Sunday morning links and notes from WSU
COUGARS
You know how, at work on Friday, you look forward to that day off Saturday? And how, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to concentrate, the thought of getting a nice mid-afternoon nap on the couch the next day keeps wandering into your mind? That's what faces the Washington State players and coaches today. After eight long, hot days on the football field, the Cougars will have a day off tomorrow. But first, they have to get a lot accomplished in two practices today. We'll see how that works out. We also get a day off tomorrow – at least from standing in the hot sun on the football field. But before we get there, heck before we even get out into that sun to watch practice, we have our links and notes on the morning post. Read on.
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• Washington State: Before we get to the links we want to say thanks for the nice words on Twitter, through email and on this blog about the news I shared last night. One nice person even went as far as to share an email he sent back when I started this beat and some folks were not too happy to be losing Glenn Kasses. And they were not shy about sharing that on the blog way back when. I'm glad I was able to win most of them over. Anyway, thanks again for the nice notes (and heck, if you want to keep writing nice things for the next three or four months, it wouldn't bother me at all – I am an attention junkie – but job offers would be even better). Now on to the links. ... We had our second position preview, which is mainly a Jeff Tuel feature but not completely. We'll delve into the wide receivers tomorrow. ... Braulio Perez had a practice recap on Cougfan last night. ... WSU basketball coach Ken Bone took in a big part of practice yesterday and shared some roster news. As has been expected, Steven Bjornstad won't be part of the team this year. The center has struggled with knee problems since arriving at WSU a couple years ago and the injuries have proven to be too much. With Bjornstad no longer on scholarship - Bone said he will remain in school – the Cougars have the required number of players on scholarship now. ... Finally, we have a football practice video for you to watch this morning, courtesy of the WSU athletic department.
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• Around the Pac-12: The Times' Bud Withers has more on his report the Big Ten and Pac-12 athletic directors have voiced support for a plus-one format change for the BCS championship. ... The Register-Guard's George Schroeder examines the changing college football landscape as it seems to be ready for another upheaval. ... Washington: The Huskies' best player almost gave up the game. ... In this family, football is a tradition. ... Oregon State: James Rodgers is making incremental progress. ... Oregon: The defense has expanded its playbook. ... The Ducks held their first two-a-day on Saturday. ... Colorado: The new defensive coordinator has his work cut out for him, but at least he knows what's expected. ... Utah: The Utes found an experienced backup quarterback at the last minute. ... And they have a new receiver with good blood lines. ... California: Quarterback Brock Mansion is back in a reserve role. ... Stanford: David Shaw is following a guy who may be a legend in Stanford circles in 10 years. Or 10 weeks, depending on what happens this season. ... USC: Coach Lane Kiffin wants more out of quarterback Matt Barkley. ... UCLA: The two players vying for the starting quarterback role had vastly different days. ... Arizona State: The Sun Devils have been hit with an inordinate number of injuries already, but none will hurt as much as the Achilles tendon rupture linebacker Brandon Magee suffered yesterday. Defensive coordinator Craig Bray said earlier in the week he thought Magee was their best defensive player last season. ... Arizona: The Wildcats will be building their offense around their passing game. And, with the quarterback and receivers they have, why not?
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• That's it for this morning. We'll cover the morning practice, share anything of consequence with you here, and then head back for the evening workout. Until later ...
