Washington State Camp Notes: Cougars expected to air it out

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WSU Camp Notes: Cougars expected to air it out

By Craig Smith

Seattle Times staff reporter

COURTESY OF WSU

PULLMAN — Five days into fall camp, one thing is clear about the Washington State Cougars: They have offensive weapons, particularly in the air attack.

They talk like it, too.

"We're confident again," said Jason Hill, the senior All-America candidate at wide receiver. "That's what I saw out there my freshman year, that confidence out there, especially from the offensive side of the ball."

Hill's freshman season was 2003, when the Cougars had a 10-3 record and upset Texas in the Holiday Bowl. They slipped to 5-6 in 2004 and 4-7 last season, losing five games last year by four points or less. A leaky defense was the main problem.

"We know every time we get the ball that any one of the receivers can go the distance, and we know Alex [quarterback Alex Brink] is going to put us in position to score," Hill said.

Offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller, who has been coaching wide receivers at his alma mater since 1992, said this could be a special unit.

"I really like this group," Levenseller said. "This year, we'll probably throw it to run it, whereas last year we ran it to throw it."

That was when the Cougars had running back Jerome Harrison, who rushed for 1,900 yards and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Cougars appear at least six-deep at receiver with Hill, Michael Bumpus, Brandon Gibson, Chris Jordan, Benny Ward and junior-college transfer Charles Dillon. Tight end Cody Boyd is another key target.

Gibson, a redshirt sophomore from Rogers High School of Puyallup, is frequently mentioned as a player who could have a breakout year.

"We should be pretty good offensively," Levenseller said. "We have a lot of polished weapons. There are a lot of guys who have been in the program a long time who understand what we're doing, understand concepts, and are tough."

Harrison is gone but that doesn't mean the Cougars won't have a ground attack.

Sophomore DeMaundray Woolridge, Harrison's 5-9, 229-pound backup, is the No. 1 back and has short-yardage pop plus deceiving speed. He averaged 6 yards per carry last season and had a 70-yard run against Nevada. He still kicks himself for getting caught from behind.

"I've been working on speed all summer," said Woolridge, who said he was a 10.32-second 100-meter sprinter in high school in Keller, Texas. "That would have been an 80-yard touchdown against Nevada if I had kept it going."

Dwight Tardy, who redshirted last year as a freshman, has shown the speed in practice that enabled him to gain 2,272 yards as a high-school senior in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., in 2004. A steady back with a good grasp of the playbook is junior Kevin McCall.

An intriguing newcomer is Darrell Hutsona, national junior-college player of the year last year after helping Grossmont College win the California title. Hutsona (5-9, 181) is a shifty runner with Harrison-like darting moves. His high-school teammates in Spring Valley, Calif., were future USC star Reggie Bush and Utah's Alex Smith.

Running-backs coach Kelly Skipper calls Hutsona "the change-up guy."

Sophomore cornerback Ian Bell has moved to running back this season and could be most valuable as a receiver out of the back field.

"I think we'll be fine," said Skipper, who has been impressed with how few assignments are being blown early in camp.

Three of five starters on the offensive line are back to open holes.

The Cougars averaged 489 yards of total offense and 33.3 points last season. It won't be a surprise if the numbers are similar this season. The number the bowl-hungry Cougars want most to improve, though, is the victory total.

Notes

• Thursday was the first day in full pads and the first two-a-day practices are today. The first scrimmage is Saturday.

• CB Brian "B.T." Walker, a New Jersey native who played at College of the Canyons in California, received permission from the NCAA Clearinghouse to begin practicing.

• Tyron Brackenridge, the Cougars' top CB, was held out of practice with a hamstring injury.

• Second-string FS DeWayne Patterson's status for the season is in academic limbo awaiting resolution of a summer-school grade.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/spor...629_coug11.html

[PChamp119 96]

It's the Pac-10, what else would you expect?

[WAR-MATT 2]

Since half our LB's are either suspended or hurt, I hope they air it out.

[WeagleDMS 0]

Since half our LB's are either suspended or hurt, I hope they air it out.

we may have the best cover linebackers in the SEC, since its getting to the point where they all use to play safety.

[Ryan Sanders 123]

Who knows.. they might be pretty good this year. I know one thing though, if they don't have a good defense, its gonna be hell.

[AUTaxMan 0]

Currently 10 people on WSU rivals board including me.

Their 2-deep on offense consists of two 4-stars and four 3-stars. Ours consists of 8 and 9, respectively.

WDE