Cougars approach rush hour
PULLMAN – Jerome Harrison showed up on the sideline for one of Washington State University’s spring scrimmages this month.
Nonetheless, the reality of Cougars football these days is that “The Ghost” is gone.
Left in the wake of Harrison’s sparkling 1,900-yard senior season is a trio of backs, with the possibility of more to come in the fall. DeMaundray Woolridge, Dwight Tardy and Kevin McCall are all returning after backing up – or more accurately, idly observing from the bench – the All-American. J.T. Diederichs and Darrell Hutsona, a pair of junior college transfers, could join the fray in August if they qualify academically.
“I think those three (returning) guys are going to be the guys that have the job going into it,” WSU head coach Bill Doba said. “I think it’s a wait and see on who gets here and what their strengths are.
“If I was going to play tomorrow, I’d start (DeMaundray).”
Woolridge was Harrison’s primary backup last season as a true freshman, and with two 100-yard games against non-conference opponents he appears to be the odds-on favorite to assume the starting job when the season begins on Sept. 2.
Even if Woolridge gets tabbed as the starter, it’s becoming clear that the Cougars running game won’t necessarily be focused on one man and one man alone, as it was in 2005.
“I’m hoping we can get at least three or four guys that can go in and play right now,” WSU running backs coach Kelly Skipper said, also agreeing with Doba’s sentiment about the leader in the clubhouse. “They’ve all got different styles. They bring different things to the table in different situations.”
The first thing WSU will have to accept: For all of the different styles on the depth chart, none is likely to resemble Harrison’s agile brilliance.
“I can’t,” Woolridge said. “I have to be me. Because that man (Harrison) is something special. I’m a one-cut, sharp-cut guy, a downhill runner. I try to pick up that extra yard when I can. That’s just my style. Jerome would make a dude miss and pick up 6 more (yards). I can only pick up 2 more because I have to try to go through him.”
Woolridge has the advantage of track speed going down the field – in fact, Skipper goes out of his way to say that his sophomore from Texas is faster than Harrison. Tardy, who may be emerging as the No. 2 back after a strong spring, doesn’t possess that same speed edge.
In comparison to Woolridge’s 5-foot-8, 223-pound frame, Tardy evokes a more classic running back pose with a vertical, bruising style.
Tardy impressed the coaching staff as a redshirt freshman on the scout team last fall and has done so again this spring in competition for Saturday playing time. While he may not possess the physical gifts of some other backs, he appears comfortable to take what’s available to him, even if it means taking it away from a defender in front of him.
“Usually I just have to break as many tackles as I can,” said Tardy, who added that playing on the scout team while Woolridge saw game time could put him at a disadvantage for now. “If there’s someone out there who’s getting more playing time, I’ll just learn from them. Obviously, they’re there for a reason.”
Notes
Linebacker Jason Stripling re-injured a shoulder this week in practice, and Doba said there’s a chance the sophomore will require surgery. If that’s the case, his recovery could take more than three months, possibly endangering his availability for fall camp. … Geoff Kirwood, a walk-on safety from Othello, Wash., has been trying out at kicker this week.