Duggar news, Godley’s baffling pitches put Giants’ offense in a tough spot in 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — The news regarding Steven Duggar’s shoulder injury didn’t help the Giants’ offense on Wednesday, and Zack Godley’s curveballs made things even more unbearable.

And, of course, the first-place Diamondbacks were in no mood to be swept in San Francisco.

The result was a much-needed win for Arizona, ahead of their big weekend with the Dodgers, and a damaging loss 3-1 for the Giants, who needed to find a way to sweep to maintain a presence in the NL West race. The D-Backs’ win puts them a half-game ahead of Colorado, a full game ahead of the Dodgers with the Giants under .500 and seven games back.

“You close out a series the way we did after losing the first two,” Arizona manager Torrie Lovullo said. “You get on a flight, you turn the page and you start to get that good feeling about where we’re going and what we have to do. L.A. is going to present a big challenge.”

All of the excitement derived from the win, easily translated to the upcoming series against the Dodgers for Arizona. For the Giants, the numbing news regarding Duggar was far less negotiable, and took its toll on Bruce Bochy’s lineup first off as the rookie centerfielder had taken residence at the top of the order in recent days and showed that he belonged. In his absence, Andrew McCutchen batted leadoff with Panik second, and that combo–with two knocks–provided almost all of the team’s output. The pair got no help, as McCutchen delivered the team’s only run scoring hit off reliever Archie Bradley after Godley departed.

With a pair of runners aboard, Panik then struck out to end the eighth, and the three final Giants hitters would strike out in the ninth.

Dereck Rodriguez was off his game Wednesday, allowing five hits, four walks and three runs. Steven Souza took a rare turn as leadoff man in Lovullo’s lineup and produced, with a double, home run and two runs batted in.

“I did everything that I could on my part, but if somebody goes down, it’s always that,” Rodriguez said referencing Duggar’s likely season-ending injury. “He’ll be stronger when he gets back.”

The Giants have Thursday off, then spend the weekend hosting the Mets with former Giant Zack Wheeler scheduled to face Andrew Suarez on Friday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

49ers prep for final exhibition vs. Chargers at Levi’s Stadium

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By Jeremy Harness

One more preseason game, and then after that, it will be for real.

The San Francisco 49ers will play their final exhibition game Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The team has seen more than its fair share of injuries this preseason, so don’t expect the starters to be in the game for very long on Thursday, if at all. Typically, teams do not usually play their starters in the final preseason game anyway.

However, this game will serve as the final audition for players who are fighting the final 53-man roster, so expect those guys to play most of the game, if not all, of it.

Meanwhile, the players who were lost early in the preseason are expected back for the beginning of the regular season, which starts next Sunday, Sept. 9 at Minnesota.

Among those players are running backs Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida, who were lost in the first preseason game against Dallas and the practice in the days following that.

Also expected back for the start of the season is defensive end Solomon Thomas, which will certainly help the young 49ers defense against a talented Vikings offense.

Earthquakes win wild 4-3 match over FC Dallas to snap home winless streak

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The 4000 lb gorilla has officially left Avaya Stadium. Chris Wondolowski was the difference in an offensive juggernaut featured in the second half. His game-winning goal help the San Jose Earthquakes (4-14-8) defeat the Western Conference leading FC Dallas (13-6-7) 4-3 on Wednesday evening in front of a small, but raucous crowd.

The victory snapped the Quakes’ longest home winless streak in franchise history of 12 games. The Quakes hadn’t won at home since the season opening match on March 3rd against FC Minnesota.

The Quakes captain was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench as a substitute the past five games. His last start was on July 25th, a home match against the Seattle Sounders. His game-winning goal came in the 62nd minute when he received the ball just outside the defense box and made a pretty give-and-go with Vako. As two FC Dallas defenders collapsed on Vako, Wondo was left all alone and fired a strike into the upper left corner of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

The Wondo Watch is now at 142, only three away from Landon Donovan’s MLS record of 145. It was also his 40th game-winning goal of his career. Which just so happens to be second in MLS history to guess who, Donovan, who had 41 of them.

“It’s great to get the goal,” said Wondo. “I keep using this word, but I’m so proud to be the captain of these guys. To be with them, to be out there fighting. It’s a huge win.”

FC Dallas would get off to another quick start against San Jose. In the eighth minute, Michael Barrios received a favorable bounce off a throw in and centered the ball right into the middle of the box where both Nick Lima and Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell both went for the ball that deflected off Tarbell and right into a waiting Maxi Urruti. The Argentinian play-maker wasted no time tapping it into an empty net for his seventh goal of the season.

Vako would give the Quakes the equalizer in the 16th minute when after a nice give and goal with Magnus Eriksson, he was able to get the ball inside the box after a failed header clearing attempt by Matt Hedges left Vako all alone with a clear path to the goal where he took two dribbles and rocketed a shot into the upper left corner of the goal past FC Dallas goalie Jimmy Maurer . It was the Georgian striker’s seventh goal of the season.

Hedges would be the focus of another blunder in the 30th minute when he misfired wide right on a wide-open net after receiving a great centering feed from Barrios.

Vako proved to be a one man show in the 42nd minute when he gave the Quakes a 2-1 lead. He received a pass from Jahmir Hyka from 20 yards out, then dribbled down the middle of the box where he magically was able to get the ball through three FC Dallas defenders and once again had a clear path to the goal. He snapped a shot past a diving Maurer into the right corner of the goal for his eighth goal of the season leaving FC Dallas stunned.

“We had a lack of balance from our side tonight,” said FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja. “When you get three goals on an away game and don’t get points, obviously something didn’t work out well.”

FC Dallas tied the game in the 51st minute when substitute Santiago Mosquerea, who came in to start the second half, was rewarded after taking a centering pass from Urruti and fired a shot from 10 yards out past Tarbell for just his second goal of the season.

However, the deadlock wouldn’t last long when three minutes later at the 54th minute, Eriksson scored on a spectacular shot from 20 yards out. Eriksson worked a give-and-go with Wondo and on the return feed bent one in just inside the upper left corner of the post that Maurer had no chance at. It was the Swedish midfielder’s seventh goal of the season.

“I think the combination play up front has been better,” said Eriksson. “We have gotten to know each other better. It has worked well for the moment. We finally took three points at home and it’s a good feeling.”

FC Dallas would not go quietly as just four minutes after Eriksson’s goal at the 58th minute. they would get the equalizer at the 57th minute when Dominque Badji finished a pretty tic-tac-toe of a goal. Urruti sent a pass over to right side to Jacori Hayes, who then centered the ball over to a wide-open net. Badji, who one-timed the ball into an empty net for his team-leading ninth goal on the season.

“Not happy,” Quakes head coach Mikael Starhe jokingly said when asked about how he felt about the four-goal span in 10 minutes. “We talked about it in the locker room that we have to continually play our game and follow our game plan.”

Things would settle down after Wondo’s goal. However, FC Dallas put the pressure on the Quakes in the final minutes of stoppage time. Lima made a game saving sliding deflection to knock out the ball past the net in the final seconds of stoppage time.

GAME NOTES: The Quakes were without the services of defenseman Harold Cummings who was suffering from a thigh injury.

FC Dallas was without midfielder Carlos Grueza due to a suspension from yellow card accumulation.

There were no yellow or red cards issued in the game by referee Sorin Stoica.

The Quakes are now undefeated in their past four games against FC Dallas 3-0-1, including 3-1-4 in their last eight against FC Dallas. Overall, they are 16-8-8 against FC Dallas.

Jahmir Hyka’s goal streak was snapped against FC Dallas. He scored his last three matches against them.

UP NEXT: The Quakes travel to Vancouver to take on the Whitecaps on Saturday, September 1 at BC Place at 7:00 pm PDT.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez to be on NBC Bay Area’s Comunidad Del Valle

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By http://www.sportsradioservice.com staff

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez will be featured during the Comunidad del Valle program on NBC Bay Area (KNTV; CH 3) in English as well as its sister station on Telemundo Bay Area (KSTS; CH 48) in Spanish this Sunday.

Damian Trujillo is the host on this popular weekly program with appearances by talented and influential Latino members. Pi-Gonzalez, who writes for this site, is in his 41st season as a MLB announcer and is currently the Spanish voice for the Oakland A’s.

Amaury has been interviewed about the new Mural of The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame, which he is the vice president of a non-profit organization, at the Club Level entrance of the Oakland Coliseum. This exciting 2018 A’s season adds to his distinguished resume as a sports broadcaster.

Pi-Gonzalez has been considered a pioneer in Spanish sports broadcasts in the Bay Area since his first season with the A’s in the late 1970’s. He has also called games for the Giants, Mariners and Angels on radio as well as television for Fox Sports West. In addition, he has called two Caribbean World Series in the early 2000s as a play-by-play announcer in English for Fox Sports International.

Once the Spanish voice for the Golden State Warriors in the 1990’s, Pi-González has talked about his passion and tutored young Latino students throughout his career. He was also a sports anchor for Telemundo (CH 48) in the Bay Area in the 1990s and Trujillo has known him since those good old days.

Comunidad del Valle will be aired on NBC Bay Area (KNTV; CH 3) this Sunday, September 3 at 9:30 am PDT in English. A Spanish version of the program will be aired on Telemundo Bay Area (KSTS; CH 48) at 8 am PDT this Sunday. But, check your local listings for programming, just to be sure.

Raiders head to Seattle for final preseason game against the Seahawks

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The 2018 preseason comes to a merciful end Thursday night, when the Raiders travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. This matchup will mark the 13th consecutive season that the Raiders have finished up their preseason schedule against the Seahawks, with nine of the 13 matchups in Seattle, the first being in 2015.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.

Last week, the Raiders defeated the Green Bay Packers 13-6 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. With the score tied 6-6 late in the fourth quarter, undrafted rookie running back Chris Warren III would score the go-ahead touchdown to put the Raiders up for good.

Warren rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries.

Oakland’s defense feasted on Packers’ quarterbacks (not named Aaron Rodgers), recording a preseason-high five sacks.

The Seahawks lost to the Vikings in Minnesota, 21-20, last week.

Former Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski converted both of his field goal attempts, one booming shot from 55 yards out in the third quarter that gave the Seahawks a 13-7 lead.

Janikowski, who spent his first 18 seasons in Oakland before signing with Seattle in April, is the Raiders all-time leader in points (1,799), games played (268) and seasons of service (18).

Oakland and Seattle will meet each other in the regular season, when the two teams face off in Week 6 in London, England on Oct. 14.

Tyler White’s walk-off homer lifts the Astros to a 5-4 victory over the A’s

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Houston Astros beat the Oakland A’s 5-4 in the rubber match at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday afternoon. It was a very competitive game as both teams organized come-from-behind rallies to either take the lead or tie the game. The Astros won the game in the bottom of the ninth when rookie Tyler White sent a Jeurys Familia pitch into the seats in left field to give the Astros the walk-off win.

A’s Trevor Cahill, who has not pitched well on the road this year, did not do well again Wednesday in Houston. Cahill’s road record was 1-3 with a 6.92 ERA in eight road starts. The A’s were hoping that Cahill would do better, but he didn’t. He went just 3 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, four runs (one unearned), struck out two and walked a season-high six batters. Astros’ starter, Dallas Keuchel, wasn’t much better. Keuchel went six innings and allowed eight hits and three runs. Neither Cahill nor Cahill figured in the decision.

The Astros put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Astros center fielder George Springer led off with a single. Power-hitting third baseman Alex Bregman bunted. On the play, Bregman was credited with a single and Chapman committed an error on the throw to first. Springer went to third and Bregman advanced to second on the error. Second baseman Jose Altuve, who’s the reigning AL MVP, followed with a single to drive in Springer. Bregman stopped at third base. Carlos Correa then lofted a fly ball to left field that was deep enough to allow Bregman to tag up and score. The Astros lead 2-0.

Neither team scored in the second inning, but A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano made a sensational over the shoulder catch off the bat of Tony Kemp. The 24-year rookie continued to amaze everyone with his defensive prowess.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the third. Singles by Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman put men on at first and third with no out. Jed Lowrie’s single to left drove in Semien with the ‘s first run. Astro left fielder Tony Kemp almost made a fantastic play attempting to catch the ball. Fortunately for Oakland, Kemp could not hold on, and the A’s had their first run of the day. A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty double down into the corner in left field to drive in Chapman and Lowrie and gave the A’s the lead 3-2.

The Astros regained the lead in the fourth inning. Cahill walked the leadoff hitter, Yuli Gurriel. Josh Reddick reached on a fielder’s choice. Gurriel was out at second. Cahill walked Max Stassi to put men on at first and second. Cahill walked Tony Kemp to load the bases. George Springer singled to drive in Reddick. Cahill walked Bregman to force in another run. At this point, A’s manager Bob Melvin ended Cahill’s day, and Shawn Kelley was brought in to pitch. Kelley ended the threat, and the Astros were back in front 4-3.

The score remained the same until the seventh. Former A’s pitcher, Brad Peacock, was now handling the pitching for Houston. With one out, Peacock was not able to find the strike zone. He walked Chapman, Lowrie, and Khris Davis to load the bases. He then plunked Piscotty with a pitch to allow Chapman to score and the game was tied 4-4.

The A’s used Lou Trivino in the seventh, Fernando Rodney in the eighth, and Jeurys Familia in the ninth. Trivino and Rodney kept the Astros off the board. Familia retired the first hitter he faced in the ninth, but White ended the game with one swing of the bat as he sent the pitch over the wall in left field. The Astros won 5-4.

Game Notes: With the loss the A’s fall to 80-54. They are 2 1/2 games behind the Astros in the race for first place in the AL West.

The Mariners lost to San Diego, and they trail the A’s by 5 1/2 games in the race for the second Wild Card post.

Up Next: The M’s head to Oakland to start a four-game series with the A’s. Game one is set for Thursday at 7:05 pm PDT.

Frankie Montas will pitch for Oakland, while Wade LeBlanc will be on the mound for Seattle.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Meyer meets with players before starting suspension; Cardinal alum come to give 2018 offense some tips; plus much more

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On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 Ohio State coach Urban Meyer met with players and assistant coaches of his team to explain his suspension from the team. Meyer was restricted from addressing the suspension and it’s issues but was allowed to talk to his team and Athletic Director Gene Smith. How will something like this a national story impact the Buckeyes going into week one of the season?

#2 Stanford Cardinal had some of their old alumni come in to address specific offensive issues with the incoming class of 2018 as the Cardinal’s opening kickoff begins on Friday, August 31. The former quarterback Kevin Hogan spoke with the quarterbacks, Andrew Luck talked to the offense, and Tavita Pritchard spoke with the offense as well. It’s a good way to have some of the team’s former alumni come back and inspire the current team.

#3 Turning to baseball, lots of talk about the direction of the AL West. First, the Houston Astros at one point were struggling, but on their current homestand, they know facing the visiting Oakland A’s, it was a critical matchup. The Astros on Monday night set the tone with a 11-4 thrashing of the A’s and on top of that the A’s learned that their ace starter Sean Manaea will be on the 10-day DL. The A’s shook it off and got a one one win on Tuesday night to even the series 4-3.

#4 The Boston Red Sox are coasting 6 1/2 games in front of the second-place New York Yankees and they got a key win on Tuesday night over the Miami Marlins. The Marlins were no pushovers, but lost by a run, 8-7.

#5 The San Francisco 49ers close out their preseason Thursday night at Levis Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan will be trimming down the roster in preparation of opening week in September. What are some of the things that he will be expecting during Thursday’s game?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders still far away from negotiations with Mack; What coach Gruden expects this season

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe:

#1 With the Raiders headed to ready to conclude their final game of the 2018 preseason on Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, the talk has focused on Khalil Mack on the trip. Mack is reportedly no closer to signing with the Raiders since camp opened back in July.

#2 Mack is seeking a contract extension that would make him the highest player defensive player in the NFL. The asking price has been between $20 to $22 million per year on a six-year agreement. Mack and the Raiders are still far apart on raising Mack’s salary from $11 million per year.

#3 Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie were asked this week about Mack’s chances of signing–is the team close to making an agreement?–and neither could give an answer.

#4 Is Mack work worth the $7 to $11 million raise?

#5 The Raiders are in Seattle for Thursday night football and concluding the preseason. Joe talks about some of coach Gruden’s expectations.

Join Joe each week for the Raiders podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com. Also, join Tony Renteria for complete Oakland Raiders game coverage immediately after Thursday’s game.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: After losing Posey, team rallies around to battle D-Backs; McCutchen looks to stay in S.F.

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On the Giants podcast with Marko:

#1 Buster Posey is done for the rest of 2018 due to hip surgery. Was his demise the key turning point where oddsmakers said the Giants’ season is pretty much done?

#2 Jeff Samardjiza looks like he could have surgery. He tried to rehab and tried throwing off flat ground, but he is being checked by an orthopedic surgeon. This is the second surgeon as he’s seeking a second opinion.

#3 The Giants in the Diamondbacks series starting Monday night have been getting some good pitching with Chris Stratton, who started, and the game ended up in a 2-0 shutout. Tuesday’s game was a 0-0 pitchers duel for most of the way between the Diamondbacks Andrew Chafin and the Giants Sam Dyson which San Francisco won 1-0.

#4 During their skid, the Giants seriously considered dealing outfielder Andrew McCutchen in their last trip to Cincinnati once that got out–the New York Yankees, Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals were said to take an interest. The waiver talk has simmered down and the Giants have looked good during the current series in Arizona.

#5 Talk a little bit about Aramis Garcia and his role backing up catcher Nick Hundley. Giants’ catching instructor Bill Hayes has some high hopes for Garcia when he gets in the lineup.

Marko Ukalovic does the Giants podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State to kick off 2018 season in home opener vs. UC Davis on Thursday night

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans kick off the 2018 season in its home opener versus the UC Davis Aggies at CEFCU Stadium on Thursday night.

There will be no television broadcast, just radio broadcasts on KLIV 1590 AM and KSJS 90.5 FM.

Radio Station Details
KLIV 1590 AM originates San Jose State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play, while Kevin Richardson provides commentary.

The UC Davis football broadcast begins at 6:30 pm PDT with an Aggies pregame show.

KSJS 90.5 FM will also broadcast the game live. Ashton Hughes and E.J. McCarthy have the calls.

2017 San Jose State record
2-11 (1-7 Mountain West). The Spartans finished the season tied for fifth in the Mountain West’s West Division.

2017 UC Davis record
5-6 (3-5 Big Sky). The Aggies were in eighth place in the 13-team Big Sky Conference.

The lowdown on San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan
Brennan is in his second season as a college head coach. Brennan has a college coaching record of 2-11–all with the Spartans. Brennan returned to San Jose State in 2017 after six seasons as a receivers coach at Oregon State. Brennan worked as a Spartan assistant coach from 2005 to 2010. Brennan 0-0 as a head coach against UC Davis.

The lowdown on UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins
Hawkins is in his second season as the Aggies head coach. Hawkins has a 5-6 record at UC Davis. Overall, Hawkins begins his 17th season as a college head coach and has a 117-67-1 record. Hawkins is 5-0 as a head coach against the Spartans. Hawkins won all five games as Boise State’s head coach from 2001-04.

Series history
The Spartans lead the series, 6-4-2. San Jose State has wins in three of the four games played in the 21st century. These teams are meeting for the first time since the 2012 season when the Spartans won a 45-13 laugher. UC Davis’ last win in the series was a 14-13 triumph in Spartan Stadium.

This is the third time these two teams are opening a season against each other. The most recent was in 2008 when the Spartans edged the Aggies 17-13. The first was on October 12, 1929, when UC Davis shutout San Jose State, 13-0, just 17 days before the start of the Great Depression in the United States.

More on weekly San Jose State press conference
The weekly San Jose State football press conference is in the Simpkins Stadium Center Gold Room on Mondays at 1:00 pm PDT.

The Mountain West Network streams the press conference live through www.sjsuspartans.com/videos. The press conference also is archived at sjsuspartans.com.

The Brent Brennan Show

The one-hour Brent Brennan Radio Show airs on KLIV 1590 AM on Thursdays, at 7:00 pm PDT. The show is taped each Wednesday at 6:00 pm PDT at the Hukilau Restaurant on 230 Jackson Street in San Jose. Justin Allegri, the voice of the Spartans, is the host.

Brent Brennan on KLIV 1590 AM
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan is heard weekly on KLIV 1590 AM on Tuesdays at 6:30 am PDT. Tony Michaels is the host.

Tickets
• sjsuspartans.com/tickets
• ticketmaster.com

The Athletics Ticket Office is located on 1393 S. 7th Street, San Jose, CA 95112, and is open on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm PDT.

• New modern family plan
• Spartan alumni season ticket pricing in a distinct seating section

Game sponsor
Los Gatos Roofing, Inc.

Season openers
San Jose State has three wins in its last five season openers. Since 1898, San Jose State is 41-52-4 all-time in season-opening games.

A master’s degree in their futures
Quarterback Michael Carrillo and defensive lineman Boogie Roberts are two San Jose State players playing as graduate students. Carrillo graduated with cum laude honors, majoring in business administration with an emphasis in marketing in May 2018. He is pursuing a M.B.A.

Roberts majored in communication studies. He is enrolled in the master’s program in interdisciplinary studies and tailored his curriculum towards classes that focuses on sports broadcasting.

Young Spartans
The current San Jose State football roster consists of 40 freshmen. In the last nine seasons, the 2018 squad is the fourth one to begin a season with at least 40 freshmen. The 2012 (41), 2013 (45) and 2017 (47) teams had more than 40 freshmen on the opening-game roster.

The fewest freshmen on a San Jose State opening-game roster since 2010 was 35 in 2013 and 2014.

14 returning starters
San Jose State heads into the season opener with 14 returning starters (7 offense, 6 defense, 1 kicker) from last year’s roster.

Possible first-time starters
Based on an August 20 depth chart, five Spartans are in line for their first college start.

On offense, sophomore Trevor Robbins tops the depth chart at center and redshirt freshman Jesse Chamberlain is No. 1 at right guard.

Defensively, junior Jesse Osuna tops the depth chart for the first time at a linebacker position. Senior John Toussaint and sophomore Tre Webb are two possible first-time starters in the secondary.