Davis Not To Blame, Price Says
Personnel changes on Washington State’s slumping football team will be discussed this week, Cougar coach Mike Price admitted Sunday.
But quarterback Chad Davis, who was booed heartily late in Saturday night’s 24-14 Dads’ Day loss to Arizona, will not be among the topics of conversation.
Price was adamant about that fact during his weekly teleconference with members of the media, claiming there is no anti-Davis sentiment building among his players or anyone else involved with his program.
“I don’t know of anybody pointing fingers at Chad Davis on our football team or in our program,” Price said of his junior quarterback, who completed just 15 of 38 passes and threw two late interceptions against the Wildcats. “I’m not saying he played great, because he needs to improve and play better, too. But I don’t feel any growing resentment toward Chad in our football program, on our football team, from myself or our coaches.”
Price said he was aware of several fans “who were probably halfway inebriated” and chanting for backup quarterback Ryan Leaf during the latter stages of Saturday’s loss.
“But I don’t know when the suggestion to pull (Davis) would have been,” he added. “After the first interception? We’d played 56 minutes of football by then.”
Davis threw his first pick with 4:36 left in the game and the Cougars trailing 21-14. Arizona free safety Brandon Sanders made the interception at the WSU 22 to set up a 37-yard field goal by Jon Prasuhn that all but settled the immediate issue and snuffed out the Cougars’ bowl hopes.
The second Davis interception came on the first play of WSU’s next possession and prompted an outburst of anger from Leaf, a redshirt freshman, who hurled the baseball cap he was wearing against a concrete retaining wall behind the WSU bench.
After the game, offensive tackle Scott Sanderson came to Davis’ defense, calling him “my man” and vowing to back him “until the day that I die.”
“That’s part of the character of our football team,” Price said of Sanderson’s reaction. “They stick up for each other and they stick together. I think that’s very honorable of them and I wouldn’t expect less from Scott Sanderson or anyone else in our program.
“I would hope they all feel the same way that Scott does.”
Price went on to say he felt the boos coming from the Martin Stadium bleachers were directed at him.
“I don’t think fans are going to boo 20-year-old student-athletes who are taking 15 hours, going to class and busting their asses to do the very best they can,” he said. “They’re booing me, and I can take that.
“They’re not booing the players. Cougar fans wouldn’t do that.”
Saturday’s loss was the Cougars’ third in a row and fourth in five games and made them to 2-3 in the Pacific-10 Conference, 3-5 overall.
WSU can still finish with a winning record if it wins its remaining three games, but because one of the Cougars’ non-conference wins came against Division I-AA Montana, they will not be able to secure the six Division I victories needed to qualify for a bowl game.
Hayes, Madu saluted
Price had special praise Sunday for the efforts of seniors Chris Hayes and Frank Madu during the Arizona loss.
Hayes, a co-captain and weakside linebacker, had a hand in 15 tackles, including three for losses.
Madu, who made his first start at running back because of an ankle injury to Derek Sparks, rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown and became only the third back since 1992 to gain more than 100 yards on the ground against Arizona’s defense.
“Chris Hayes played his heart out,” Price said. “And Frank Madu was brilliant.”
Injury update
Senior running back Derek Sparks, who was questionable heading into Saturday’s game against Arizona because of an ankle sprain, played just enough to injure a knee and might be done for the season.
Price said he learned of Sparks’ knee injury Sunday and expects the 5-foot-11, 230-pounder, to undergo arthroscopic surgery soon.
Price said Sparks did not tell anyone of the knee injury during the game, so it was thought that he had just re-injured the ankle.
In addition to Sparks, several other Cougars were banged up Saturday. Sanderson (knee strain) and backup receiver Shawn McWashington (hamstring) are listed as questionable for this Saturday’s game at California.
, DataTimes