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Sep. 3—PULLMAN — Earlier in his career, Buddha Al-Uqdah felt more comfortable staying quiet as his teammates took the lead around him. He had yet to establish himself in Washington State’s linebacker corps, and with veterans like Kyle Thornton already in the room, he didn’t want to overstep his bounds.
It was 2022, and even with the way Al-Uqdah showed promise as a true freshman, ranking as a top-50 linebacker in the country in his class, he took a redshirt season. It was clear he wasn’t ready yet, so he stayed quieter.
“I felt like that’s something, personally, I needed to really work on this year,” Al-Uqdah said.
That’s a key reason Al-Uqdah vaulted into the Cougars’ starting lineup last season, bolstering WSU’s 4-2-5 look with athleticism and ranginess, and he’s back in that spot this fall. He may be a tad undersized — his official listing of 6-foot-even may be a little generous — but coaches trust him because of his football IQ, because of his maturity.
As the Cougs reflect on their season-opener and prepare for their next challenge, a home showdown with the Big 12’s Texas Tech on Saturday evening, Al-Uqdah is making those intangibles a bigger part of his overall game. He recognizes he isn’t just a starter. He’s also a leader, and he’s thoughtful enough to know he has to be better for his WSU club to top Texas Tech.
Mostly, Al-Uqdah said, he needs to improve as a communicator. When he looked back on his tape from last weekend’s game, a 70-30 win over FCS Portland State, he saw himself make mistakes he could have avoided by talking with his teammates more.
“We just gotta be more vocal, be on the same page,” Al-Uqdah said. “As long as we’re on the same page, everything should be OK. Myself, I had a few plays where I caught myself leaving my feet and just launching, instead of running through and keeping my feet…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wsu-lb-buddah-al-uqdah-020100245.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-09-04 02:01:00
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