Cougars’ Hackett Has Clear Head, Gets Ok To Start UW At WSU

Washington State’s Leaford Hackett, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Arizona, underwent an MRI on Thursday and was cleared to play in the Apple Cup.

Hackett returned to practice this week after sitting out last week, but has not had any contact. He is the team leader in receptions with 45 and is second in yardage with 613.

With Hackett back in the lineup the Cougars will be able to open up the field more with four wide receivers - Hackett, Nian Taylor, Jerry Roquemore and Jason White.

Lamont Thompson may also see some action at the wide receiver spot. Thompson, the starting free safety, has played sparingly on offense this season without much success. The sophomore has two catches for 17 yards, both in the UCLA game.

While Hackett has been cleared to start, Gary Holmes and Jonathan Nance probably will not. Holmes did not make last week’s trip to Stanford. Nance, who is still recovering from an Achilles strain, did make the trip but saw limited action before limping off.

Both are expected to play this week, but WSU coach Mike Price was unsure of how much playing time they would get.

Linebacker Raonall Smith, who reinjured his shoulder on Tuesday, will not play.

Quarterback shuffle

Price chose not to disclose who would be the starting quarterback, but, once again, both should see plenty of action early.

It doesn’t matter who starts if the quarterbacks continue to throw interceptions. Washington State is leading the nation in turnovers with 39, with the quarterbacks accounting 24.

This penchant for picks falls way short of the WSU record, however. In 1970, the Cougars threw 36 interceptions. There were also 20 fumbles that year.

This season, six of the 24 interceptions have been returned for touchdowns.

Attendance record

Even though the Apple Cup is not sold out (there are some 200 tickets remaining), the Cougars’ attendance is on a record pace. Through five games, WSU is averaging 34,150 (170,751), with the expected 37,600 for the Apple Cup, the average will be 34,725, topping the previous high of 34,719 in 1994.