COUGARS

I have spent the past hour getting set up at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus. There are a couple of thoughts on the link, so read on.
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• First, the best thing. There are women on horses right now riding around the field. That's not something you see every day, even on the Palouse. Then there is the upper-90s heat. With humidity. Now that's not something you ever see in Pullman. The heat, sure, but not with the extra-added attraction. We'll keep an eye on that throughout the day. ... There is very little in the way of pregame tailgating here, surprisingly (though it is a Methodist university, so that might explain it). The biggest tent and gathering I can see is the WSU group to the east of the stadium. ... Gerald J. Ford Stadium is actually smaller than Martin Stadium. Ford Stadium holds 32,000 but there is no way there will be that many in it today. The SMU brass is selling $10 walkup tickets in an attempt to build a crowd. The stadium is beautiful, actually. ... As for the game, I don't believe Chima Nwachukwu will be able to play today, kept out by his neck injury. I talked with him last night and he said he was feeling well, but there are some worries there. ... Mike Ledgerwood is ready to go. His neck is fine, though he will be wearing a new pad behind his neck. ... As for any other football-related notes, I believe we covered it all this morning online and in the paper. ... One last note. The guy checking the mike dropped an F-bomb that echoed throughout the stadium. There are only about 25 people, probably all employees, in the place, but it sure was shocking.

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• That's all for now. We'll be back at halftime if we have time, but we will at least tweet throughout the game. Check out vinceg55. Until then ...

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