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

No place to go but up for WSU


WSU defensive lineman Mkristo Bruce is ready to get practicing. 
 (File / The Spokesman-Review)

PULLMAN – There’s no hiding for Washington State’s football team now.

A year ago, the Cougars could have pled that 2004’s 5-6 finish was nothing more than cocktail of youth and missed opportunities.

But now, after a 4-7 season in 2005, WSU enters its spring practices Tuesday with its place toward the bottom of the Pac-10 Conference secure and the Cougars task to climb back up the ladder clear.

“There’s a lot of fingers pointed here, here and here, but personally I don’t really think we did that good of a job as a whole,” defensive end Mkristo Bruce said of last season. “We’ve got a lot of the same guys coming back. We’ve got some experience and some people who are healthy. That should help us out.”

The Cougars do enter this spring’s 12 practices and three scrimmages – spread over the coming weeks before concluding with the April 15 Crimson and Gray game – with some key returners.

Wide receiver Jason Hill decided to eschew the pros and return for his senior season, and he should appear on some preseason All-American lists. Three offensive linemen from a standout unit are back as well, as is quarterback Alex Brink, who will be a junior in his second season as a starter this fall.

But as much as WSU might like to focus on its returning firepower on offense – although the running back position remains up for grabs – the primary issue both this spring and this fall will be on the defensive side of the ball.

While the Cougars won’t be winning or losing any games in March or April, they’ll be watching closely to see if any improvements come from the defense, which yielded 31.5 points a game last season.

“Everybody says defense wins championships and offense sells tickets,” said Bruce, who had a team-best 10 sacks last year. “Well we want to show that we can win championships and sell tickets also.”

The Cougars won’t be entering spring practices at full strength, however. Tight end Cody Boyd, who is expected to fill the void left by Troy Bienemann’s graduation, will miss the sessions as he recovers from foot surgery.

And WSU has also said farewell to quarterback Josh Swogger and offensive lineman Spencer Hollison, who both transferred shortly after the season’s conclusion. Defensive end Reyshawn Bobo and linebacker Steffan Blume, both scholarship players, are no longer listed on the WSU roster as well.

WSU has been participating in winter workouts since February, and Bruce said he and his teammates are anticipating the chance to start a new season – even if they know the long road ahead.

“You can try new things in practice,” Bruce said. “You get time to do stuff that you don’t have when the regular season hits, when two-a-days hit. This is a time when you can switch guys around.

“It’s hard just working out and not being able to practice. We’re ready.”