Yellow can’t save Hall
PULLMAN – The yellow jersey is supposed to promise sanctity and safety on the football field, and as such quarterbacks are, with rare exception, the only people on the field permitted to wear it.
Nothing bad ought to happen when wearing the no-contact uniform top, as defenders usually hell-bent on causing destruction suddenly pull up a step shy.
For Arkelon Hall, however, the yellow did nothing to save him on Saturday, and the freshman Cougars quarterback broke a fibula while scrambling for a fumbled snap.
That injury has left him on crutches, will cost him about six weeks, and has – at least for the time – altered the Washington State University quarterbacking picture.
Coming into the season, unlike 2005, the issue at hand isn’t who will be at the top of the depth chart but who will be at the bottom. Alex Brink returns with 16 starts under his belt, and Gary Rogers was given the No. 2 job in the spring.
That leaves Hall, Cole Morgan and Kevin Lopina – all redshirt freshmen – in the Cougars quarterbacking stable. Since Lopina is ineligible to play this season after transferring from Kansas State, the No. 3 job and a spot on the travel squad goes to Morgan by default.
“Last report, the Friday before the scrimmage was, you guys are both even,” Morgan said of the race with Hall before the injury. “Taking snaps was difficult when I first got here. It really was. I threw a bubble screen into the stands in my first scrimmage. I think I’ve come a long ways.”
Morgan declined to say that he’s fully ready to take the field were the first two quarterbacks to go down, but it’s clear that the Seattle native has improved dramatically since arriving. Brink has no doubt that the coaching staff is fine with whichever quarterback plays.
“Right now we’ve got three guys that can play,” Brink said, “and I think Coach (Timm) Rosenbach would feel comfortable with any of those guys.”
Lopina, meanwhile, is on his third offensive system in six months after a coaching change at Kansas State and then the transfer. The Cougars will probably have Lopina lead the scout team this fall, but may also have him take some snaps with the regular offensive units as he adjusts to the WSU system.
In many ways, Lopina is in the same boat as the other Cougars backups – competing for playing time well beyond 2006, with Brink firmly entrenched in the lineup.
“I’m going to use this as a year to learn, go to meetings and learn everything,” Lopina said. “Everyone wants to play – all five of us.”
Notes
As is so often the case about a week into fall camp, the injury list is starting to grow longer, and in a hurry. Two starters on the defensive line are out indefinitely: tackle Aaron Johnson (right hamstring strain) and end Matt Mullenix (right hand fracture). … Head coach Bill Doba said cornerback Tyron Brackenridge (hamstring), while still out for the time being, should be ready in time for the season opener at Auburn, a big break for a Cougars secondary already depleted by injury. Another corner, Markus Dawes, had blood tests done Monday morning and practiced in the evening session on a limited basis. He has had severe cramping problems in the opening days of camp. … Freshman offensive lineman Grady Maxwell Jr. had arthroscopic knee surgery to correct a pre-existing condition and will miss 4-6 weeks. … One of Mullenix’s backups, Mike Graise, is day-to-day with a hip flexor injury. … The same is true for backup middle linebacker Chris Baltzer (rib contusion) and backup safety Christian Bass (high ankle sprain).