Cougs prepare in whirlwind way

PULLMAN – There were no wet footballs being used on the practice field at Washington State on Thursday afternoon. No giant fans to simulate wind. No visible signs whatsoever the Cougars were flying into a hurricane.

The Cougars were, however, practicing in just their helmets, jerseys and shorts, the usual attire for the walkthrough a day before a game. That was the only clue a change had blown through their schedule.

A change prompted by the approach of Hurricane Ike to the Texas coast with winds exceeding 100 mph.

With Ike bearing down on Waco, the Baylor athletic administration decided to move the non-conference game from a scheduled Saturday morning start to 5:30 PDT tonight.

Because of the change, the game will only be televised live on Fox Sports Southwest (not available on Comcast cable in Spokane) and Fox College Sports Atlantic (available as part of a Comcast premium package), though it will be available to be seen on the WSU and Baylor athletic Web sites, using the Baylor stadium broadcast and radio feed. It will be tape-delayed on FSN. The Cougars radio network will also be available.

The date change threw a crimp into WSU’s travel plans. The school was unable to change its charter to Thursday afternoon, so the Cougars will fly to Waco this morning, get on a bus, have a pregame meal at their hotel and head to the stadium for the game. When it’s over, they’ll get out as soon as possible.

“We’re doing something you don’t ever like to do,” said WSU director of athletics Jim Sterk, referring to the Cougars flying out this morning and playing tonight.

Most of the game preparations are done by Thursday evening, so the Cougars are just missing their usual Friday walkthrough.

But flying 31/2 hours from Pullman to Waco and playing the same day is something the team is not used to.

“This is a first,” said coach Paul Wulff, who went through a Sept. 11 game cancellation in 2001 and sat out an hour-long thunderstorm against Texas State as Eastern Washington’s coach.

“Probably not since they played Gonzaga,” Sterk joked, when asked the last time WSU traveled and played the same day.

So why go through it? Why not cancel the game or move it to Dec. 6, a date discussed between the schools?

“We’re already scheduled to go to Hawaii after the Apple Cup,” Wulff said about not wanting a December game. “That’s a pretty long trip. Then to come back here in the winter time, then go back down to Texas, that’s asking a lot for where we’re at right now.

“And right now, as coaches and players, we just want to play. We need to play. We’ll do what ever it takes to play right now, to get better.”

“As you heard Paul, our coaches really wanted to get a game in if possible,” Sterk said. “You have to balance that with safety and everything else, the logistics of trying to make it all work.

“And Baylor felt the same way. They wanted to get a game in. That’s what we were trying to do, given the circumstances, and this is where we ended up.”

Even if there were no hurricane-induced change in plans, Baylor presented some unique challenges, especially on offense.

Freshman quarterback Robert Griffin came off the bench in a season-opening loss against No. 20 Wake Forest and sparked the offense.

That earned him the start last week against Northwestern State, and the speedster – Griffin finished third behind WSU’s Jeshua Anderson in the NCAA 400-meter hurdles last spring after enrolling early at Baylor – didn’t disappoint.

Griffin completed 15 of 19 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters. He also rushed 10 times for 42 yards, giving him 71 yards on the ground for the season. In two games, he has 490 yards in total offense, more than the entire WSU team.

“A very athletic kid … who can run extremely well,” Wulff said. “It’s always a challenge when you have a quarterback with great speed. He’s got two games under his belt of playing and, being young like he is, he’s probably only going to grow and get better. So we’re envisioning he’ll play his best ballgame.

“It’s going to be a challenge for our defense to be, again, disciplined and tackle well. … He’s a scary guy.”

When WSU has the ball, it is going to have to find a way to control 6-foot-3, 240-pound middle linebacker Joe Pawelek, who had 15 tackles against Wake Forest and added another 10 against Northwestern State. The junior is tied for fifth nationally in tackles.

“He’s a very steady player, a smart player,” Wulff said. “You don’t see him out of position too many times.”

Notes

WSU goes into this game ranked 117th in total offense and 118th (out of 118) in scoring defense among Bowl Subdivision schools. … Wulff said defensive tackle Toby Turpin (thumb injury), who sat out last week, will travel and should play. Also back are defensive back Alfonso Jackson (hip) and linebacker Jason Stripling (foot). None of the three are likely to start. … Who will start at QB has yet to be decided, according to Wulff, but Kevin Lopina again took most of the snaps with the first unit Thursday.