Halliday still first in line
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FROM PULLMAN -- Washington State practiced for the final time on campus before it departs for Las Vegas tomorrow. We have a quarterback update, as well as a couple other notes after the jump.
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Things could change, of course, and because coach Mike Leach is never going to give a definitive answer one way or the other, we won't truly know who Washington State's quarterback will be Friday until shortly before the game starts. But all indications are that Connor Halliday will make his first start of the 2012 season and second of his career. He took all of the snaps with the No. 1 offense again yesterday during scout work. Jeff Tuel was present, of course, wearing a brace on his right knee. He did some throwing during drills and seemed to move around OK. But he hasn't taken a single snap in practice this week, so it would seem that Halliday is going to get his chance. ...
... Dan Spit was absent from practice for the third consecutive day, with offensive line coach Clay McGuire saying afterward that Spitz is still tending to a class-related issue. He isn't sure if Spitz will make the trip to Las Vegas, but said he'll probably still be in the starting lineup if he does. If not, Gunnar Eklund would likely start at left tackle with John Fullington moving inside to play guard, as we've seen in practice this week with Spitz out.
... Otherwise, not a ton to report from practice. Players were without pads, per usual on a "Thursday" practice, which this was, basically, because WSU plays on a Friday this week. It was light work, with kickoff and punt coverage taking precedent early in the day, and then some scout work on both sides of the field before the scout team players put on pads and scrimmaged against each other for a little while. Theron West continues to show his speed and burst ability in those settings.
That's all we have for now. Short, I know, but not a ton going on today.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple