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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Huge Contrast In Styles Washington State, Michigan Take Different Approaches To Jan. 1

Washington State receiver Kevin McKenzie cuts across the tennis courts and into Lane One on the indoor track.

He hauls in Ryan Leaf’s pass and has plenty of time to avoid one of the giant concrete pillars that keeps WSU’s 34-year-old field house standing.

A handful of reporters scatter as McKenzie approaches, more out of courtesy than to avoid any real danger.

When football practice ends, players sign autographs for the dozen or so fans who have stepped in from the rain. Coach Mike Price and various players grant one-on-one interviews with reporters.

Across the country, the straight-faced Michigan Wolverines hold their Rose Bowl practices behind the closed doors of their multimillion-dollar indoor football facility.

The practice field has sidelines, not track lanes, and the new $6 million tennis center is housed elsewhere.

At the end of practice, Michigan players are generally off-limits to fans and media.

Two teams, two approaches.

The differences will carry over when the eighth-ranked Cougars and top-ranked Wolverines converge on Pasadena, Calif., this weekend.

WSU will hold open practices in South Central Los Angeles, and the public is encouraged to attend; Michigan will hold private practices at a junior college in suburban Glendora.

WSU coaches and players will be available for interviews after practice; Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and selected players will answer questions at 8:15 each morning.

WSU players will be allowed to visit relatives in the area, and formal bed checks won’t begin until after Christmas; Michigan players will be supervised more closely.

“It’s just different philosophies,” WSU coach Mike Price said Tuesday. “It doesn’t make their way right and it doesn’t make their way wrong, either. I’m not saying that. But it sure is a contrast.”

Price’s philosophy is simple: give the players some leeway, trust their judgement and prevent against becoming SO UPTIGHT THAT THE GAME BECOMES BIGGER THAN LIFE.

“We always treat our players like adults and I think they’ll act like adults,” Price said. “We’re going to let them have some time off until Christmas, let them go home for Christmas and stay with their mom and dad if they want.”

Price also wants to give fans, former players, alumni and the general public a chance to see the Cougars in action. For that reason, only a couple of practices will be closed.

“They can sit in the stands,” Price said. “It’s not going to detract from anything.”

Scouting Michigan

With all the outside obligations that have come with WSU’s Rose Bowl berth - from attending awards shows on the East Coast to dealing with ticket requests and media inquiries - it might be easy for Price and his staff to fall behind in preparing for the game itself.

That’s not the case, Price assured.

“I took videotapes with me and I was able to study them on the plane,” said Price, who spent last week in Orlando, Fla., and New York. “I came up with a couple of unique ideas, things we’re going to do differently.

“It was kind of good to get away for a while.”

Studying Michigan’s defense was less valuable than one might think, Price said, because the Wolverines have yet to face an offense that resembles WSU’s multiple-receiver attack.

Cougars receive eight commitments

While Price was in Orlando and New York, his staff was on the road recruiting. The work has paid off, apparently, because the Cougars have received oral commitments from eight players, sources confirmed.

The players are expected to sign with WSU after Feb. 4, which is national letter-of-intent day.

Until a player has signed, NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on recruits.

, DataTimes MEMO: Follow the Cougars online by visiting Virtually Northwest at www.virtuallynw.com. You’ll find links to WSU football and Michigan Live, the Wolverines’ official site.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PARTY ON, COUGAR FANS What are you doing the day of the big game? Will you be in Pasadena, or in front of your TV? We want to know if you have special or unusual plans for New Year’s Day. Perhaps you’re staging a huge family reunion around the game. Or you’re getting together at the Rose Bowl with some long-lost Cougars brethren. Send us your plans by mail, fax (509-459-5098) or email (sports@spokesman.com). Please include a daytime phone number where you can be reached. We’ll be running the most intriguing submissions on a daily basis beginning Dec. 26 until game day.

Follow the Cougars online by visiting Virtually Northwest at www.virtuallynw.com. You’ll find links to WSU football and Michigan Live, the Wolverines’ official site.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PARTY ON, COUGAR FANS What are you doing the day of the big game? Will you be in Pasadena, or in front of your TV? We want to know if you have special or unusual plans for New Year’s Day. Perhaps you’re staging a huge family reunion around the game. Or you’re getting together at the Rose Bowl with some long-lost Cougars brethren. Send us your plans by mail, fax (509-459-5098) or email (sports@spokesman.com). Please include a daytime phone number where you can be reached. We’ll be running the most intriguing submissions on a daily basis beginning Dec. 26 until game day.