HOT COUGAR ACTION: Defensive Line Making Strides

All sorts of coverage this Sunday morning, as the GAME WEEK IS UPON US. Let that sink in for a minute, they'll be playing for real next Saturday. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.

On to the links.

Cougars | Washington State defensive line takes on new attitude | Seattle Times Newspaper
A new word for a new year. It's a different group with a different mindset running a different scheme this season. The Cougars hope for different results.

WSU starts preparing for OSU - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 28, 2010
The past couple days Tyson Pencer has worked in with the ones at left tackle and David Gonzales has moved over to the right side. When the ones take the field, however, Gonzales is still on the left side and Micah Hannam at the right tackle. We’ll let you know if that looks like it will change.

Cougars | Linebacker C.J. Mizell ready for turnaround at Washington State | Seattle Times Newspaper
Call it a great experiment. Mizell is a freshman linebacker at Washington State with a checkered past. When he took a recruiting visit to WSU in January, he had never been on an airplane. He had never seen snow. And now, almost 3,000 miles from where he grew up, he's being tested in ways he never would have guessed.

Cougars | Washington State hopes rest on sophomore quarterback Jeff Tuel | Seattle Times Newspaper
In his first start at Oregon, behind a 253-pound, true-freshman guard, Tuel got belted below the rib cage near the hip and suffered nerve damage. He was still gimpy the next week when Arizona State administered 12 sacks to the Cougars. Two weeks later, he took another five sacks against Notre Dame.

Cougars | WSU two-deep lineup | Seattle Times Newspaper
Looks like a complete remake of the three starters from center to left tackle. It's a lot to ask of two new JC players to help bring this group up to speed, but maybe not so much to simply get it to play better. Rookie Fullington looks like a future fixture.

WSU rests up for the week ahead - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 29, 2010
Honestly, WSU has no better group right now than its front four. And there actually is a little depth, though the end positions are a little thin.

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WSU Defeats Weber State at Nike Cougar Invitational - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Idaho Sweeps WSU in Final at Nike Cougar Invite - WASHINGTON STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
"Idaho did a good job coming out and playing with emotion and a lot of intensity and knowing they could beat us right from the get-go," WSU Head Coach Andrew Palileo said. "I don't think we responded very well and Idaho did a good job of playing smart and really using our blocks and our hands throughout the whole match. They sustained that energy and we just did not match it."