Rivals.com honors WSU’s Derting

Rivals.com named Washington State University junior Will Derting to its first- team preseason All-America defense on Monday.

Derting, a 6-foot, 229-pound middle linebacker, notched 86 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks last season. He was the second Cougars sophomore to earn first team All-Pac-10 honors in the past 15 years.

“Will Derting is special,” stated WSU head coach Bill Doba. “He just finds the football. He has a great mental attitude and he is a competitor.”

Derting joined Southern California defensive end Shaun Cody as the only Pac-10 representatives on the first team. Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was named to the second team.

“One of the scariest impact players in the country, Derting can control an entire game by himself,” Rivals.com noted.

WSU opens the 2004 season on Sept. 3, at New Mexico.

North Dakota State eyes Big Sky again

North Dakota State University could make another run at membership in the Big Sky Conference.

The Big Sky Council of Presidents will meet Aug. 9 in Salt Lake City. It will be the second time in 18 months the group will hold a special session to discuss expansion.

At a 2003 meeting, both North Dakota State, which plays football in the Great West and is independent in all other sports, and South Dakota State were told the league had no interest in expanding east.

Last week, Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said the league is conducting an internal evaluation of available schools that includes NDSU, South Dakota State, Southern Utah and Northern Colorado.