Bruhn is out, so Harrison will carry load for Cougs
PULLMAN — Much has been made of Washington State quarterback Alex Brink coming up on his first collegiate start this weekend at Oregon State. But when Brink turns around to look at the running back behind him, he’ll likely see someone with similar experience.
Senior Chris Bruhn has started every game this season, but he suffered a knee injury against Stanford that could keep him out for 2-3 weeks.
Ever since the running game struggled in the season’s first game at New Mexico, Bruhn had shared many of the carries with Jerome Harrison and Allen Thompson. Harrison has had the most carries and rushing yards in each of the team’s last two games.
Harrison, a junior college transfer in his first year with the Cougars, will take over the starting job for WSU this week. But the backfield situation is also muddied right now by an injury to Thompson that could keep him out of action against Oregon State.
On a play near the goal line against Stanford, Thompson was hit hard on his left shoulder, forcing him to fumble and taking him out of much of the remaining action. The same shoulder has been a problem in the past, keeping Thompson out of all but a handful of plays in the two previous seasons.
Head coach Bill Doba had said earlier in the week that Thompson was fine, but the junior missed practice on Wednesday and said afterward that he is “iffy” to play.
That means that Harrison would get the bulk of the carries, and fourth-string back Kevin McCall, a redshirt freshman, could also see time.
“This is what you always want, but you don’t want it in this way,” Harrison said of the starting role. “I never want anyone to get hurt when you play football. Injuries are something that don’t feel good. I didn’t want to get it this way. I wanted to wait until it was my turn to start.”
Fortunately for the Cougars, Harrison — and, if available, Thompson — have significantly more game experience under their belts than Brink will have at quarterback. McCall played against Idaho in mop-up duty.
“It’s a good thing they’ve played. They know what it’s like and they know what to expect,” running backs coach Kelly Skipper said. “They’ve been playing hard when they get the opportunities. They’ve gone in there and helped their team out a lot. They just have to continue to do that.”
Against Stanford, Harrison and Thompson appeared to combine nicely as a 1-2 punch. Harrison is the fastest and shiftiest of the Cougars runners, while Thompson runs downhill, powering through tacklers. McCall, if he is needed, runs somewhat similarly to Harrison. Doba said during training camp in August that he’d like to see McCall juke defenders less and run with more authority.
Notes
Defensive tackle Steve Cook returned to practice after missing Tuesday’s session with flu-like symptoms that have hit a number of players on the Cougar roster. … Cornerback Karl Paymah also made a full return to practice after participating on a limited basis the day before. Paymah is recovering from a sprained ankle sustained last weekend, and is still expected to play. … Tight end Troy Bienemann, who played last week with a bruised shin, missed practice. WSU hasn’t commented on Bienemann’s status for Saturday, but his backup, Cody Boyd, remains out with a separated shoulder.