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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Another two-a-day for WSU

COUGARS

Another Thursday, another two practices for the Washington State football team. We've got to be on the field by 8:30 this morning, so a quick blog post is in order. Except quick isn't easy when there is a this much to cover. Read on.

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• Washington State: One quick question. Why would a garbage truck have to pick up the dumpster outside my window at 4:54 in the morning on a Thursday? This ain't New York City after all. Just wondering. ... Not much more to say about Wednesday scrimmage that I didn't say in our story or blog post from last night, except this one item that slipped through the cracks. I noticed is there was a bit more mixing and matching going on. The defense does this all the time at practice, with the one line playing with the two linebackers and such. But the offense had a few changes as well. For example, Taylor Meighen was given a series with the ones at center and Connor Halliday a series running the offense behind the starting line. Just a couple of little tweaks to see how the guys worked together I'm sure. ... We also previewed the linebackers today. ... Cougfan's Braulio Perez had coverage of the scrimmage, as did the WSU sports information department (the name has been changed but to something really modern, but I'm too old, and too close to retirement, to change now). ... Ever wonder what happened to former WSU receiver Nian Taylor? Well, now you know. ... Idaho State, the Cougars' first opponent in about two weeks, has experience on the defensive side of the ball.

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• Around the Pac-12: Sports Illustrated has Stanford ranked fourth in the preseason Top 25, with Oregon picked fifth. Yet the magazine has the Ducks winning the conference title. The magazine also picks WSU to have one conference win, at Colorado. ... The Miami story is just getting deeper and deeper, with even Larry Scott weighing in some. ... Washington: Walk-on tailbacks haven't had much history of playing for the Huskies. ... This offensive line is coming together. ... Oregon State: The day Brandin Cooks is featured in an Oregonian story, he sprains his ankle at practice. ... Oregon: The Ducks won't have safety Cliff Harris in the opener vs. LSU, but they have other options. ... The offensive line has to be figured out. ... California: A Bear running back avoided the bacon – hmm, bacon – this summer. ...Stanford: Andrew Luck is the quarterback this year, but how about next season? ... The Cardinal need Chris Owusu to stay healthy and play every game. ... Some notes on camp. ... Colorado: Looking for playing time, a defensive back switches to receiver. ... Utah: That type of switch happens all the time with the Utes. ... USC: Other than response to the Miami situation linked above, not much. ... UCLA: Kevin Prince has a good day at quarterback. ... Arizona State:The starter is figured out. But who will be the backup quarterback? ... Arizona: The Wildcats safety is blossoming quickly (sorry, couldn't resist).

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• That's all for this morning. With two practices today, we'll try to get a blog post up between them. We also will be taking a look at the secondary for tomorrow's S-R, one of the few places without clarity in camp. Until later ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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