagrant. If Ajayi’s was, so was this one.

You don’t have to take my word for it. The Fox crew, Jimmy Jackson and Jason Benetti, felt the same way. Could not understand the call nor the lack of review, as player safety is supposed to be at the forefront of all decisions, including the two flagrant fouls called on Gonzaga earlier.

It’s not as if officials are trying to make a difference. They don’t want to. They are good people doing a tough job. But it’s the nature of the game. A foul is what they determine it to be, no matter what the rule book says. And how officials enforce those rules has a huge impact on what happens. And that will never change.

• Finally, the Seahawks’ playoff chances were not good entering Saturday. We all understood that. But the results, especially in Los Angeles, where the Rams found a way to get past Arizona, and in Cincinnati, where Denver’s Sean Payton decided not to go for the win after a late touchdown and the Broncos lost in overtime, killed the Hawks’ hopes.

Even if they defeat the Rams next week in L.A., they only have an estimated 1% shot at the postseason, due to the NFL’s tiebreaker in play, strength of victory. Not sure anyone, anywhere, would want to pin hopes on a 1% chance.

Not even Lloyd Christmas.

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WSU: Not only do we have Greg Woods’ reporting on the Rogers hire, we also can pass along his look back at the Holiday Bowl defeat. And how it might impact the Cougars going forward. … Greg also covered the men’s basketball game from Portland yesterday, as David Riley’s team, despite being down another key player, routed the Pilots – coached by Riley’s former boss, Shantay Legens – 89-73 to open WCC play. … The women were at home and blew out Pepperdine 67-46. … We can also pass along other stories on Rogers’s hire, including a couple from South Dakota. … Jon Wilner has his thoughts on that in the Mercury News and highlights the importance of another upcoming Washington State hire. Kirk Schulz’s successor. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Colorado, the nation’s darling, met BYU, the flagship university of the LDS church, in the Alamo Bowl yesterday. The Cougars dominated, shutting down the Buffs and winning 36-14. … Former WSU quarterback Cam Ward played for Miami in their bowl matchup with Iowa State. Set a touchdown record then touched down on the bench in the second half of the Hurricanes’ 42-41 loss. … Washington is in El Paso for the Sun Bowl. And the Huskies’ outgoing defensive coordinator spoke to the media. … Big playoff bowls coming up. John Canzano has his picks. … Arizona State (Peach Bowl) and Boise State (Fiesta) are part of that, with both big underdogs. … Oregon’s Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State is one of those big semifinals. The Ducks have played in the Granddaddy eight times in the past. … Oregon State will be better defensively next season because the NCAA granted its best pass rusher another year of eligibility. … UCLA picked up a quarterback transfer. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Colorado State’s first bowl game in a while wasn’t what the Rams wanted as they were blown away 43-17 by Miami (Ohio) in the Arizona Bowl. … In basketball news, Washington’s women picked up their first Big Ten win. … The Husky men hope to have more resiliency this week. … Two future Pac-12 members met in San Diego, with unranked Utah State rallying from an 18-point second-half deficit to pick up a huge road win over No. 20 San Diego State.

Gonzaga: All of GU’s four losses were close, including two coming in overtime. After Saturday’s loss, the Zags once again told Jim Meehan they need to figure out how to win close games. By March, we’re guessing. … Theo Lawson mentions the physical nature of the game in his buzzer-beater piece. … Tyler Tjomsland has the photo gallery. … We watched at home and wrote our TV Take. … We also have coverage from Los Angeles. … The Gonzaga women led by a dozen with about 3 minutes left and still fell to Oregon State in overtime in the Kennel. Greg Lee has the coverage. … It was a big win for the Beavers. … Elsewhere in the WCC, both of Saint Mary’s teams won conference games.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, one of Montana State’s most well-rounded players ever has one more game left. … Northern Colorado experienced some athletic success in 2024.

Preps: Dave Nichols covered one boys game at the Eagle Holiday Classic and led his GSL roundup with Rogers’ loss to Kennewick. … Dave also put together another roundup of small-school action.

Chiefs: Spokane saw host Wenatchee score three times early in the third period (fixed from earlier, doh) and fell 4-3 to the Wild. Dave has that story too.

Seahawks: We mentioned this above. The Hawks have little hope for the playoffs.

Kraken: Seattle did something in its 5-4 overtime win over the Canucks rarely done in the NHL before.

Mariners: The answer to the question asked in this story’s headline is simple. Not much. The M’s franchise, which brought in more money last year than Arizona, is not trying to win, in contrast to the Diamondbacks, who spent a bunch of money trying to improve their biggest hole, starting pitching.

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• We are finally done. Thanks for your patience. It was a long morning in many ways. Until later …