Defensive Player of the Week
Wazzu keeps Defensive Player of the Week in one place: 2 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Dvorak gets the Pac-12 nod, and Pullman nods right back” and “Jaylen Thomas gets the Pac-12 nod, and nobody who watched is surprised”. Dvorak gets the Pac-12 nod, and Pullman nods right back. Jaylen Thomas got the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week nod, and if you were in Beasley or watching on the stream, you saw it coming before the final whistle. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Defensive Player of the Week story on Wazzu, newest first.
Dvorak gets the Pac-12 nod, and Pullman nods right back
Dvorak gets the Pac-12 nod, and Pullman nods right back. That's the kind of recognition that lands different when you've spent a Saturday in Beasley, watching a kid grind through a doubleheader while the wind is doing things to the flags that physics shouldn't allow. The conference saw what we saw. Good. This isn't a participation ribbon, and nobody in this town hands those out anyway. The Cougs are building something, and the conference schedule is where it shows. We already covered the start of that run in "Cougs Start Pac-12 Right: Clean Sweep Over Fresno State", a weekend that reminded everyone what clean baseball looks like when the Palouse lets you have a nice day. That piece is worth your time if you want to relive the sweep before the next pitch. Pullman notices the small things. The guy who shags foul balls with his kid. The postgame handshake that lasts a beat too long. Dvorak getting a conference nod is a reminder that the people grinding in the background are the ones who keep this thing real. No flash. No hype. Just work. So tip your cap to the kid. Then get ready for the next series. Go Cougs.
Jaylen Thomas gets the Pac-12 nod, and nobody who watched is surprised
Jaylen Thomas got the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week nod, and if you were in Beasley or watching on the stream, you saw it coming before the final whistle. The kid was everywhere. Not the flashy kind of everywhere, the kind that makes offensive coordinators start chewing their headsets. Thomas earned this one. We do not hand out "Coug of the Week" trophies in this space, but if we did, this would be the week to dust one off. The conference noticed. Pullman noticed. And if you missed our piece on Dvorak getting his own Pac-12 nod, go find it. Same vibe. Different position. Both guys showing that the Cougar defense is not just holding its own, it's taking names. Thomas has been building toward this. Anyone who watched him work in fall camp knew the motor was different. Now the rest of the conference has the tape. Good luck game-planning around him. That is the kind of week where you just nod at the TV and say, "Yeah. That tracks." No surprise. No need to gush. Just respect. Go Cougs.