Making the Grade: Cougars first half

Well, with the sloppy victory over the Beavers, the Cougars are at the halfway point in the season. Was I impressed with the team or were they not up to par? A little bit of both, but this team has the potential for a possible bowl birth. Fox Sports has the Cougars facing off against the Stormin' Mormons of BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. Is this a possibility? The Las Vegas Bowl pits the #4 Pac-10 team against the Mountain West champion, meaning the Cougars would have to beat UCLA and Arizona State on the road and the "revamped" (I'm still not buying the hype) Washington Huskies at home. Anything is possible, but the road to the Las Vegas Bowl will be as bumpy as JJ Redick's back. To sum up the first half of the season, the Cougars are right where they were supposed to be. 4-2. Despite having to play against two of the best teams in the nation, the first half was the easy part. The second half is what separates the contenders from the pretenders.

The Good:

Alex Brink

After a shaky start, the redshirt junior Brink has poured it on. He played amidst chants for Gary Rogers and had to move on from a horrible individual performance at Auburn. He has done both. (I would like to say that he never hopped onto the "Gary Rogers should start" bandwagon) Since Auburn, Brink has thrown for 1,267 yards, eight touchdowns, led a comeback drive against Baylor and posted great games against two of the best defenses in the Pac-10 (USC and Oregon State). It is obvious that Brink has matured into a more athletic, cerebral and effecient quarterback than the one we saw last year.

The Cougar Defense

I'd like to say that I was as sure of the defense at the beginning of the season as I am now, but that would be a lie. I knew that we would be able to get a fair share of sacks. What I did not know is that Coach Akey has turned this defense into one of the best in the Pac and the best pass rushing unit in the nation. After the six sack performance the Cougs put up against Oregon State, the team leads the nation in sacks with 27 and Mkristo Bruce is at the top of the individual list with 10. An early injury to defensive end Matt Mullennix left a hole that was quickly filled by pass rush specialists Lance Broadus and Mike Graise.

The Running Game

This was a question mark heading into the season. How could the Cougs replace an All-American like Jerome Harrison? Easy. Use three running backs. Sharing carries this season has been the three D's: DeMaundray Woolridge, Derrell Hutsona and Dwight Tardy. Woolridge went down with an injury and while he was recovering, Hutsona and Tardy have been impressive. Look for the trio to continue sharing carries and anchoring the running game.

The Bad:

The Usage of Jason Hill

Jason Hill was supposed to be Brink's biggest target. He was a potential All-American. Not at this pace. The senior wide receiver has only 28 catches and 400 yards for an average of 66.7 yards per game. What Hill does do is force double teams, opening up Brink's other options such as Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson. Bumpus leads the team with 40 catches. However, Hill is Brink's first option in the red zone; the two have connected for five touchdowns. In order for the offense to improve in the second half, Hill will need more looks.

Injuries

The injury bug has affected a handful of Cougs in the first half. In the process however, the team proved to be very deep at nearly every position. These backups have came in and have performed beyond expectations on offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary. Possibly the injury with the most "benefit" would be the loss of Chris Jordan. Brink will miss this veteran target, but sophomore Brandon Gibson is getting some important experience before he will be a go-to-guy once Jason Hill leaves.

Using Darryl Blunt

This is nothing against Blunt. I think he's one of the best punters in the Pac-10 and his Blunt Punts amaze the hell out of me. But we saw what he did on that botched punt play against Oregon State. The guy carries the ball like a running back. Doba loves to be tricky on offense with flea flickers and HB passes, why not use Blunt's athleticism on designed fake punts? Just a thought...

The Ugly:

Loren Langley

The junior "kicker" has missed an extra point and has gone 6 for 9 in field goals. His season long is 39. When can we expect to see Romeen Abdollmohammadi? Last season, the Cougars lost to UCLA, Oregon and Arizona State by three. Every point matters. So everytime we have to punt from the 35 or 40, we are potentially losing a game. Abdollmohammadi has the leg we need to make those big kicks. So why not put him in the game against Idaho, Baylor or Stanford so he gets game experience, which was the only thing that Langley had an advantage in? When is this confidence is Langley going to run dry?

Red Zone Offense

Why does Doba insist on passing on first and goal situations? Second and goal situations? Third and goal situations? When we have a 240-pound north-south back like DeMaundray Woolridge, who has no touchdowns in five games this season, why not run right up the gut three times? It's a much safer bet than passing in such situations. It's too risky, especially with an inconsistent kicker such as Langley. Even without such a back, the obvious answer is still to run right up the gut. Why else did I pick Clinton Portis ahead of Torry Holt in my fantasy draft? Because running backs are who you turn to in scoring situations. NOT receivers.