Thompson, Levenseller connection returns

STANFORD, Calif. – The muck and mire of Stanford Stadium couldn’t stop them. Neither could the Cardinal defense.

There was nothing getting in the way of a Thompson-to-Levenseller hookup.

Sorry. That’s so ’70s.

In this century, it’s Levenseller to Thompson.

Because now this Levenseller, J.T., is the quarterback. The freshman made his collegiate debut Saturday at Stanford Stadium in the Cougars’ 58-0 loss.

His first completed pass went to tight end Tony Thompson for 14 yards.

“That’s probably how the genes would have had it work out,” said Tony Thompson, son of former Washington State quarterback Jack, who rewrote the Cougars’ record book from 1975 to 1978.

“(It) didn’t happen that way, but I’m happy for him. I know, it’s hard to find bright spots (in a loss), but that’s the beginning of nice little combination, I hope.”

Was that the plan behind the first play?

“Not really,” WSU coach Paul Wulff said, smiling for possibly the only time on the day.

“I would like to say I called that play for him,” said J.T. Levenseller, son of Thompson’s favorite target, Mike, now the WSU receivers’ coach. “But no, it was just the way things worked out. I’m happy my first completion was to Tony.”

But there still is a long way to go to catch the old men. The elder duo hooked up 97 times in their Cougars careers, all the while developing a bond that spans the years.

“Maybe that’s a good omen down the road,” Mike said of the hookup between the two sons. “Who knows? That’s a little turned around, isn’t it?”

That Levenseller, who finished 2 of 4 for 20 yards and was sacked once, would hook up with Thompson should have been expected. After all, the two have been playing catch for years.

“I can’t even tell you,” Thompson said when asked how often they’ve played catch. “A lot of times. Him getting tutored by my dad and me trying to catch some of his passes.”

Levenseller entered the game with 9 minutes, 59 seconds left in the first half. His first play resulted in a turnover when Logwone Mitz couldn’t handle a handoff.

The second possession went better. With a first down at WSU’s 30, Levenseller’s play-action fake froze the linebackers and he found Thompson alone on the left sideline for 14 yards and a first down.

“It’s kind of cool, just knowing this guy I’ve known since he was a little baby, is now throwing to me,” said Thompson, a redshirt junior. “It’s cool that it worked out that way.”