WSU gets back at it
COUGARS
A good day to get back into a practice routine. With school now in full swing, Washington State will slide into its usual practice schedule this afternoon, hitting Rogers Field just before 4 p.m. for a full-pad practice. Before that happens, spend your morning catching up with what's going on at WSU and around the Pac-10 by just clicking to the next page.
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• Washington State: With this week and next all that stands between the Cougars and the Oklahoma State opener (think it will be warm and muggy in Stillwater on Sept. 4?), it seems the position battle should be working themselves out over the next 72 or so hours. We'll see. As we mentioned earlier, coach Paul Wulff said they won't start putting in the game plan until next week. ... We had our story on the offensive line in today's S-R and we'll cover the running back spot tonight. As the story says, the O-line seems pretty set, with, from the left, David Gonzales, Wade Jacobson, Zack Williams, B.J. Guerra and Micah Hannam. Andrew Roxas will be the main backup inside, with Tyson Pencer the wildcard depending on how quickly he gets back to full speed after his bout with a mono-like illness. John Fullington will be the main competition at right tackle. If needed, I think Jacobson would slide out to left tackle before the Cougars would call on Alex Reitnouer, who I believe they would love to redshirt if possible. ... The WSU Football Blog examines the schedule. I can't argue with any of the game designations, though some of the contested games will be harder to contest than others. ... Jason Gesser made a trip into purple territory. ... That's it for Cougar items. ... From Stillwater, there are notes out of the Cowboys' practice, including some praise of a safety. ... This is one guy WSU has to block. ... It looks as if OSU will play as many true freshmen as WSU.
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• Around the Pac-10: ESPN.com's Ted Miller held a chat yesterday, which you can read here. ... San Jose's Jon Wilner examines USC schedule and its effect on the Pac-10. ... Washington: The Huskies have faith in the leg of their kicker. ... The BYU game is starting to loom closer. ... Kavario Middleton isn't headed to Nebraska after all. ... Oregon State: I'm sure everyone has already heard the news about the Beavers' freshman offensive lineman Tyler Thomas and all the humorous references about the 3-point stance. John Canzano has another take. ... That and other news from Corvallis. ... Oregon: The great quarterback choice will be made Monday. ... Even with five starters returning, two of the them from this area, the Ducks are tinkering with their offensive line. ... Cal: Jeff Tedford will announce the starters in a couple days. ... Stanford: The Cardinal have one less two-way player. ... USC: Who is Lane Kiffin really? ... UCLA: Kevin Prince returns to practice but his back is still sore. ... Arizona State: Dennis Erickson will announce his quarterback decision Monday but in the meantime, he's letting the contestants mature. ... Arizona: The Wildcats' defense had to be rebuilt this fall and time is running short for Mike Stoops to finish the job.
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• That's all for this morning. We'll be at practice this afternoon and then post some notes and our running back preview. Until then ...