WSUCougar
04-14-2008, 04:27 PM
At the halfway mark of the 2010 season, the Whirlwind sits atop the NC Western Division with a 7-1 record, three games ahead of 2<SUP>nd</SUP>-place <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><ST1:pBozeman</st1:City> (4-4). Elsewhere in the division, <st1:City w:st="on">Oceanside</st1:City> (2-5) has struggled and M<st1:City w:st="on">ountain View</st1:City> (1-7) is in rebuilding mode after dumping their veteran talent prior to the trading deadline. Palouse Hills is tied with <st1:City w:st="on">Wilkes-Barre</st1:City> for the best record in the conference; their only loss came to on-again, off-again <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Hawk</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mountain</st1:PlaceType>, 26-13.
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Offense
Quarterback Ben Krueger is again among the lead leaders in most passing categories, usually connecting with one of his triumvirate of WR Wayne Dodge (who leads the team with 39 catches), WR Darnell Chamberlain (34 catches and a team-leading 8 TD receptions), and TE J.R. Grundy (29 catches). Freddie Copeland has 633 yards and 8 TDs rushing; his rather low 3.88 YPC reflects a lot of attempts when the Whirlwind are running out the clock. Billy Joe Burger is usually hit-or-miss, racking up a lot of one-yard gains but then hitting homeruns like his 80-yard TD against <ST1:p<st1:City w:st="on">Toledo</st1:City></ST1:p.
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Defense
The changing of the guard has been the story on the defensive line. Veteran stalwarts Richie Small and Neil Burton have been reduced to role players while DT Jeremy Fiore (31/8 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and rookie DE Ethan Gomez (6.5 sacks) have starred. Though solid, the linebacking corps has been a bit lost in the shuffle as well. But the defensive backfield, led by star safety Nathan Nichols (team-leading 41/14 tackles and 6 INTs), has been fairly dominant. The team sports the 3<SUP>rd</SUP>-best passing defense in the league, giving up only 170.1 yards per game.
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Special Teams
Return-man extraordinaire Raymond Kennedy may have slowed down a little this season, but he is still bringing the ball back on punt returns (10.6) and kickoff returns (23.9) with consistency. Ed Yockey leads the league in net punting average (43.7) and has dropped 2/3rds of his punts inside the opponents 20. Kicker Neil Brock is 11/13 on FGs and remains among the league leaders in total points.
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Second Half Outlook
The team has two more games and then a bye week. Six of the remaining eight games come on the road. Key battles begin at the defending-champion Camargue Flamingoes next week, a trip to Lowcountry in Week 13, and the regular-season finale at <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1:pBozeman</st1:City>. At least a 5-3 record puts the Whirlwind at 12-4 or better heading into the playoffs.
<O:p</O:p
Offense
Quarterback Ben Krueger is again among the lead leaders in most passing categories, usually connecting with one of his triumvirate of WR Wayne Dodge (who leads the team with 39 catches), WR Darnell Chamberlain (34 catches and a team-leading 8 TD receptions), and TE J.R. Grundy (29 catches). Freddie Copeland has 633 yards and 8 TDs rushing; his rather low 3.88 YPC reflects a lot of attempts when the Whirlwind are running out the clock. Billy Joe Burger is usually hit-or-miss, racking up a lot of one-yard gains but then hitting homeruns like his 80-yard TD against <ST1:p<st1:City w:st="on">Toledo</st1:City></ST1:p.
<O:p</O:p
Defense
The changing of the guard has been the story on the defensive line. Veteran stalwarts Richie Small and Neil Burton have been reduced to role players while DT Jeremy Fiore (31/8 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and rookie DE Ethan Gomez (6.5 sacks) have starred. Though solid, the linebacking corps has been a bit lost in the shuffle as well. But the defensive backfield, led by star safety Nathan Nichols (team-leading 41/14 tackles and 6 INTs), has been fairly dominant. The team sports the 3<SUP>rd</SUP>-best passing defense in the league, giving up only 170.1 yards per game.
<O:p</O:p
Special Teams
Return-man extraordinaire Raymond Kennedy may have slowed down a little this season, but he is still bringing the ball back on punt returns (10.6) and kickoff returns (23.9) with consistency. Ed Yockey leads the league in net punting average (43.7) and has dropped 2/3rds of his punts inside the opponents 20. Kicker Neil Brock is 11/13 on FGs and remains among the league leaders in total points.
<O:p</O:p
Second Half Outlook
The team has two more games and then a bye week. Six of the remaining eight games come on the road. Key battles begin at the defending-champion Camargue Flamingoes next week, a trip to Lowcountry in Week 13, and the regular-season finale at <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1:pBozeman</st1:City>. At least a 5-3 record puts the Whirlwind at 12-4 or better heading into the playoffs.