Quarterback job still Lobbestael’s
COUGARS
Washington State is off the practice field for its relatively quick Monday night practice and they have the same starting quarterback. Read on.
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• No one was in pads Monday night, so the practice session was no different for Jeff Tuel than last week's practices. The big change will come Tuesday when he pads up and scrimmages for the first time since the Idaho State game, in which he suffered a fractured clavicle. As for who will start this week, Paul Wulff said that Marshall Lobbestael will be the guy, and it still not clear whether Tuel will even play. It's expected Tuel will to try to cut it loose this week to see how his shoulder feels. As Wulff said, they want to get Tuel some quality reps, but Lobbestael will get a majority of the reps with the ones. Talking with Lobbestael afterward, he critiqued his performance from Saturday pretty heavily, saying there was a lot of stuff he missed. Asked whether the idea that Tuel will start when he gets healthy bothers him, Lobbestael said "I can't wait for Jeff to get back. I am pumped for him that he's recovering so good and I can't wait until he gets healthy. ... I'm just going to keep preparing like I have been and my goal is just to be ready to play, whether that's the first snap or second or third string." Reminded that he's one of the nation's leading passers, Lobbestael said "Wait until you see this offense with Jeff. I'm not ragging on what I've done or a lack of confidence in me, but I'm excited to see what he can do this year. Everyone else should be too, that's all I'm saying." See, Lobbestael knows "he's the starting quarterback of this program. He's won the job, he's maintained it. I can't wait for him to get healthy, like I said. He's a great player. There's a lot of things he has to offer this team that's made him a quarterback at such a high level. He established himself last year and he knows, and everyone knows, he can continue to grow. I'm excited for him to come back. And I know the rest of the team is excited too because we love watching him and playing out there with him." ... If you knew Lobbestael, you would know these type of statements aren't just for public consumption. He really feels this way. He's the type of player who puts the team first. ... We put much of this in a story, which we'll pass on in the morning. ... As for the rest of practice, there were a couple of starters not going, including middle linebacker C.J. Mizell, who injured his right foot against Colorado. Mizell is expected back either tomorrow or Wednesday. Also, receiver Isiah Barton sprained his ankle, though just slightly, and is expected back in drills tomorrow. ... Backup offensive lineman Dan Spitz was sick and didn't practice. ... Punt returner Leon Brooks (shoulder) also skipped practice. ...
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• That's all for tonight. We'll be back in the morning. Until then ...
