HOT COUGAR ACTION: Reaction To Daniels' Career-Ending Injury

What else is there to say? Really sad. But if, like me, you choose to look at the bright side, LeAndre Daniels is not paralyzed -- something that I assume could have happened while he was practicing after the initial injury but before they discovered the fracture.

Links first, then some video after the jump, including one of Paul Wulff talking about Daniels, as well as some video from the Thursday night scrimmage you might have missed.

WSU News

Neck injury ends career for WSU football player - Spokesman.com - Aug. 27, 2010
Daniels seemed to be improving and was allowed to run during practice last Friday. But he awoke Saturday with pain in his neck and more tests were ordered. They revealed a fracture in the the first cervical vertebra where the spine joins the skull. "That’s why follow-up tests are done," said Bill Drake, WSU head trainer. "Sometimes, when things aren’t getting better, and signs indicate, you do a multitude of tests to keep chasing it down." A spinal injury that high has too many risks, Drake said, and that’s why, after multiple consultations with neurosurgical spine specialists, the decision was made to halt Daniels’ career.

Meet the 2010 Cougar Football Team - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
Fans will have an opportunity to meet the 2010 Washington State University football team at Fan Appreciation Day in Martin Stadium from 2-3:30 p.m., Aug. 28. The team will be signing autographs and handing out free posters. There will also be inflatable games, and the first 300 fans in attendance will receive a free WSU Football t-shirt.

A lot from WSU tonight - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 27, 2010
There was a lot of time working on game-plan items on both sides of the ball with no hitting whatsoever. Even when there were team scrimmages – at a real fast pace which was designed to help the offense operate quickly and the defense deal with OSU – it was basically two-hand touch. … A few players were held out for rest, including Travis LongMike Ledgerwood. "He’s been through the whole camp and he needed a day off," Wulff said of Ledgerwood, whose knees were sore. "He hasn’t missed a rep all camp. Travis Long the same thing, he could have played. We’re giving them a day off because their bodies are pretty sore in spots." and

Cougar Soccer Upset by Long Beach State - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
Jazz Stozier's goal in the 84th minute lifted Long Beach State to a 2-1 upset victory over No. 21 Washington State in the opening match of the Aggieland Invitational. With the win, Long Beach State improved to 2-1-0 while the Washington State fell to 1-2-0. The Cougars will face No. 9 and tournament-host Texas A&M, Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Stozier's goal was from the left side of the six-yard box and came on a pass from Nicole Hubbard after the 49ers intercepted a Cougar pass. "Credit Long Beach State for its effort," WSU Head Coach Matt Potter said. "We did not perform to the level we are capable of and we got out of the match what we put into it."

Cougs Sweep UC Irvine in Season Opener - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
The Washington State Cougars volleyball team opened the 2010 season by sweeping UC Irvine Friday night in the second match of the Nike Cougar Invitational tournament before 1,056 fans in Bohler Gym. WSU won the match with set scores of 25-23, 25-15, and 25-19. This was the 19th time in the past 20 years that the Cougars have won their season-opening match and the sixth consecutive first match win. "It was really tough going into this match as far as not knowing how good we were going to be," Cougar Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. "Going into this season I felt we had good players in place but it was a matter of if Conley (Kipp) could step in and play and if Alex (Diemer) could get in there and how well Vanessa (Murray) played. I thought all three played well tonight."

Pac-10 News

Darron Thomas is Oregon's starting QB - Pac-10 Blog - ESPN
The general consensus among the local media heading into Thursday's final scrimmage was that Costa led entering preseason practices but Thomas had been coming on strong. Still, most reporters thought it was too close to call and some felt a tie would go to the more experienced Costa.

Video