COUGARS

Another game day dawns, this one in Dallas, Texas. Washington State gets ready to take on the Mustangs of SMU in about six hours or so. And if you're wondering, there is a two-hour time difference, so that's why this post is early. We have news and notes, so read on.
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• Washington State: We have our advance of today's game, along with a short news story on James Montgomery's legal troubles. There is also an AP story on Montgomery. ... Bud Withers put together this matchup box for the Times. ... Finally, freelancer Howie Stalwick had this preview in the Kitsap Sun and other papers.

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• Around the Pac-10: ESPN.com's Ted Miller has some fun factoids from around the Pac-10. ... Washington: Can the Huskies' run defense not get run over? ... If they can, the game represents a great opportunity for UW and quarterback Jake Locker. ... Oregon State: The Beavers need to get back on the winning track. Voila, Louisville comes to town. Not like there's anything easy about that. ... Expect Jacquizz Rodgers to get the ball more. ... Oregon: Before we get to football, this story in the Register-Guard concerning Michael Dunigan is interesting. ... OK, back to football and the Ducks being, cough, cough, worried about Portland State. Sure. ... Oregon could set some scoring records today. ... Unless, of course, the Ducks play it close to the vest with conference starting next week. ... Cal: The pistol shot down Cal on Friday night, and wounded the Pac-10's credibility at the same time. ... The Bears sorely missed their best linebacker. ... Stanford: Wake Forest doesn't use the pistol, but their offense is different enough to punch holes in a defense. ... USC: The Gophers and the Trojans are both a little hard to figure thus far. ... UCLA: The Bruins are in for a test today. The Cougars are going to try to punch them in the mouth early, then see how UCLA responds. Arizona State: Another big opportunity, this one for ASU and the conference, in Wisconsin. ... Frank Kush, Mr. Positive, had a unique way of motivating the Devils prior to a 1967 game at Wisconsin. And the Mr. Positive comment? That was sarcastic. ... Arizona: The Wildcats need to use gang tackling to hem in the Iowa offense. If I could watch one game on TV today, this would be it.

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• That's all for this morning. We'll be back from Gerald J. Ford Stadium later with pregame notes. Don't forget, the game starts at 12:30 p.m. PDT and will be on CBS College Sports and the usual radio outlets. Plus you can follow my Twitter feed at vinceg55. Until then ...

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