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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hill attends to mom

PULLMAN – Wide receiver Jason Hill has left the Washington State University Cougars for a few days to tend to his ill mother in San Francisco, but he’s expected to return in time for Saturday’s game at Oregon State.

Hill’s mother, LaVerne Hawkins, suffered a heart attack Thursday, but Hill decided not to travel home until after the USC game. The senior wide receiver spoke to the media on Monday but gave no indication of the ongoing situation at home.

WSU head coach Bill Doba said Hill probably would return to Pullman on Thursday.

“His mother has a medical problem,” Doba said. “She’s in the hospital.”

Doba said Hill had taken part of this week’s game plan with him and would have the end of the week “to spruce that up” before the Cougars play the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore. Hill had one of the best games of his career at Oregon State last season, catching eight passes for 190 yards and a touchdown before injuring a quadriceps in the third quarter and missing the rest of the game.

“He’ll be ready to play,” offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller said. “He’s a veteran.”

The head coach said Hill could have traveled home before playing USC had the senior deemed it necessary.

“It was on his mind, but he didn’t want to miss a game,” Doba said.

Hill caught seven passes for 49 yards and a touchdown against the Trojans.

As a freshman in 2003, Hill missed a game to return home after his father Jerry died.

Cougars’ new clothes

Fans watching Saturday’s game against USC in person or on television were probably surprised by the new uniforms WSU sported against the Trojans.

Most likely, that was their only chance to see them.

The new duds were supplied by Russell Athletic, which was testing out a new fabric for football uniforms and supplied the jerseys to WSU – essentially a gift worth more than $30,000 – in exchange for testing it out during a game.

Players apparently liked the new uniforms, which were constructed with the concept of clinging to the body so that opponents can’t grab onto them as easily. While it is possible that the team captains could ask to wear them again in a future home game, Russell Athletic did not make a set of road uniforms to go with the home look seen on Saturday.

“Those were kind of a one-game deal,” Doba said. “It was more or less an experimental thing to see how they held up and for them, since it’s a nationally televised game, to showcase it.”

The apparel company had a number of executives on hand for the game to collect feedback and see in person how the jerseys fared through the game.

It’s possible that WSU will look to use the new fabric for its uniforms next season, but the Cougars will almost certainly maintain a look identical or similar to the current one.

Notes

Offensive linemen Bobby Byrd and Josh Duin made a return to practice, as expected. Doba expressed optimism that both might be able to play against Oregon State. … Defensive tackle Feveae’i Ahmu’s broken foot, coupled with Aaron Johnson’s back issues, could make things difficult on the defensive line. Johnson will play, but Doba suggested he might see limited snaps because of a bulging disc problem. The 3-4 defense, a look used by the Cougars primarily on passing downs, is likely to be used again as one way to combat the depth concerns. … Doba said running back DeMaundray Woolridge would probably regain his No. 1 status on the depth chart if he gets back to 100 percent health, but in the week he missed because of a quadriceps bruise earlier this season the sophomore gained 8 pounds. Doba said he’s also been pleased with the work done by Dwight Tardy, the redshirt freshman who has seen the majority of the carries of late.