Farewell to bye week
PULLMAN – Seven games have gone by and five remain this regular season for Washington State.
One thing is missing … a week off somewhere in the middle.
For the first time since 1982, the Cougars are going through their regular slate without a bye week, a scheduling change that is a direct result of the addition of a 12th game by the NCAA.
WSU and Washington are the only Pac-10 teams playing this season without a bye, because they decided that playing the Apple Cup after Thanksgiving was less preferable than charging through the 12-week season without a moment to collect their breath. (Every other Pac-10 rivalry game will be played after the holiday.)
“You’ve got to be careful of wearing kids down,” WSU offensive line coach George Yarno said. “But the nice thing is, these are young men in their early 20s and late teens and so they recover quicker. I don’t think you can scrimmage and hit every day, but I think we’ve done a good job of having enough contact without breaking them down. I think our kids are fresh; they feel good.”
Over the course of the season, the lack of a bye week has sparked some discussion about the merits and potential pitfalls of taking time off midseason.
WSU coach Bill Doba is 1-2 in his tenure after a bye week, with the Cougars going on a seven-game losing streak after the bye in 2005 and a four-game losing streak after the bye in 2004.
WSU was 10-6 under Mike Price after a bye, though, so historically it would seem that taking time off doesn’t hurt a team too badly.
The benefits are obvious.
“The bye week, oh my goodness, you get to rest, you probably get a day off to just relax, maybe get some homework done,” defensive end Mkristo Bruce said. “Just get stuff done that you can’t normally do during the week. A lot of times during the week, you can’t do anything besides football.”
Doba decided to give his team Sunday off after last week’s 21-3 loss to California. The players have Monday off every week, so in effect the extra day off – while sacrificing some conditioning and film work – created a minibye.
Before the season, Doba said he and his coaching staff discussed some ways to deal with the schedule, and he thought that the Sunday off might be one good way to mitigate the stress and strain that comes with the season.
“It was good for them and for us just to get a break,” he said.
For some, playing without the bye can be a good thing, too. It’s not unusual for a team to lose focus after a few days’ off, and any positive momentum that a squad has been building since the early days of August can suddenly vanish.
“I think it’s better for me, personally,” senior right tackle Charles Harris said. “The bye week is OK, but just playing every week keeps you excited.”
But even a veteran player like Harris could have used a little time off when he sprained an ankle in practice last week. Had it not been for extensive therapy, he might have missed the Cal game.
Without the bye, players have to work that much harder to stay in physical shape to deal with the weekly grind.
“Your phone battery’s low, you charge it into the wall,” Bruce explained. “The wall is the training room. You get in there and it charges you up. Get in that cold tub.”
Notes
Doba said backup quarterback Gary Rogers could fulfill his duties as the team’s holder even if his shoulder hasn’t healed enough for him to play under center. Rogers appeared in the usual quarterback’s no-contact jersey, but worked on his holds and nothing else. … Wide receiver Chris Jordan and tight end Ben Woodard, both out with knee injuries, could be back for the Cougars’ Nov. 4 home game against Arizona. … There are still some tickets available for Saturday’s game against Oregon. … Doba confirmed that running back Dwight Tardy will remain in the starting lineup this week, because DeMaundray Woolridge is still not back to the form he had in fall camp.