SB Nation - John Fullington

WSU Vs. EWU Highlights: Gettin' GIF-y With It

Brian Floyd — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:48:11 -0000

The title of this post comes from Mark. We also have an alternate title from Jeff Collier that'll be used after losses. The idea here is simple: These posts will have a bunch of fun (and maybe not-so-fun) GIFs that serve as highlights from the game.

This week, most of the GIFs are happy. Washington State squeaked by Eastern Washington -- the Cougars first win of the season -- and for that we should be happy (or relieved). It's a celebration, y'all.

Should go without saying, but be warned: There are lots of GIFs after the jump.

We're starting with Andrew Furney, because we have to start with Andrew Furney. On Monday, Furney said it doesn't bother him when other teams call a timeout before he kicks. In this GIF, David Gilbertson told Furney, "Oh, they're calling a timeout. They must think you can make it."

And the celebration. Look at Furney go!

This was a heck of a throw by Jeff Tuel and catch by Isiah Myers. Just a pretty great play all around. Myers found some space in the back of the end zone, and Tuel put the ball in a spot where only his receiver could get it. Myers took a shot, but made a very nice grab.

Here's the "force-out" on Eastern's first touchdown. It was a pretty awful call. There's some hand-fighting, sure, but it's as much Brandon Kaufman pushing off to create separation as it is Nolan Washington "forcing" the receiver out of bounds. Washington is playing this like a defensive back should, crowding the receiver and using the sideline as an extra defender.

Here's Jeff Tuel's injury. After watching it again and again, it doesn't look terrible. He got hit low and was twisted up a bit, but it doesn't appear that his knee was torqued too bad. Goodness did John Fullington get beat around the edge, though. And when trying to recover, he almost forced the defensive end into Tuel's legs.

Confused Mike Leach is pretty awesome.

Finally, once again, here's the last play of the game. This was way too close, and it actually hits the receiver in the hands.

Back with more next week! Hopefully they'll be happy GIFs.

WSU Vs. EWU Final Score: Cougars Hold On For 24-20 Win

Mark Sandritter — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 22:39:22 -0000

The Washington State Cougars picked up their first win of the 2012 season with a 24-20 win against Eastern Washington on Saturday.

The Cougar offense and defense had their moments and did just enough to pick up the first win of the Mike Leach era. While the win is great, it might come with an asterisk as Jeff Tuel left the game in the third quarter with a knee/leg injury. The extent of the injury is still unknown, but Tuel spent the fourth quarter sitting on the bench with ice on his knee.

WSU took a 24-14 lead into halftime thanks to a 60-yard field goal by Andrew Furney as time expired. It was the second longest field goal in school history, trailing only a 62-yarder by Jason Hanson. WSU got the scoring started with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Tuel to Myers, but Eastern came right back when Brandon Kaufman beat Nolan Washington for a 93-yard touchdown.

Carl Winston put the Cougars back up seven with a touchdown run, but EWU tied it once again. Washington State went up for good on Myers second touchdown. Neither team scored in the third quarter with Tuel going down on the second to last play of the quarter. Connor Halliday came on and looked rusty at times, throwing an interception and completing 5-of-11 passes for 71 yards. A couple of drops didn't help Halliday's cause although he still showed he as absolutely no fear by gunning the ball all over the field. He led WSU down to the one-yardline but Teondray Caldwell fumbled, keeping the Cougars off the scoreboard.

Eastern Washington then drove 99 yards for a touchdown, a drive aided by a few defensive penalties. WSU blocked the extra point to make the score 24-20. The Cougars recovered the onside kick and Leon Brooks appeared to have a long touchdown run on the first play, but it was brought back by a John Fullington holding penalty. WSU appeared to put the game away once more with a Marquess Wilson touchdown, but it was also called back due to a hold. That is becoming a theme, unfortunately.

WSU was forced to punt and EWU took over with 1:29 to play and converted a fourth down to move near mid field. They picked up a second fourth down and moved into WSU's territory but their hail mary fell incomplete and the Cougars squeaked by with the narrow 24-20 win.

Overall, it was a bit of a mixed bag for the Cougars despite the win. The defensive front seven looked good, even great at times but the Cougar defense still allowed too many big plays. Still, they were able to force a couple of turnovers and appeared to have less alignment issues than they did against BYU. Third downs were once again an issue although the defense was able to get off the field when it counted in the second half. After allowing just six points in the second half last week, the WSU defense again allowed six second half points against EWU.

Offensively, they looked much better than last week at times and actually started to run the ball with some success in the second half, but still lacked consistency and continued to shoot themselves in the foot with key penalties. This was a game WSU could have won going away if the offense hadn't sputtered. While they moved the ball, it's still not where it needs to be and the Cougars left a lot of points on the board.

The extent of Tuel's injury will obviously be a major story and determine where WSU goes from here. This was, without question, a very ugly win for WSU. An ugly win is still better than the alternative, I guess that is something.

Charting The Game: A Few Interesting Personnel Notes From Week 1

Mark Sandritter — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:00:44 -0000

Whenever I rewatch a football game, I'm always amazed at how much I missed while watching it live. There is so much activity on any given play, it's easy to miss things. From a great block to an unique formation, a lot goes unnoticed on the first viewing.

With that in mind, I decided to chart WSU's games this season to see what interesting notes I could discover. Charting every play could obviously lead to the the discovery of a tendency or two and while I find it comical to think an opposing coaching staff would ever rely on data from a blog such at CougCenter, I'll still err on the side of caution and limit these posts to a few bullet points rather than large sums of raw data.

Offense

The WSU offense ran 61 plays against BYU and five players played every snap. Jeff Tuel took all the snaps at quarterback while Wade Jacobson, Elliott Bosch, Jake Rodgers and John Fullington played every snap along the offensive line.
Speaking off the offensive line, WSU made a change on the final drive of the first half with Matt Goetz subbing in for right tackle Dan Spitz. Goetz played 32 snaps at right guard with Rodgers shifting out to right tackle.
Of the Cougars 61 plays, they were in 10 personnel (1 RB, 4 WR) on 45 of them. WSU used their 20 personnel (2 RB, 3 WR) package on the other 15 plays.
When Mike Leach hired Jim Mastro as running back coach, some thought it would signal the addition of the pistol formation to Leach's Air Raid offense. WSU did feature a little bit of pistol, lining up in it on three plays.
WSU rotated three running backs with Carl Winston seeing the most snaps with 44. Freshman Teondray Caldwell was next with 23 snaps while Leon Brooks was on the field for nine offensive snaps.
The Cougars threw more than they ran, but the playcalls were fairly mixed. The longest string of consecutive pass attempts was nine and it was over two drives.

Defense

Depth has consistently been brought up as WSU's biggest question mark and the game against BYU didn't do much to calm those concerns. When Darryl Monroe, Chester Su'a and Eric Oertel were on the field at the same time, the Cougar defense wasn't half bad. When even one was on the sideline, there was a significant dropoff. The three were on the field together for 26 snaps and a different combination was used on 52 snaps. Note: each combo below recorded one sack which is why each is one snap short.

	Sua/Monroe/Oertel	Other Combination
Passing	7-12 for 79 yards, 58 percent, 6.6 YPA	18-25 for 224 yards, 72 percent, 9.0 YPA
Rushing	13 attempts for 43 yards, 3.3 YPC	26 attempts for 96 yards, 3.7 YPC
Total	4.9 yards per play	6.3 yards per play

BYU dropped back to pass 39 times and WSU blitzed on 59 percent of them.
Deone Bucannon and Taylor Taliulu were iron men for WSU at safety. Each played the first 73 snaps on defense before yielding to the backups for the final five snaps of the game.
WSU used four different cornerbacks with Nolan Washington (46 snaps), Damante Horton (62 snaps) and Daniel Simmons (43 snaps) rotating. Tracy Clark played the final five snaps of the game.
Going into the game, I was interested to see how often Ioane Gauta and Toni Pole would be on the field at the same time. They ended up playing 19 snaps together with mixed results. With them both in, WSU allowed 2.8 YPC on eight rushing attempts compared to 3.8 YPC on the other 31 rushing attempts. However, with both in WSU allowed 10.5 yards per attempt on 11 passes compared to 7.2 YPA on 26 passes with only one in. It will be interesting to see how much they play together going forward.
Travis Long played 68 of 78 possible defensive snaps and moved all over the field. He lined up at defensive end on 41 snaps, outside linebacker on 25 snaps and middle linebacker on two snaps. His 41 defensive end snaps included seven in a 3-4 alignment. Long also played 16 snaps on special teams just for good measure.

Freshman

WSU played eight true freshman against BYU. Here is how their snaps broke down:

Player	Offense	Defense	Special Teams	Total
Jeremiah Allison	0	1	6	7
Taylor Taliulu	0	73	13	86
Destiny Vaeao	0	26	4	30
Brett Bartolone	27	0	0	27
Teondray Caldwell	23	0	8	31
Gabe Marks	28	0	6	34
Feddie Davey	0	0	2	2
Kache Palacio	0	0	1	1

The Great Marquess Wilson Catch That Wasn't Actually A Catch

Mark Sandritter — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:55:43 -0000

Matt Christopher wrote a series of children's sports books, each telling the tale of an athlete with some unique abilities. There was the "Catcher With The Glass Arm" or the "Kid Who Only Hit Homers." If Christopher decided to write a book about Marquess Wilson, he might call it the "Wide Receiver Who's Great Catches Never Count."

Not once, but twice against BYU, Wilson had a big play called back due to John Fullington holding penalty. The most notable was a tremendous leaping touchdown grab where Wilson not only rose over a defender and high-pointed the ball in traffic, but also managed to get his foot down despite being boxed into the corner of the endzone. A play that looked like it was going no where ended with one heck of a catch (click to animate).

The catch is even more impressive in the close up angle.

The catch, however, didn't count as it was called back for a holding call on Fullington. Judging by the replay below, it doesn't seem like much of a hold, but with a Pac-12 officiating crew, no call surprises me.

Despite the disappointment of the outcome, at least we know Marquess Wilson can still do Marquess Wilson type things. Maybe next week, they'll even count on the scoreboard.

HOT COUGAR ACTION: Mike Leach On The Radio

Mark Sandritter — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:01:05 -0000

Mike Leach has a well deserved reputation as a great interview and while almost all of his radio appearances are enjoyable, his appearance on the Mitch and the Morning show on Tuesday may have been his best interview yet.

Leach spoke candidly about a number of subjects and was his typical humorous self. My favorite quote came when Leach was talking about teams who try to win on one side of the ball and merely not lose the game on the other side.

"Well, we're going to win on offense and if they can just break serve on defense. No, baloney, go try to wreck those folks."

WSU Football

Cougars freshman Marks teams with WSU's All-American Wilson | Sports - KXLY.com
Freshman Gabe Marks calls himself... "Consistent", Marks said. "Consistency always wins so that's what I try to do." All-American Marquess Wilson, simply calls Marks... "Amazing."

Washington State prepares to open the Mike Leach era on Thursday at BYU - The Washington Post
New Washington State football coach Mike Leach declined to reveal Tuesday whether veteran Jeff Tuel or sophomore Connor Halliday will start in Thursday night’s season opener at BYU.

WSU's Fullington thinks Cougars can succeed " Kitsap Sun
Asking John Fullington to say something negative about Washington State is roughly akin to asking Tommy Lasorda to say something negative about the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leach: 'We may look more like BYU than BYU' | ksl.com
There is nothing like a good cougar fight and on Thursday college football fans will get just that when the Brigham Young Cougars take on the Cougars of Washington State to open their respective seasons.

BYU football: Mike Leach is a big part of LaVell Edwards’ legacy | The Salt Lake Tribune
Legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edwards knew that Mike Leach had a "great mind" for the game, just by the questions the new Washington State coach would ask when he visited the Cougars’ spring practices in Provo early in his coaching career.

Pac-12 coaches calculate new kickoff rules - Spokesman.com - Aug. 28, 2012
No team in the Pac-12 has benefited more from stellar special teams play in recent years than the Oregon Ducks.

BYU's Nelson gets his turn to lead - Spokesman.com - Aug. 28, 2012
It might have been difficult two seasons ago to imagine that Riley Nelson would be where he is today, entering his senior year as Brigham Young’s unquestioned starter at quarterback.

Practice is in the past for WSU - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 28, 2012
The next time Washington State players pull on their pads, they'll be inside LaVell Edwards Stadium, preparing for the most-anticipated season-opener of the modern era at WSU. On Tuesday, they went through final on-field preparations in Pullman. Some notes after the jump.

Washington State Cougars Official Athletic Site
Cougar Game Day Watch Parties are held every away football game at My Office Bar & Grill, Valhalla Bar & Grill and Sweet Mutiny in Pullman.

Mike Leach's return to Provo all about business - ESPN
Sure, Mike Leach would love to cruise around the old stomping grounds when he brings his Washington State Cougars to Provo, Utah to kickoff the 2012 season versus BYU. It might be nice to swing by the old King Henry Apartments where he met his wife when he was a student in the early 80s.

BYU

BYU football: Washington State’s tall, fast receivers will test BYU’s secondary | The Salt Lake Tribune

The only defender among BYU’s projected starting 11 against Washington State on Thursday night who has not started or played significantly in a college football game is Jordan Johnson, the redshirt sophomore from Springfield, Mass., who BYU basketball legend Danny Ainge helped steer to BYU.

BYU football: Cougars wary of Washington State's 'Air Raid' attack | Deseret News

First-year Washington State coach Mike Leach is colorful and entertaining, and the same can be said of his "Air Raid" offense.

Football Recruiting

King's Mason Friedline turns down Pac-12 football for Yale | High School Sports | The Seattle Times
When he decided to make his college commitment this month, he shocked many by choosing Yale.

WSU Releases Depth Chart Ahead Of BYU Game

Brian Floyd — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:47:11 -0000

WSU released a depth chart on Monday morning, and it was about what we've all suspected. Leach is still mum about his starting quarterback -- listing Jeff Tuel OR Connor Halliday as the starter -- but that's part of the game. We all know which quarterback will start, and it's been quite obvious for some time that Jeff Tuel will lead the offense onto the field, whether it's announced ahead of time or not.

Other than that, the depth chart follows the pattern that's been outlined throughout camp. The starting receivers are Gabe Marks, Marquess Wilson, Andrei Lintz and Rickey Galvin. The starting running back spot is a three-way tie -- signaling a likely rotation of Teondray Caldwell, Carl Winston and Leon Brooks. The line, from left to right: John Fullington, Wade Jacobson OR Matt Goetz, Elliott Bosch, Jake Rodgers and Dan Spitz.

On the defensive side, the line is: Xavier Cooper, Ioane Gauta and Adam Coerper. The linebackers are Travis Long (BUCK), Chester Su'a (WIL), Darryl Monroe (MIK) and Eric Oertel (SAM). Nolan Washington and Damante Horton are the starting corners, and Deone Bucannon and freshman Taylor Taliulu are listed as the started safeties.

There are four true freshman on the depth chart: Taliulu, Marks, Caldwell and Brett Bartolone. And if you're looking for more nuggets, dig into the full depth chart ~~over here~~ after the jump!

HOT COUGAR ACTION: A Look At The Projected Depth Chart Against BYU

Mark Sandritter — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:00:28 -0000

With fall camp now almost complete, the depth chart for WSU's opening game against BYU is beginning to take shape. As Christian Caple noted in his Friday night blog post, an official depth chart is expected to be released today.

While that won't be for a few more hours, Mike Leach did give a preview of the depth chart Friday night.

At wide receiver, the depth chart currently looks like this:

Z: Gabe Marks, Isiah Myers

H: Rickey Galvin, Bobby Ratliff, Gino Simone

Y: Andrei Lintz, Brett Bartolone

X: Marquess Wilson, Bennett Bontemps, Dominique Williams

A couple of those guys have shifted around from earlier projections, but none of the starters come as much of a surprise.

The starting offensive line shapes up like this:

LT: John Fullington

LG: Wade Jacobson

C: Elliott Bosch

RG: Jake Rodgers

RT: Dan Spitz

We'll have more on the official depth chart when it is released.

Fall Camp

Notes from an evening practice - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 24, 2012
It might be Friday in the real world, but it's Sunday for the Washington Statae football team. That meant a light, slightly-more-than-an-hour practice at Martin Stadium. And for the first time since practice began, I wore jeans instead of shorts. That and other pressing matters after the jump.

Football

Cougars add swagger to replace the stagger | College Sports - The News Tribune
PULLMAN – Several Washington State football players and coaches have made reference to the "swagger" the Cougars carry onto the field these days. That’s not easy to do when your team has won just nine times in four years.

Another Mayes hoping for big things at WSU " Kitsap Sun
PULLMAN — When Washington State recruited Oregon prep football standout Logan Mayes, the Cougars figured they had a surefire advantage in the recruiting wars.

Martin Stadium facelift nearly complete - Spokesman.com - Aug. 24, 2012
PULLMAN – Maybe Washington State athletic director Bill Moos appreciates his department’s newest creation because he’s so aware of its predecessor’s shortcomings.

Photos from inside Martin Stadium renovation - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 24, 2012
We're back from a tour of the almost-completed Southside project at Martin Stadium. Below are photos from the club room, loge boxes, coaches club and press box. Click on each photo to read a description of what it is.

Pac-12 Top 25 for 2012: No. 7 - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
7. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

BYU

College football -- BYU Cougars quarterback Riley Nelson reclaims starting job - ESPN
A year later, BYU senior quarterback Riley Nelson is fine-tuning his game, preparing for the Cougars' opener on Thursday night against Washington State. He has spent the summer getting his reps, developing the chemistry with his teammates that will create touchdowns this fall.

BYU football: Cougars anxious to take the field in opener vs. Washington State | Deseret News
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall is ready for the season to start. The Cougars kick off the 2012 campaign Thursday against Washington State (8:15 p.m. MT, ESPN), and for him, it couldn't start a moment too soon.

Women's Soccer

Cougs look to attack - Spokesman.com - Aug. 25, 2012
If the Washington State women’s soccer program wants to move forward, Keidane McAlpine says, so will the players.

Cougar Soccer Shines Against Boise State - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State women's soccer posted its second shutout in as many games, defeating Boise State 6-0 at Lower Soccer Field, Friday.

Women's Volleyball

Volleyball Opens Season With Sweep of Montana - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
MOSCOW -- Jaicee Harris and Rachel Todorovich combined for 24 kills to lead the Washington State volleyball team to a season-opening 25-23, 25-12, 25-19 win over Montana Friday afternoon at the Idaho Nike Invitational Tournament at Memorial Gym. This was the 24th time in the past 26 years that the Cougars have won their season-opening match and the eighth consecutive first match win.

WSU Athletics

Lifelong Love for the Cougars - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Larry Schreck's love for the Cougars began early in life. As a child growing up in Spokane during the early '50s, he took his transistor radio to bed and fell asleep listening to the games of the Jack Friel-led Cougar basketball team.

HOT COUGAR ACTION: Want To See An Offensive Lineman Catch A Punt? Of Course You Do

Mark Sandritter — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:00:36 -0000

Washington State practiced under the lights of Martin Stadium Friday night with practice wrapping up with offensive and defensive linemen attempting to catch punts.

Christian broke down the entire scenario in his post practice blog post:

The offense and defensive held a competition to see who could catch more punts between each group of linemen. It went surprisingly well. First, Niu Sale caught one with ease. The offense cheered. Then Destiny Vaeao hauled one in. The defense cheered. Wade Jacobson caught one. More cheers. Matthew Bock caught one (after Mike Bowlin needed a few extra tries to kick a catchable punt). John Fullington caught one. Ioane Gauta caught one. The intensity increased. Matt Goetz caught one before, finally, Toni Pole couldn't haul in his attempt to even the score, and the defense was forced to perform up-downs while the offense celebrated.

In case you're wondering what an offensive lineman catching a punt looks like, we have a GIF of Niu Sale.

(click to animate)

Not too bad for a guy who weighs 334 pounds.

Fall Camp

Cougars loose, energetic under the lights - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 17, 2012
Here's how you know everyone is in a good mood at a football practice: when it ends with offensive and defense linemen catching punts. Washington State practiced for roughly an hour on Friday night in Martin Stadium, its final open practice of the season.

Cougars Fall Camp: Under The Lights in Martin Stadium - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State football changed things up once again for fall camp, working out for just over an hour under the lights in Martin Stadium Friday evening.

Football

Cougar defense built around linebackers - Spokesman.com - Aug. 18, 2012
PULLMAN – Ask about Washington State’s linebackers and you will receive a nautical reference in response.

Pac-12

State of the Conference: Pac-12 - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
Welcome to the State of the Pac-12 Conference. We here at the Pac-12 blog are proud to report that the state of the conference is strong. But we also know that there are those of you just joining us who haven't read every single post we've done. Shame on you, but we'll catch you up anyway. Here are a few storylines as we look toward the 2012 season:

WSU Athletics

Cougars Down Eagles in Exhibition Match - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site

PULLMAN, Wash. - Sophomore Beau Bremer scored a goal and added an assist to lead Washington State women's soccer past Eastern Washington 2-0 in an exhibition match, Friday at Lower Soccer Field.

HOT COUGAR ACTION: Post Pac-12 Network Launch Links

Mark Sandritter — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:00:55 -0000

Lost in all of the hoopla of Pac-12 Network launch day, the WSU football team went through another fall camp practice Wednesday morning. They claim the morning practice was to simulate a travel schedule, but I think it's obvious Mike Leach just wanted to watch the network launch like the rest of us.

The most interesting note of the day, at least to me, comes from Christian's story on the offensive line. Every year players say they are in the best shape of their lives. Bigger, stronger, faster, in better shape. It's the same drill every summer, expect this summer, it might be true. Take this quote from John Fullington:

"Last summer we barely ran at all," said junior left tackle John Fullington, the group's anchor. "It was all just lifting, and I think that definitely set us back. The first day of practice (this season) we came out, we pretty much flew through it, weren't that tired. We've been through some stuff together now and we're in way better shape. Come the fourth quarter, we're going to be fresh and going while other teams are probably more worn out."

Only time will tell if the change in philosophy from strength and size to more total conditioning will pay off, but the early returns appear to be positive.

Fall Camp

More of the same on Day 13 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 15, 2012
FROM PULLMAN — We've written before about routine, and how that kind of feeling starts to set in during preseason camp. Well, that's how Wednesday's practice felt, with the exception being that it was held at 9:15 a.m. We were there, and have notes.

Cougars Fall Camp: Post-Practice Videos Aug. 15 - Washington State University Cougars
Check out interviews from this morning's practice. INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL VIDEOS

Football

SB Nation Preseason All-Americans 2012: Robert Woods, David Amerson Join - SBNation.com
Marquess Wilson, Washington State

Mike Leach takes over Washington State football - NCAA - SI.com
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Washington State has made some big changes, hiring a new coach and dramatically upgrading the stadium.

Cougs defensive players OK with being out of spotlight – for now - Washington State University - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington news, weather and sports
PULLMAN – Texas Tech led the nation in passing for six of the last eight years Mike Leach coached the Red Raiders, so it comes as no surprise that the offense has drawn most of the attention as Leach prepares for his first season at Washington State.

Cougars make former guard their center of focus - Spokesman.com - Aug. 16, 2012
PULLMAN – Washington State still hasn’t announced publicly who its starting quarterback will be this season. But the guy calling the shots for the group of men tasked with protecting that quarter- back – the starting center, or the "quarterback of the offensive line," as offensive line coach Clay McGuire calls it – appears well-established.

Countdown to Cougars Football with Tyree Toomer - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Are you excited to play in the new Martin Stadium? My teammates and I can't wait to play in the new Martin Stadium! It really feels like a big time stadium with the addition of the new press box and suites and I know it's going to be the loudest stadium in the Pac-12 because the whole Cougar Nation will be there every home game. If you thought Martin Stadium was difficult to play in before, THINK AGAIN!!

HOT COUGAR ACTION: Pac-12 Player Rankings

Mark Sandritter — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:01:11 -0000

Marquess Wilson might be No. 1 in our hearts, but he's not No. 1 in the Pac-12, or at least not according to Athlon Sports. They recently released their top 50 Pac-12 players for 2012 and Wilson checked in at No. 7.

Wilson is one of four WSU Cougars on the list with Travis Long coming in at No. 23, Jeff Tuel checking in at No. 26 and John Fullington rounding out the group at No. 37. While WSU's four may not compare to the 11 USC players ranked, it was actually good for the fifth most.

If we break it down a little further, Wilson checks in as the third best wide receiver, Tuel the third best quarterback. Long was the sixth best linebacker while Fullington was ranked as the fourth best offensive lineman.

Athlon's complete top 50 rankings can be found here.

Fall Camp

Too easy - Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Sports: washington state football, gabe marks, mike leach, marquess wilson,
Throughout fall camp, the buzz around one of Washington State’s receivers has grown to near-legendary heights and his list of accomplishments has already begun to sound like urban legend.

Day 12 includes an overtime refresher for WSU - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 14, 2012
Part of training camp under coach Mike Leach? A reminder of the rules. Tuesday, that meant an on-field run-down of college football overtime procedures, then a simulation of an overtime period. There were other highlights, too, so read on.

Raw: Mike Leach on QBs, RBs, defense, and sharks | KREM.com Spokane
Washington State head coach Mike Leach discusses the Cougs' quarterback competition, the play of the running backs, an overlooked defense, and the closest he's come to ending up on "Shark Week".

WSU Football: Mike Leach after practice Aug. 14 (via WSUCougarAthletics)

WSU Football: Teondray Caldwell after practice Aug. 14 (via WSUCougarAthletics)

WSU Football: Mike Breske after practice Aug. 14 (via WSUCougarAthletics)

Football

Pac-12 Player Rankings: The Top 50 Players for 2012 | AthlonSports.com
7. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

Cougars have interchangeable running backs | HeraldNet.com - Sports
PULLMAN -- One of the biggest misconceptions about head coach Mike Leach and his Air Raid offense is that the running backs aren't as involved because of how many passes are thrown.

Linebacker Eric Oertel has no regrets about leaving Wisconsin to play for Washington State | Bud Withers | The Seattle Times
PULLMAN — Let's see: Wisconsin or Washington State? One school goes to Rose Bowls, the other watches them on TV.

Washington State features depth at receiver - Spokesman.com - Aug. 14, 2012
PULLMAN – Bobby Ratliff made an observation after Monday’s practice, when he was finished catching fade routes from an assistant, which summarized how most view Washington State’s receiving corps.

Washington State: 3 guys who must shine for the Cougars in 2012 - CBSSports.com
In 10 years as a coach, Mike Leach has taken his team to a bowl game a perfect 10 times. If Leach wants to continue that streak, here are three players -- one each on offense, defense and special teams -- that Leach will need to see major production from.

In This Issue: The Resurrection of Mike Leach - MensJournal.com
Nearly three years ago, Mike Leach was left for dead.

Top 10: Best freshmen fantasy picks - CBSSports.com
5-Gabe Marks, Washington State, WR: The Air-Raid has come to Pullman. The Cougars already have one prolific wideout in Marques Wilson, but the ball is going up in the air A LOT more in 2012.

Basketball

Washington State’s Brock Motum excels during exhibition tour of his homeland | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Maybe it's that his team didn't get much TV exposure last year. Maybe it's that his game is more substance than style.

Ex-Duck Brett Kingma says he'll transfer to Washington State | Cougar Football | The Seattle Times
SPOKANE — Former Oregon guard Brett Kingma announced on his Twitter page Tuesday that he plans to transfer to Washington State to play basketball.