HOT COUGAR ACTION: Final Scrimmage Goes As Well As Can Be Expected

Lot of reports from last night's final scrimmage. On to the links!

WSU News

WSU hits goals in scrimmage - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 26, 2010
The best thing if you are a Cougar fan? Besides the no major injuries – defensive tackle Toni Pole left with a shin bruise, but he seemed to be OK – it would have to be that the intensity was evident from the first play. Nothing illustrated it more than the hit Jamal Atofau laid on Blair Bomber during a kickoff return. It was hard enough to knock the green cover off Bomber’s helmet and ensured there would be no more kickoff coverage practice.

Spirits high after Cougars’ intrasquad scrimmage | WSU Cougars - The News Tribune
Fall camp observers seem unanimous in their opinion that the Cougars are faster, stronger and deeper than a year ago. WSU remains inexperienced or unproven in several areas. "We’re way ahead, much better (than last year at this time)," co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball said. "We’re still young."

Scout.com: Final scrimmage: First-half blues over for O?
WSU has been routinely blown out by intermission the past two years, so the excitement was palpable Thursday when the No. 1 offense scored on its first two drives. "We wanted to be able to come out at a fast tempo and wanted to come out healthy, and we did," coach Paul Wulff said.

WSU football: Notes from final scrimmage | Moscow-Pullman Daily News Blogs
A couple injury notes, though nothing serious to report from the scrimmage. …Kalafitoni Pole had to be helped off the field with a shin bruise, but it doesn’t appear serious. …Chantz Staden was an observer for this one, still nursing a bruised shoulder suffered during Tuesday’s practice. Wulff expects him back no later than Saturday. …Gino Simone (hamstring) might practice a little bit tomorrow. …Kristoff Williams (turf toe), Jared Byers (turf toe), Aire Justin and Nolan Washington all sat out.

FOOTBALL: Final Scrimmage Stats - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Blog

That's it for the scrimmage reports. But there's lots more ...

WSU secondary young but experienced - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 26, 2010
Seven of the 10 top defensive backs are either freshmen or sophomores. But, in Chris Ball’s way of thinking, that’s a good thing. "You know, they’re young but they’ve played a lot of snaps," said Ball, WSU’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. "It’s a solid group. They’re young but they’ve played. We’re sort of young and old, so we’ve got a good combination."

Scout.com: HOOPS ROUNDUP: Aden in house; schedule out
COUG FANS WHO were busy wringing their hands this offseason about when scorer Faisel Aden would get to Pullman can relax. The sharpshooter is enrolled at Washington State and took his first class on Monday, as did a number of other incoming Cougars.

WSU tries to keep it going in volleyball - Spokesman.com - Aug. 26, 2010
It’s a question Washington State volleyball coach Andrew Palileo has heard often since the conclusion of last year’s breakthrough season. Can you keep it going? "That’s our biggest fear," said Palileo, the 2009 Pac-10 coach of the year who guided WSU to its first winning season and first NCAA tournament berth since 2002. "We don’t want to be a one-year wonder.

Cougs enter season among soccer's elite - Spokesman.com - Aug. 25, 2010
"I think it’s great that other people recognize our program and the direction it’s headed," Potter said, when asked about WSU checking in at No. 21 in this year’s National Soccer Coaches Association of American preseason Top 25 poll. "I think it speaks to the job we’ve been trying to accomplish, and it’s a good indicator that we are doing good things."

Gurveen Clair Diary Day Two - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Blog
Washington State soccer freshman goalkeeper Gurveen Clair is currently training with the Canadian National Team.

The all-time Top 10 football players from Washington - MaxPreps News
1. Drew Bledsoe: After a record-breaking career at Washington State, the Walla Walla quarterback was the No. 1 pick in the 1993 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. Bledsoe led the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI, and In 2001, he signed a then-record 10-year, $103-million contract. He eventually lost his job to Tom Brady, but he stayed in the league until 2007. Bledsoe retired with 44,611 career passing yards.

Pac-10 News

UCLA Chancellor Chuck Young Tells Larry Scott To Turn Down Music And Pull Up Jeans - California Golden Blogs
CGB's TwistNHook predictably tears an anti-expansion column to shreds.

I decided to take some time to do some real research on this matter and see if the allegations made by Young via Dickey's piece were unfounded. After several hours of work, I determined that, in fact, very little of the Dickey piece and Young's allegations are even remotely close to accurate. Many of the statements and numbers promulgated in the article seem to have no basis in reality and it is unclear how the author and his source arrive at these statements.