WSU not at full strength this week

COUGARS

The Cougars are heading into probably their toughest back-to-back games of the season (Cal and Oregon), and they’ll do it down a few key offensive players.

Glenn Kasses’ went over the injuries to Jason Hill, Cody Boyd and Ben Woodard in his story today, and he also examined them deeper on his blog. The Cougs host Cal this Saturday at 2 p.m. (no TV; 920-AM and the Cougar radio network).

But that’s not all Glenn had today.

He also covered the Pac-10 in his conference notebook, which included this gem from Oregon coach Mike Bellotti about Cal: “They’re the best team we’ve played. The quarterback is playing at a really high level. They have the combination of running backs and wide receivers to keep you off balance.”

Not good news for Cougar fans. There is a glimmer of hope for them concerning Cal running back Marshawn Lynch in a post below, however.

In the Seattle Times, Craig Smith examines the team at mid-season. The biggest surprise: How well the defense has played. There is also a feature on Jed Collins, who is about the last man standing at tight end.

The New Tribune’s Todd Milles covers the injuries, especially the one to Hill.

The Kitsap Sun took a look at the WSU defense and how well it’s played.

One last note: Safety Eric Frampton had another good game against Oregon State and his hometown newspaper took note. There was a short blurb about Frampton in the San Jose Mercury News.