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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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WSU links: Another commitment for the Cougs

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- As we fight off a cold, we also prepare to fight off the cold weather that's fallen over the Palouse in the last 24 hours. Friday's links bring news of a possible new Cougar, so read on.

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As recruiting guru Braulio Perez reported last night, WSU picked up a verbal commitment from a junior college receiver, Vince Mayle of Sierra College. It's a general rule of thumb that schools don't recruit JC players who won't be able to contribute right away. And watching Mayle's tape (above), it doesn't look like that should be a problem. He's big -- 6-foot-3, 220 pounds -- and is having a big season, too. Plus, according to Scout.com, he has offers from West Virginia, Kentucky and Houston. So this seems like a good get for the Cougars. ... In today's newspaper, we have a story about WSU's youth movement at receiver, which will be especially apparent this week with Marquess Wilson out. That story also has a note about WSU replacing BYU with Southern Utah on next season's schedule. On the blog yesterday, we had some notes and quotes from WSU's practice. ... A UCLA fan site previews Saturday's game. ... Bud Withers has his WSU basketball season preview. ... From UCLA: A Bruins linebacker is piling up some tackles. Their running back could make his way onto a ballot some day.

Around the Pac-12 ... Night games are the new normal for Washington (and everyone else), something Huskies fans don't like -- especially when Neil Young is playing in Seattle (a problem a former teacher of mine ran into, as well). ... Arizona is leaning on some underclassmen this season. ... An Arizona State basketball preview focusing on the Sun Devils' Jahii Carson. ASU's football team is searching for a signature win. ... Stanford's new quarterback will enhance the Cardinal's run game. ... California will likely be starting a different quarterback this week. ... Oregon's Nick Cody is a cancer survivor with an inspirational mustache. ... An Oregon State running back is seizing the moment. ... Utah seems to have found a go-to third-down receiver. Washington's tight end will be a big test for the Utes. ... Colorado's basketball team will open its season before a big crowd. Tough decisions await the Buffs' football coach this offseason. ... A USC student manager was fired for deflating footballs during the Trojans' game against Oregon last week, and he like, totally acted on his own. Yep. All on his own.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple



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