WSU practices, Leach, Breske speak
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FROM PULLMAN -- It was a standard Tuesday practice for Washington State, which continues to prepare for an up-tempo style of play in Auburn on Saturday. Afterward, coach Mike Leach and defensive coordinator Mike Breske addressed the media. Read on for notes and such.
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Breske called it "Tempo Tuesday," as he encouraged a fast-paced, physical practice in preparation for Gus Malzahn's fast-paced, run-heavy, physical offensive style.
Staff and players have been spending their film-study time on Arkansas State, where Malzahn was head coach last season. He was also Auburn's offensive coordinator in the recent past, though it sounds like the ASU film is what Breske is sticking to.
"Obviously it’s a run driven offense -- run first, pass second, and it’s a lot of gadget plays," Breske said. "Try to get you to fall asleep in terms of your eyes, where you’re looking, and try to sneak something behind you. So we’ve got to be very disciplined."
WSU's defense has maintained its continuity throughout camp, and that showed with the release Tuesday of the season's first depth chart. There weren't any surprises during Tuesday's practice in that regard -- Xavier Cooper, Ioane Gauta and Toni Pole will play along the defensive line; Destiny Vaeao, Justin Sagote, Darryl Monroe and either Cyrus Coen or Eric Oertel will start at linebacker; and Deone Bucannon, Taylor Taliulu, Damante Horton and Nolan Washington will comprise the secondary.
Every single player in that group saw action last season. All of them made at least one start, too.
"I think we’re a year older team, still a young defense but we’re a year older within the system," Breske said. "Had a great offseason with (strength) coach (Jason) Loscalzo, great spring ball. Take it one practice at a time, one play at a time and keep that in our sight."
--- Logan Mayes wasn't at practice. Leach said afterward that Mayes is "doing just what we want him to do, and we couldn’t be happier," which is his stock response for such questions. Mayes isn't on the two-deeps WSU released today.
--- Asked Leach about the defensive principles of Ellis Johnson, Auburn's defensive coordinator, a veteran of college coaching in his first season with the Tigers.
Johnson runs a relatively unique 4-2-5 base defense, though the Cougars are likely to see plenty of nickel packages this season, given how often they throw the ball (though in Johnson's system, the fifth defensive back is more of a linebacker/DB hybrid).
"It’s kind of old school, which I think is smart," Leach said. "You don’t see them bust assignments much. They’re aggressive. It is some. I don’t have one to point out. There’s not a lot of bells and whistles. It’s just good, solid football. Make sure you’re aligned right and run to the ball."
--- Asked if Malzahn might tweak his offense to suit the abilities of quarterback Nick Marshall, Leach said: "Maybe a little, but you just see what he’s done and go from there. Their philosophy with regard to him is not going to change. It might, but I doubt it. He’s spent a long time building his offensive philosophy, and I doubt he’ll vary from it very much."
--- Asked Leach to assess Jeff Tuel's prospects as an NFL quarterback. He said: "I think they’re pretty good. He’s got a great situation and now just needs to make the most of it. He’s a guy that’s got really good ability. He’s reasonably tall, he’s built well, he’s got quick feet, he’s accurate and got a pretty strong arm and now he’s got to hang onto it. Wish him the best and right now he’s in a pretty good situation but he’s going to have to hold off the other guys, hold off the guys they bring in and hold off E.J. Manuel when he’s healthy. But it’s a good situation and the biggest thing, he’s got to get in a rhythm and play. If you add it up based on injuries and things, he’s played less snaps than a lot of college quarterbacks, so he’s got to make up for a little lost time, but he’s smart enough to do it."
--- WSU departs for Auburn on Thursday after a walk-through, and will go through its usual Friday routine -- walk-through, meetings, etc.
--- On playing at Auburn, Leach said: "It’s critical to communicate well, to recognize things and communicate well. The biggest factor’s avoiding the distractions and maintain your routine and make sure you communicate well because of the noise. The better you get at duplicating your routine, the easier it is. Great stadium, great place, been great games there that everybody’s seen."
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple