Billings Gazette 2014 Big Sky Positional Rankings

[EWURanger]

Special Teams:

#7 - Todd Raynes, ST., JR., Eastern Washington 2013: 7 special teams tackles. The BUZZ for 2014: Eastern Washington kicked the ball off an astounding 103 times last season. 16 more than the team with the next-highest total in the league (Montana). But the Eagles only had 28 touchbacks, meaning they had to cover 73 percent of those kicks. How many were returned for TDs? Zero. In fact, EWU ranked No. 2 in the Big Sky in kickoff coverage. Raynes had much to do with this, and should again, even though he'll challenge for a starting safety spot this fall. Eastern's special teams don't get the publicity of its record-setting offense. Maybe it should.

Defensive Backs:

#1 - Tevin McDonald, S, Sr., Eastern Washington 2013: 48 tckl, 2 1/2 tfl, 1 int, 5 pass def, 1 ff. The BUZZ FOR 2014: McDonald came to Eastern Washington in 2013 from UCLA, where he was a two-year starter, but he struggled through injuries and didn't put up the kind of stats he did with the Bruins. He missed EWU's final six games but was still named third-team All-Big Sky. The 5-11, 190-pound McDonald, the son of six-time NFL All-Pro Tim McDonald, is an unquestioned talent. If he stays on the field he has what it takes to be the Big Sky's best defensive back. He's just one more stud on a team with serious national championship aspirations.

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/blogs/catgrizinsider/big-sky-position-rankings-special-teams/article_de0f9a4a-f048-11e3-8a30-001a4bcf887a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[sammamisheag]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

 

[DefendtheRed]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

 

[loloman]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game. When you are giving them 10 yards every play in order to keep them in front of you, they will march down the field no matter who you have in the defensive backfield. If they would have kept with the pressure defense that was working, I think things may have had a different ending.

 

[EWURanger]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game.

This.

 

[EWUeag]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game. When you are giving them 10 yards every play in order to keep them in front of you, they will march down the field no matter who you have in the defensive backfield. If they would have kept with the pressure defense that was working, I think things may have had a different ending.

Yes

 

[Rjones61]

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/blogs/catgrizinsider/big-sky-positions-rankings-linebackers/article_12da9404-048b-11e4-acd2-0019bb2963f4.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This year, Eastern has the best linebacker corps in the Big Sky

 

[LDopaPDX]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game.

This.

It also hurts when your senior cornerback blows coverage on successive plays on the final drive... I'm not sure you can pin it on the coaches when the play calls were correct and the execution all wrong.

 

[eaglesfootball]

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/blogs/catgrizinsider/big-sky-positions-rankings-linebackers/article_12da9404-048b-11e4-acd2-0019bb2963f4.html

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This year, Eastern has the best linebacker corps in the Big Sky

agreed, Hamlin, Cody, Havili, Zamora and all the new faces is going to be scary.

 

[Rjones61]

Billings Gazette Wide Receiver

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/c...tml?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[luckyintheorder]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game.

This.

Complete concurrence.

 

[kalm]

Cost EWU in the playoffs.....With a healthy McDonald, Tonani and Wadood seconday could be good enough to get EWU to Frisco.

Hopefully both Tevin and Jordan are healthy and stay healthy. And you're right, just too many dang injuries to key personnel on defense last year and it finally caught us in the national semi finals.

I think that the soft coverage calls were a major issue in the last 3 minutes of that game.

This.

It also hurts when your senior cornerback blows coverage on successive plays on the final drive... I'm not sure you can pin it on the coaches when the play calls were correct and the execution all wrong.

:nod:

And I'm sorry, but we were not playing a soft coverage. A couple of our best defenders also missed tackles/opportunities to keep them in bounds and burn clock.

 

[Rjones61]

Runningbacks.

http://billingsgazette.com/sports/college/blogs/catgrizinsider/big-sky-position-rankings-running-backs/article_cd3694b2-219e-11e4-a659-001a4bcf887a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;