Harrison aims for Mayes

PULLMAN – The posters with Rueben Mayes’ beaming face are still easy to find around town. So is Mayes himself, for that matter.

The Washington State football legend is now a senior director of development for the business and economics school, perched in a fifth-floor office looking out over the school’s library and student union building.

But for one week – almost certainly this one – Mayes’ name again has bubbled to the surface for his on-field accomplishments at WSU.

That’s because senior Jerome Harrison, sitting at 1,550 rushing yards this season, is just 88 away from breaking Mayes’ single-season mark of 1,637.

“I’m happy for Jerome. Records are made to be broken,” Mayes said. “If I wanted anyone to break the record, it would be him. He comes across as a real thoughtful person, respectful of the game. I’m glad it’s him.”

Mayes set the record as a junior way back in 1984, when Harrison was just one year old. And while the current record-holder (say that while you still can) is fine with Harrison passing the mark, he is surprised it’s lasted this long.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Mayes said, “but it makes me feel old.”

The two running backs have talked on multiple occasions and Harrison has expressed his respect for Mayes.

But with so few yards to go and still two games left to play, Harrison admitted he’s thinking about a number well past 1,637. He already has three 200-yard games this season, and averaging 225 in the next two weeks would put him in the rarified air of the 2,000-yard club.

“My boys call me and say, ‘You might as well finish on a good note and get two thousand,’ ” Harrison said. “I say, ‘Yeah, what the hell. I might as well.’ “

But even if Harrison does get all the way to 2,000, Mayes should still hang on to at least one record – his single-game mark, also set in 1984.

“I was talking to him a couple days ago before the last game and he said, ‘Well, I’m going to go for your record, Rueben.’ He needed like 308 yards,” Mayes said. “Well, at least it’s not 357.”

Derting back in pads

For the first time since the Pac-10 opener at Oregon State, senior Will Derting appeared at practice in pads.

Derting participated in no-contact drills and the Cougs are testing the middle linebacker to see if his injured knee might give him a chance to play this week in his final home game.

“I think a lot of it is up to me and how I feel. But it’s also doing the smart thing,” Derting said. “I still have to get it out of my mind that it’s there. I’m still hesitating a little bit.”

After practice, Derting said he and the team will continue to monitor things daily leading up to the game. There has been some concern, he said, that the injury is more severe than the original diagnosis of a partially torn MCL. No MRI or X-ray has been taken in more than a month, but swelling has been a consistent problem. If that’s again the case this week, further evaluations would be a possibility.

Still, head coach Bill Doba has indicated that he’d be willing to play Derting for one snap even if the linebacker isn’t fully ready to go, just to recognize the senior’s contributions.

Notes

Doba said Alex Brink‘s throwing shoulder injury, sustained against Arizona State, is insignificant and the sophomore quarterback participated fully in Tuesday’s practice. … Cougars players and coaches have been spotted wearing camouflage caps sporting the school logo in recent days. The reason? “Duck hunting,” said defensive coordinator Robb Akey.