Cougars itch to get back on football field after hiatus

PULLMAN — Today is the last day of spring break at Washington State University. While most students and faculty members might be coming back into town to exhale after a vacation, things look a little different around the football offices.

There, no post-break mellow mood is allowed – it’s time to go back to work.

The Cougars take the field Tuesday afternoon for their first session of spring practices after the longest football hiatus in Pullman in four years.

“It’s been a long time since we played the Apple Cup,” defensive coordinator Robb Akey said. “I’m anxious to get out on the field.”

For the three seasons before 2004, the end of football season didn’t come until right around New Year’s as WSU shipped off to a warmer locale for a bowl game. Last season’s 5-6 mark allowed for no invite, however, and sent the Cougars into a hibernation that will have lasted for just more than four months by the time the first practice session starts.

“It seems like it’s been a lot longer because of that,” Akey said. “We’ve grown accustomed to bowl time and having another game to play. You also have the added benefit of kind of an extra spring ball in bowl preparation. That’s something we’re going to try to make up for in this spring ball.”

WSU has 16 practices and scrimmages scheduled, as allowed by NCAA guidelines. The Cougars will take the field four times a week from now until April 16, when they will play the annual intrasquad Crimson and Gray game.

The last four months, with no official practices and no games to get ready for, have instead been largely devoted to weight room workouts, especially helpful given the team’s youth last season.

WSU got some time off after the Apple Cup, but by the time the holiday vacation had ended the players were back on a rigorous routine, already angling for the 2005 season opener Sept. 1 against Idaho.

“Our only recourse to deal with the situation was to hit the weight room earlier than normal and make the best of that opportunity as well. So far it’s been good,” said Rob Oviatt, WSU’s director of physical development. “The players have to take ownership of their team and that starts in the off-season. And ultimately they determine what kind of team they want to have this year. I think they’re kind of in a redemption mode and with last season, in spite of the great win over Washington, our standards are much higher here.”

The Cougars won’t be at full strength this spring because of some injuries sustained last season. The two captains from 2004 still on the roster both are not expected to be in any contact situations, as quarterback Josh Swogger (foot) and middle linebacker Will Derting (wrist) sit out some drills.

It will also be a primary concern for WSU to fill in gaps at both tackle positions on offense and at three spots in the secondary on defense. But by comparison to last spring, when WSU was looking at almost an entire lineup of new starters, this year’s practices should be dedicated more to improvement and less to replacement – a welcome change.

“We’re a little more veteran-oriented now,” Akey said. “We went through some growing pains, and that’s what you do when you have new guys playing.”