You can’t tell the linemen without a program

• At one point in the second half, the Hawks’ offensive line had J.R. Sweezy – a three-year veteran – and four guys only hardcore fans had ever heard of. It’s like general manager John Schneider had gone down to Costco before the game, bought the big bag of O-linemen, brought it back to the stadium, ripped open the plastic and shook the guys out. No wonder the Seahawks’ offense is stumbling. The key to offensive success at any level of football is the line. It doesn’t have to be made up of the best players in the world, just the most cohesive. Working together, five guys playing as one, is more important than anything else. And when you throw four new faces out one Sunday, the cohesion is gone. The result? Russell Wilson spends much of the day sprinting away from Raiders. Marshawn Lynch has to bull through three or four guys just to get back to the line of scrimmage. And the Hawks score just two offensive touchdowns. Luckily, the defense chipped in with one – something that’s been lacking this season – and Steven Hauschka added three field goals. That was enough for the Hawks to keep Oakland winless , 30-24. And a win, any win, is good news on a Monday morning. But unless the injuries begin to heal and the starters can make their way back, Sunday’s struggles will become the new normal for Seattle. And that’s tough to take. Especially after how dominant they were last season in their Super Bowl run. Each week you just waited for the defense to make a big play, for the offense to put together a soul-crushing drive, for a big play or two to ensure victory. Oh sure, there were some nailbiters. But with a defense as unyielding as the Hawks had, even close games felt like safe wins. This season, nothing feels safe. Least of all the health of the starters.

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• WSU: The Cougars did not practice last night, skipping their second consecutive Sunday. So Jacob Thorpe took the opportunity to look forward, putting together this story on Luke Falk (pictured) and the final three games of the season. … Jacob also has a morning post today with links. … Connor Halliday earned his final helmet sticker of his career from ESPN.com’s Pac-12 blog. … The Cougars hold steady in the blog’s power rankings . … Man, Klay Thompson has been on fire since signing his max contract.

• Gonzaga: The Gonzaga and WSU women both won their exhibitions yesterday and both game are covered in this roundup . … The GU women’s soccer team did something Sunday it hasn’t done in a long time. … BYU’s men breezed to an easy exhibition win Saturday night.

• Chiefs: Spokane was off Sunday but Portland got another home win. … Tri-City picked up its win on the road.

• Seahawks: John Blanchette was in Pullman on Saturday and in Seattle on Sunday, a doubleheader that seems a bit challenging this time of year. But he was able to watch the Hawks’ second string come through with a 30-24 victory and put it all into perspective in this column . … It would be easy to place all of Russell Wilson’s struggles the last two games on the offensive line problems , but Wilson won’t do that . And it probably doesn’t explain everything. … Pete Carroll tried to explain Sunday’s tight win – his explanations seem plausible – while players like Wilson and Richard Sherman also a take or two. … The Hawks honored Walter Jones yesterday and then scored their first touchdown in a way in which he would have approved. … Their third one was reminiscent of last season. … Really, nothing is going to come easy this season for the Hawks or for their biggest rival , the 49ers.

• Sounders: The way a two-game series works in the MLS, an away goal means a bit more. So yesterday’s 1-1 tie the Sounders earned in Texas, gives them an edge on FC Dallas going into next week’s second match. If the teams end up tied at 0-0, then Seattle moves on. … Goalkeeper Stefan Frei, making his first playoff start, was solid for Seattle , including making an acrobatic save on a late shot by Dallas. … Sigi Schmid was happy with his team’s performance as was the FC Dallas coach . … Seattle fell behind early despite doing what it wanted . Then it rallied.

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• Believe it or not, my computer lineup is having the same problems as the Seahawks’ offensive line. The starter is down and the backup is having to make all the plays. Luckily, we have an appointment today to begin the long road back for Mr. Mac and, hopefully, he’ll return to his spot in the lineup later this week. … By the way, we’re scheduled to be on the radio everyday this week except Friday, teaming with Keith Osso and Rick Lukens at 700ESPN. You can listen here between 3 and 6 p.m. Until then …