Cougars’ Injury List Includes 3 Backup Flanker Thomas To Miss Trip To Temple
Washington State will most likely be without three injured players for Saturday’s non-conference football game against Temple University.
Backup flanker Bryant Thomas will miss the trip to Philadelphia after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, coach Mike Price said Tuesday, while backups Miguel Meriwether and Steve Gleason are considered doubtful.
Thomas is expected back for the Sept. 21 home opener against Oregon. In his absence, reserve split end Chris Jackson becomes the backup to flanker Shawn McWashington, with Nian Taylor taking Jackson’s old spot.
Meriwether, a running back, has what trainer Mark Smaha termed a sprained sterno-clavicular. Meriwether suffered the upper-chest injury early in Saturday’s loss to Colorado. Gleason sprained a knee in the game and has been limited to jogging this week.
Defensive tackle Gary Holmes, who played Saturday despite a nagging back injury, received an epideral on Monday and is expected to play.
Quarterback Ryan Leaf, meanwhile, returned to practice Tuesday after suffering through two days with flu-like symptoms.
Willingham picks QB
Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham threw opponents a curve by naming sophomore Chad Hutchinson, a first-round draft pick of baseball’s Atlanta Braves, as the Cardinal starting quarterback.
Hutchinson, a 19-year-old pitcher and the son of former major leaguer Lloyd Hutchinson, has never played in a college football game. He’ll be backed up by his roommate, senior Tim Carey, when Stanford opens Saturday against Utah.
Carey lost out to Mark Butterfield only days before the 1995 opener.
Tailback Who?
Chad Morton, USC’s kick returner, and true freshman Ted Iacenda took snaps at tailback in practice Monday as Tailback U. searched for depth at what is traditionally among its strongest positions.
Starting tailback Delon Washington’s one-game suspension has been extended to three games by the NCAA, while Shawn Walters, accused of taking money from an agent, will not be eligible until the season’s fourth game.
Coach John Robinson has refused to name a favorite, but said tailbacks LaVale Woods and Rodney Sermons will share most of the time Saturday against Illinois.
Defensively, the Trojans are trying to regroup after their disastrous Aug. 26 opener, when Penn State’s Curtis Enis ran for 241 yards in the Nittany Lions 24-7 victory.
“We could have played North Texas State and then thought about how good a team we were,” defensive coordinator Keith Burns said. “The reality is, we played a Top 10 team and got punched in the mouth and found out where were at.”
USC linebacker Mark Cusano indicated coaches have toned down the Trojans all-out defensive approach.
“They’ve put in a couple new things, but also taken out a lot of stuff,” Cusano said.
Believing the hype
No. 20 Arizona State, ranked during the preseason for the first time since 1987, faces an early test when defending conference co-champion Washington visits for Saturday’s opener.
“We’re facing one of the premier programs in the Pac-10 and in the country, and were in their ballpark (figuratively),” Sun Devils coach Bruce Snyder said. “We’ve risen to that point.”
ASU returns 19 starters from a team that opened last season with a 23-20 loss to the Huskies. Jake Plummer completed 19 of 32 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in that game, played in Seattle.
Many expect Plummer to post better numbers this time, considering the Huskies lack of proven performers in the defensive secondary. UW coach Jim Lambright isn’t so sure.
“The secondary could definitely surprise some people,” Lambright said. “I’m expecting it to do good things. The problem is experience.”
Junior safeties Tony Parrish and Kyle Roberts join freshmen cornerbacks Jermaine Smith and Mel Miller in the starting lineup.
Scary thought
New Cal coach Steve Mariucci has energized the program, but has the former Green Bay Packers assistant gone over the edge?
“He’s Bill Walsh after about 15-20 cups of coffee,” quipped former Golden Bears quarterback Troy Taylor, a Mariucci assistant.
In addition to his magnetic personality, Mariucci brought his old playbook - reportedly filled with 2,000 plays run by the Packers in recent years.
Moment of truth
With a victory Saturday, UCLA would accomplish what USC and Washington State were unable to do - beat a Top 10 opponent in the opener.
Few give the young Bruins much chance against No. 2 Tennessee, although new UCLA coach Bob Toledo has little choice but to welcome the challenge.
“I don’t know how were going to respond,” said Toledo, whose team features just five senior starters, all on defense. “That’s what I’m excited about. If you’re going to play, go play the best and see what happens.
“I love big games.”
Tennessee, led by quarterback Payton Manning, is a 15-point favorite.
Playing Saturday before 106,212 spectators in recently renovated Neyland Stadium, the Volunteers opened their season with a 62-3 vaporization of UNLV.
, DataTimes