Harrison scampers toward glory
PULLMAN – With his streak of consecutive 100-yard games at 10, many thought Jerome Harrison was done.
His Cougars, after all, were playing the best team in the nation – a USC team that had, in 2004, held Harrison to 15 yards on 11 carries. Since then, he hadn’t missed the century mark once. But still: USC is USC, right?
Wrong. Even while his team was getting walloped by the Trojans, Harrison still managed to eclipse 100 yards – in the first quarter. He finished with 147 on 21 carries, just another game for the nation’s second-leading rusher, even though USC had allowed just two 100-yard rushers in its previous 41 games.
“What, you thought I wouldn’t?” Harrison asked incredulously after Tuesday’s practice.
At 11 games, Harrison and his streak are in exclusive company. The Washington State senior is tied with Marcus Allen for the second-longest string in Pacific-10 Conference history, just one game behind J.J. Arrington, who went for at least 100 yards in all 12 games for California last season.
“It ain’t a bad name to be next to, I’ll say that,” Harrison said of being tied with Allen. “He’s got a little more success on the next level.”
It might seem strange that of all schools, WSU would produce a back with such an impressive, er, run. But head coach Bill Doba said there’s a reason Harrison has received the ball enough to go for so many yards. (He has 1,310 so far this year, still the lone Pac-10 rusher better than 1,000.)
“We commit to the run more because of Jerome Harrison, because it’s working,” Doba said. “We’re getting yards, pretty safe yards. I think he’s got maybe two fumbles, two turnovers for Jerome. All the rest is positive.”
For what it’s worth, Harrison said the record, while nice, isn’t atop his priority list. He readily admits that the current offensive climate – with lots of one-back sets where the ball goes to fewer players in the running game – has made it easier for backs to pile up yardage.
“A hundred is not a lot to me, personally,” Harrison said. “Once you start paying attention to that type of stuff, I think you get to trying too hard and then lose focus, try to do more than you’re supposed to do.”
Hill still looks long
Wide receiver Jason Hill again acknowledged his frustration over not dramatically affecting Saturday’s game at USC.
“I think that was a huge opportunity to put ourselves on the map, as individuals and as a team,” Hill said. “Those long balls would have been fun.”
The junior caught six passes for 49 yards, the second number coming far short of his 125-yard average. The Trojans gave Hill an enormous cushion, working all game long to prevent the deep ball, his forte.
“In hindsight, we probably should have thrown the hitch 20 times,” Doba said. “Just keep hammering away. Because they were giving us 10 yards every time.”
Hill said he looks forward to again testing a defense deep, starting with this week’s game against Arizona State.
Tunnel turmoil resolved
The squabble in the tunnel at USC on Saturday – Ali-Frazier this was not – got enough attention from the Pac-10 office to merit an immediate rule change.
Previously, the team nearest to the tunnel – if it is used by both teams – goes first. The other team, held back until the first has entered, is then allowed to proceed to the locker room. That rule still holds, but a provision has been added where the teams can mutually agree to switch if one team would prefer to run while the other walks.
Ridiculous, sure, but Doba – who was bumped by some USC players in Los Angeles – said the change might affect things at WSU since the visitors have farther to go to the locker room and the Cougars never run to prevent a halftime injury.
“That’s fine with me,” Doba said of the rule change, adding it might add some spice to pre-game meetings with other head coaches. “Rather than go out and lie to each other about how bad we are, now we’ve got something we can talk about.”
Notes
Middle linebacker Will Derting did not practice and coach Bill Doba said he was doubtful that the senior would play. Derting has missed four games with a knee injury. If he’s not able to participate in contact drills today, Doba has indicated he won’t put the captain in action against the Sun Devils. … Defensive tackle Ropati Pitoitua also missed practice, his once-broken leg apparently still an issue. … Cornerbacks Omowale Dada and Lorenzo Bursey both were able to practice, although Bursey wore a no-contact jersey. … One backup tight end, Jesse Taylor, is still out with a shoulder injury. Another, Cody Boyd, made three impressive catches in a wet, windy practice evening under the lights.