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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Safeties Get Started, Now Have To Get Going Hollimon, Thompson Will Receive Tough Test Against Stanford

Washington State safeties Torry Hollimon and Lamont Thompson eased into the starting lineup against Southwestern Louisiana last week.

Their grace period ended abruptly Tuesday when the 14th-ranked Cougars returned to practice in preparation for Saturday’s Pacific-10 Conference home game against Stanford.

November is hardly the time for a Rose Bowl contender to be breaking in a pair of defensive backs, but the Cougars had little choice.

Senior strong safety Duane Stewart suffered strained knee ligaments during the Nov. 1 game at Arizona State and is not expected to be ready until the Apple Cup. He jogged lightly Tuesday while Hollimon, a sophomore, worked with the first-string defense.

At 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds, Hollimon will never be mistaken for Stewart (6-2, 218).

“I just like to weave in between people, get around them,” Hollimon said. “When it’s time to cover, cover. When it’s time to tackle, throw my body in there.”

Thompson, a freshman, will make his second start at free safety. Former starter Ray Jackson will remain at left cornerback for the second straight week, while LeJuan Gibbons works with the second unit.

Gibbons started the first eight games at left corner, but the sophomore was benched after struggling against Arizona and Arizona State.

“We’ve got a real young secondary, but Torry comes up on the run and he’s in the places where he needs to be,” Jackson said. “And the same with Lamont. He’s going to carry on the tradition here. I think it’s not going to be a problem.”

Hollimon played particularly well in the 77-7 thrashing of USL, coaches said. Stanford figures to provide a far stiffer challenge.

The Cardinal have won five straight against WSU and eight of the last nine in Pullman. They won last year’s meeting 33-17, after spotting WSU a 14-0 lead.

Stanford has struggled this season, losing four straight after a 4-1 start, but receiver Troy Walters ranks third in the nation with eight catches per game. Junior quarterback Chad Hutchinson has been inconsistent, but his talent has never been questioned.

“He’s probably one of the best quarterbacks we’ve gone against, along with Cade McNown (of UCLA),” Jackson said. “He puts the ball right on the money.”

Until last week, Jackson hadn’t played cornerback since the start of his sophomore season. Like Gibbons, he was ultimately replaced.

“It’s tough,” Jackson said. “It’s just like basketball or golf. You get into a funk and sometimes it’s hard to get out. Hopefully, this will be the best thing for him … and he can get his confidence back.”

Reunion for Leaf, Cardinal

It was May 15 of this year and WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf was celebrating his 21st birthday in Lake Havasu, Ariz.

That’s when Leaf met several of Stanford’s best defensive players, who were taking in the scenery during spring break. Among the players Leaf met were Kailee Wong, who leads the Pac-10 with 11 sacks. Chris Draft, Corey Hill and Jon Haskins were also there.

“They’re great people,” Leaf said. “It’s nice to meet them off the field like that, when you’re just used to meeting them competitively.”

Those mighty Cardinal

After hearing WSU coach Mike Price describe Saturday’s opponent, one might have thought the Cougars were preparing to play a combination of the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers and the ‘85 Chicago Bears.

“People ask what’s wrong with Stanford,” Price said. “Well, who did they lose to?

“North Carolina, a top-five team.

“Arizona, which we went to overtime with.

“Arizona State, which beat us.

“UCLA, who we had to stop on fourth-and-1.

“USC, who we had to have a one-handed catch with a couple minutes left in the game to win.

“They’re capable of beating anybody in this league and we know it,” Price added.

Rose Bowl breakdown

WSU’s best chance to make the Rose Bowl is to finish in a three-way tie atop the Pac-10, for the simple reason that the Cougars would win any tiebreaker involving three or more teams, assuming they win out.

In addition to winning out, the Cougars should root against Arizona State while hoping for UCLA to win out.

WSU is 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Pacific-10. Washington, UCLA and Arizona State are 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.

WSU injury update

Starting flanker Shawn McWashington (hamstring) returned to practice and should be ready for Stanford. He missed last week’s game. … Defensive end Dorian Boose left practice with an ankle injury and will be evaluated today.

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