A Grip on Sports: It may be spring but it is already time to began speculating what WSU’s fall might look like

A GRIP ON SPORTS • By the time the air begins to turn crisp once again, we’ll know what we are getting with the first Washington State football season solely under Jake Dickert’s charge. Before then, however, we are afforded the luxury of speculating. Which means we need at least a modicum of information.

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• Thankfully, Colton Clark provides more than enough for us.

In this morning’s Spokesman-Review, Clark presented a story that broke down the offense coming out of the Cougars’ spring practices. The centerpiece of his discussion, as it should be: first-year quarterback Cameron Ward.

Ward isn’t a first-year college player, of course, but he’s in his first year in Pullman. He followed offensive coordinator Eric Morris, who returned to Pullman for the first time in about a decade, from Incarnate Word. And Ward, a Texas native, will head into his first cold-weather fall with the offense in his hands.

It won’t be the exact same offense the junior ran for Morris in San Antonio, either. Nor is it your older cousin’s offense, aka, Mike Leach’s Air Raid.

That lives in Starkville, Miss., these days, not Pullman.

How different is this offense? There are, gasp, tight ends on the Cougar roster.

If you aren’t sure what a tight end is, you’ve been a WSU fan since at least 2011. Ever since Leach walked through the wheat fields for the first time, Washington State has relied on spreading defenses out instead of overpowering them.

It still will. Just in a different manner.

One of the questions Morris’ offense will have to answer is who will supply the power up front.

When Leach began his WSU tenure more than a decade ago, he made it clear the Cougars’ offensive line play needed to improve. He made it a priority. And he succeeded. But in the past couple years, the crops built in that era have been allowed to lie a bit fallow. Washington State will go from having one of the more experienced lines in the Pac-12 to one of the more callow.

The longest-tenured returnee, center Brian Greene, decided not to return, transferring to another Power Five school. The guys who will make up the most-important position group may be supremely talented, but no one really knows. It will be just another question we’ll answer by the time the snow flies.

And how about the guys flying down the field? The ones charged with getting free so Ward can sling the ball around?

If there is one certainty about a Washington State team it is that the receivers will have talent. For the past half-century, it hasn’t mattered who is in charge. The Cougars have had dudes catching passes. There is no reason to believe that will change.

Nor is there a reason to believe the Cougars will have all the pieces in place and running smoothly when they host Idaho the first Saturday in September.

The first full season with Dickert holding a baton passed along by Jim Sweeney, Jim Walden, Dennis Erickson and Leach, among so many others, will hold some surprises. It will have highs. It will have lows.

How many of each?

As April winds down, all we can do is speculate.

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WSU: As we linked above, Colton has a look at the offense in today’s paper. … He also ventured out to the baseball field and covered the Cougars’ 6-5 victory over visiting Gonzaga. Washington State has turned its season around recently and has racked up the wins against ranked foes. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, many schools face quarterback decisions. … A big recruiting weekend looms. … A Washington linebacker wants to build on a breakout season. … The Oregon trial entered a new phase. … USC’s Drake London is ready for the next step. … A Hawaii transfer is playing a lead role for UCLA’s defense. … In basketball news, former Eastern Washington University player Kim Aiken is moving on from Arizona. … Colorado has a checklist for the offseason. … Finally, Mark Emmert, the former UW president who has led the NCAA for a dozen years, is stepping down in some 14 months. What is ahead?

Idaho: The Vandals will play their spring game (though it won’t be a true game due to a lack of numbers) this weekend in Eagle. Peter Harriman previews the expensive trip south to highlight Jason Eck’s first team for the Boise-area faithful. … Around the Big Sky, Montana State has handed out contract extensions like Halloween candy.

Preps: Dave Nichols is back at it with a roundup of Tuesday’s action. … A longtime staple of local volleyball officiating is moving up the college administrative ranks. That news leads off a local briefs column.

Indians: Trailing by four headed into the top of the seventh, Spokane put up nine runs en route to a 14-6 win at Everett.

Mariners: The M’s scored eight runs at Tampa on Tuesday but Logan Gilbert certainly didn’t throw as if he needed so many. The righthander put together another strong outing in the 8-4 win. … Scott Servais is back and the virus-hit players will be back as well. … Andres Munoz has a key role in the bullpen.

Seahawks: Seattle hasn’t always been successful with its recent draft picks.

Sounders: Tonight’s the night. Seattle heads to Mexico for the first leg in its search of the MLS’ first CONCACAF Champions League title.

Storm: Lauren Jackson is back playing.

Kraken: Vancouver owned Seattle this season.

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• We made a mistake yesterday, one an old friend (and former teammate) pointed out. We misstated how long ago it was when we were playing college baseball. It was a half-century – impressive – not a half-decade – not so much. … One of our local high school basketball players, Lake City’s Blake Buchanan, received a scholarship offer from Virginia this week. He will be making his official visit to Charlottesville soon. The junior sent us the nicest text, thanking us for our assistance – miniscule at best – in helping him reach such a goal. It’s just another example of something we’ve known for a while. He’s not only an excellent player but an excellent person as well. Until later …