COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- Another Thursday means WSU's final practice of the week before taking on California. After that? A bye week. But there is no rest yet. Not for the Cougars, and not for us. Read on.

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In today's newspaper, you will find a story about California's breakout win over UCLA. You will also find our Pac-12 picks for the week. On the blog, you will find a recap of our live chat, some notes from Ken Bone's media availability yesterday, some notes from practice, and our weekly Pac-12 pick 'em contest. ... Howie Stalwick has this WSU basketball story in the Kitsap Sun. ... Bud Withers has a feature on Gino Simone in the Seattle Times. ... WSU broadcasters Bob Robertson and Shawn McWashington answered questions in a Seattle Times live chat yesterday. ... For some reason, Mike Leach's "empty corpse" comments caught on in a big way on the national level today, with ESPN touting the story on its home page for much of the day. ... From California: A Bears cornerback earned some more national recognition for his efforts against UCLA.

There is one Pac-12 game tonight -- Arizona State (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) at Colorado (1-4, 1-1 Pac-12): An Arizona State offensive lineman has been a steady force throughout his career. ... Colorado is hoping to turn things around on a national stage.

Around the Pac-12 ... Stanford will face a tackling machine at Notre Dame this week. ... A UCLA receiver is out with a rib injury. ... USC's kicker will try to block out the fans this week at Washington. ... Jordan Poyer's big game against WSU earned him some national recognition. ... Oregon's backup quarterbacks are adjusting to college football. ... Utah might have a tough time defending a certain UCLA tight end. ... Washington's rebuilt offensive line is making strides every day. ... Role players are making a big impact at Arizona.

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

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