Fans Get Cougars Lowdown Two-A-Days Follow For WSU After Autograph Session For Kids WSU Camp

It wasn’t the heat, a tough workout, or even the coaches who brought the Washington State University football players to their knees in Martin Stadium on Wednesday.

These 200 and 300-pound giants were felled by clusters of 3- and 4-year-olds. Yep, the knee-high autograph seekers were knocking the players down a peg or two. And all with just a couple of simple words.

“Um, can you sign this?”

That’s all it took, and players like Curtis Holden were helpless.

“You just gotta love these kids,” said Holden while surrounded by a handful of 3-foot-tall Cougars fans at media/photo day.

“You want me to sign that for you, precious?” running back Brad Philley asked another shy little girl.

Uh, Curtis, Brad, just a suggestion. You might want to make sure this is the last time anyone puts you on your knees in Martin Stadium this year. Well, that is unless you want 40,000 fans with memories of last year’s 3-8 debacle screaming at you with more vitriol than the crowds at a Marilyn Manson concert.

And you might want to make those cheery smiles the last that cross your face in Martin Stadium unless you want about a dozen coaches tearing into you like starving lions on the Serengheti.

Well, OK, the coaches will probably let you smile after wins. But until then, no more smiles. It’s time to get serious.

Two-a-days start today, the first game is only 3-1/2 weeks away and, as the preseason camp schedule says, “This is . . . next year.”

“And we’re ready,” said quarterback Steve Birnbaum. “This year, we have experience. Last year, we had so many guys who’d never played a down of college football. This year, almost everybody out here has played, knows what it takes and knows what to expect.”

Certainly no one expects another 0-8 trip through the Pac-10. Or another season featuring 40 turnovers.

And why should they? Right now, they are full of confidence. Not to mention undefeated. Of course, they are also untested in 1999, but that last fact hasn’t tempered anyone’s optimism.

Even when the loss of second-team all-Pac-10 running back Kevin Brown was mentioned, players had an answer and a solution.

“That hurts,” said Jeremy Thielbahr, who will replace Brown. “But none of us are bad running backs. We know what we can do and are capable of doing it. We may not have Kevin but we have a strong cohesive unit of running backs who can get the job done.”

Likewise, when questions about the triumvirate of QBs arose, the players found a way to put a positive spin on the situation.

“Any one of those could be the leader,” said wide receiver Milton Wynn. “They all have the ability,” added Holden. Then there was the normally loquacious coach Mike Price. When he was asked what fans should know about the quarterback position, just one word crossed his lips: “Solid.”

They are all, the quarterbacks, the running backs, the offensive line - everyone - standing on solid ground, according to the coaches. They are all expected to be ready to do their best, the players said.

And they all also believe by the time the season rolls around, it will be the Cougars bringing the opponents to their knees.

Boose suspended

Defensive lineman Eric Boose has been indefinitely suspended from the team. Boose, a redshirt freshman, was suspended Wednesday after Price found out about his arrest on Aug. 2.

According to a Pullman police report, Boose was arrested when police were called to his apartment to investigate a noise complaint and detected the odor of marijuana.

Boose, the brother of former Cougar and current New York Jet Dorian Boose, will undergo drug testing in the next two weeks. If he fails the drug test, he will be put into drug counseling and tested on a regular basis. If he passes and remains out of trouble, he could be back on the team in the not-to-distant future.

Uniform changes

Washington State was supposed to take the field with a new look this fall, but the Cougars quickly found out the uniforms they wanted were not allowed by the NCAA. WSU wanted jerseys similar to those of the Denver Broncos, with a stripe up the side. But Russell Athletics informed WSU that design was not allowed. So the Cougars went back to the drawing board and came up with some modifications.

The 1999 home uniforms will have a different-style number on the front, the Washington State that used to be above the numbers across the front has been replaced by a smaller cursive Cougars, and a small Cougars helmet will be embroidered at the V of the neck of each jersey. The Cougars will have another go at more significant uniform changes next season.