Mike Sando

1. Chris Jackson grabs a Leaf pass to set up the final TD. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf soars above the Stanford defense, firing a strike in the first half and finishing with two TD passes. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 3. WSU's Kevin McKenzie loses his grip on the ball after a hit by Stanford's Chris Draft (33). Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 4. Stanford defenders try to make a wish with WSU's Michael Black. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Washington State's Kevin McKenzie lends a helping hand to Stanford's Troy Walters in front of a record crowd of 40,306 at Martin Stadium in Pullman. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Riding high. Running back Rex Prescott enjoys a wild ride after leading the Eastern Washington University Eagles to the Big Sky Conference title. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Washington State's Kevin McKenzie lends a helping hand to Stanford's Troy Walters in front of a record crowd of 40,306 at Martin Stadium in Pullman. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Coach Mike Price's week-long sales pitch was rewarded Friday afternoon when Washington State announced that 39,700 tickets had been sold for today's Pacific-10 Conference football game against Stanford. Martin Stadium's capacity is listed at 37,600, but bench seating in the general-admission section allowed for more tickets to be sold. By Friday afternoon, the Cougars had sold an additional 200 standing-room-only tickets, and another 550 were going quickly, athletic director Rick Dickson said.

There were times last season Rodrigo de la Fuente might not have located the basket with a global positioning device. Thankfully for Washington State basketball fans, those times appear to be long gone. The versatile senior guard made 5 of 7 field goals and 8 of 8 free throws as the Cougars won their opener Friday night, defeating NAIA Division I Central Washington 90-61 before a Friel Court crowd announced at 4,073.

Stanford's losing streak has left Chad Hutchinson feeling pressured, but willing to accept coaching decisions regarding his status as starting quarterback. Photo by Associated Press

Lambright

If Oregon is really consumed by hatred for Washington, as Huskies coach Jim Lambright claimed, then the Ducks should be supremely motivated against Arizona State. Beating ASU would provide a major assist to Washington State, since the Cougars would lose any two-way tie with the Sun Devils. As always, point spreads (in parenthesis) are for entertainment purposes only.

1. Holliman 2. Thompson 3. Jackson

1. Kevin McKenzie stiff-arms his way past Willie Terrell and another SWL defender to put the Cougars up by four touchdowns. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. A swarm of Cougars smothers Southwestern Louisiana running back Eric Lindsey. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

With four touchdown passes Saturday, Ryan Leaf continues to climb up the Pac-10 list, always with the help of offensive linemen such as Rob Rainville and Jason McEndoo. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Washington State football fans will cheer a Washington loss any time, even when it reduces the Cougars' chances of making their first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years. That was the case Saturday when Oregon's 31-28 upset of the No. 6 Huskies was announced during halftime of WSU's victory over Southwestern Louisiana at Martin Stadium.

Arizona lost to Ohio State. Arizona State lost to BYU. Stanford lost to North Carolina. UCLA lost to Tennessee. USC lost to Florida State. Washington lost to Nebraska. Washington State beat Illinois and Boise State, and the 16th-ranked Cougars (7-1) stand to benefit from navigating such a benign non-conference schedule this season.

It's 1999, and the University of Idaho football team is playing a home game in Martin Stadium. Across the field, on the visitor's sideline, is the team from Washington State University. Hey, who said WSU can't win a road game in November?

The University of Idaho has reached agreement with Washington State University on a plan to lease Martin Stadium for football games starting in 1999, assuming the NCAA approves the idea and grants Idaho's request for Division I-A status. The agreement was confirmed Thursday by a source familiar with the negotiations, which have been ongoing since August. Idaho has scheduled a press conference for 9 a.m. today in the Kibbie Dome, at which time details of the agreement will be revealed.

Super 'backer 1. Brandon Moore - who, according to teammate Leon Bender, has the biceps of an acton figure - does his Superman impression as he soars in to help finish off an Arizona receiver. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Moore finds blessings in his past personal trials. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

It was only an exhibition, but Washington State's first public performance yielded several clues as to what type of basketball team coach Kevin Eastman has this season. Kab Kazadi, a quick 6-footer from Hutchinson College in Newton, Kan., put it most bluntly: "We definitely have to be a hustle team, because as far as talent, I don't think we're up there with the top Pac-10 teams."

Year after overrated year, USC's recruiting classes are ranked among the best in the nation. Just as predictably, the Trojans are picked to finish near the top of the Pacific-10 Conference. Over the last two seasons, however, those recruiting classes have failed to produce a single quarterback or running back good enough to crack the lineup at a handful of Pac-10 schools, including Washington State.

Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf came out swinging Tuesday, angrily challenging an Associated Press story in which he was quoted as having taken verbal shots at Brock Huard and rival Washington. Leaf, speaking during his weekly conference call with reporters, claimed the AP story distorted comments that were made during a private conversation between Leaf and his father after the Cougars' Oct. 26 home game against Arizona. The conversation took place outside the postgame interview room, Leaf said.

From Notes at end of a Mike Sando story about Ryan Leaf, November 5, 1997: Correction: Mike Price is 51 years old, not 54, as reported Monday. It only seemed as if he aged three years during the ASU game.

1. ASU's Mitchell Freedman (13) separates the ball from Ryan Leaf on a fourth-down, fourth-quarter sack, setting up Hamilton Mee's 69-yard return for a touchdown and a 37-25 Sun Devils lead. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. DeJuan Gilmore sprints away from Arizona State defenders for a 59-yard run that led to Washington State's only first-half points. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 3. WSU's Chris Jackson, left, fakes his way past Mitchell Freedman to score the TD. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Big game. Full stadium. What a concept.

Halfback J.R. Redmond is among the weapons that can put WSU under wraps. Photo by Associated Press

With one of the Pac-10's better television lineups set for Saturday, don't touch that dial. On second thought, if your TV has a dial, maybe it's time to replace the aluminum foil on those rabbit ears. As always, point spreads (in parenthesis) are provided for entertainment purposes only. Saturday's games Oregon State at Cal (-4-1/2) Look it up: OSU leads the series since '84. The pick: Beavers 24, Bears 21 No. 13 UCLA (-6) at Stanford TV: 3:30, Fox Sports Sun Bowl, anyone? The pick: Bruins 31, Cardinal 28 USC at No. 7 Washington (-17) TV: 12:30, ABC In keeping with his good-guy image, Brock Huard volunteers to run extra wind sprints as part of his physical-fitness merit badge. The pick: Huskies 37, Trojans 13 No. 10 WSU at No. 20 ASU (-3-1/2) TV: 7, Fox Sports In keeping with his tough-guy image, Ryan Leaf punches out three reporters, gargles a five-pack of Bic razors and asks to meet with Jim Kelly in a separate room. The pick: Cougars 28, Sun Devils 21 Last week: 4-0; Season to date: 35-17 League Overall W L PF PA W L Wash. St. 5 0 187 139 7 0 Washngtn 4 0 159 62 6 1 UCLA 4 1 182 122 6 2 Ariz. St. 3 1 93 57 5 2 So. Cal. 2 2 79 102 4 3 Stanford 2 2 121 132 4 3 Oregon 1 4 131 154 4 4 Arizona 1 4 126 171 3 5 Oregon St. 0 4 61 119 3 4 California 0 4 74 155 2 5