Cougars May Change Offense To Clear Path For Their Star Back
Stanford defensive lineman Kailee Wong divulged an affinity for pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and compared the upcoming Pacific-10 Conference football race to “a huge Royal Rumble.”
USC cornerback Brian Kelly flatly said his team has “a lot more athletes” than mighty Florida State, the Trojans’ first opponent this season.
Washington State University coach Mike Price offered less colorful rhetoric at Thursday’s annual football media day.
Even so, the ninth-year WSU coach had plenty to say.
In confirming the dismissal of troubled sophomore tight end Ivan Mercer, Price said the Cougars’ shaky running game can no longer afford to employ the racy one-back offense that has been a WSU mainstay.
“We’ve gotta be able to run the football and we may need to put another running back back there,” Price said.
The Cougars, Price believes, simply don’t have enough depth at tight end to consistently ensure safe passage for senior tailback Michael Black.
The dismissal of Mercer, prompted by his involvement in a March 28 brawl that left two others injured, further depletes a unit already hit hard by the loss of David Knuff (graduation) and Jon Kincaid (injured ankle).
“You’ve gotta play with what you’ve got,” Price said.
Potential blocking backs include Miguel Meriwether and Chris Dixon, both juniors, and Jeremy Thielbahr, a freshman from Sandpoint.
“Or we might put one of those guys at the tight end, then put him in motion,” Price added. “With Michael Black back there, we’ve got to figure out a way to block the run and give him a chance. He’s just too good not to develop a solid running attack.”
Kincaid and Love Jefferson are WSU’s only tight ends with college experience. Kincaid hasn’t played in a game since suffering an ankle injury during last season’s Sept. 21 victory over Oregon.
Huskies favored
Washington was made an overwhelming favorite to go to the Rose Bowl, receiving 28 of 31 first-place votes in the annual poll of West Coast media.
“It’s an honor and a challenge for us,” All-America defensive end Jason Chorak said.
Stanford was picked second and received the three remaining first-place votes.
USC, which floundered through a tumultuous 1996 season after being picked to finish first, was the media’s third choice.
WSU was chosen seventh, ahead of Oregon, California and Oregon State.
New overtime rule adopted
In an effort to prevent multiple-overtime games, the NCAA has adopted a rule forcing teams to go for two-point conversions after every touchdown scored later than the second overtime.
The rule was of particular interest to Arizona coach Dick Tomey, who last season suffered through a quadruple-overtime defeat to California and needed three OTs to beat Oregon State.
“What coaches were doing is they were not taking any chances in the overtime,” said Tomey, who serves on the committee. “They were just continuing to play and waiting for someone else to screw up.”
Most coaches, anyway.
Arizona’s game against Cal ended abruptly after Tomey elected to try a fake extra-point in the fourth OT. Wildcats kicker Matt Peyton was tackled easily at the 5-yard-line, securing a 56-55 victory for the Golden Bears.
, DataTimes