Cougars defeat Cougars 23-19 in Crimson and Gray Game

In what could be described as one of life's zero-sum games, the Cougar football team took the field at, as commentator Matt "Money" Smith declared, "historic Joe Albi Stadium" on Saturday in the penultimate iteration of its 15 allotted spring practices. I played a few games at Albi during my high school days, and while many adjectives could be used to describe the place, "historic" is not one of them. As with every spring game ever conducted, there were good things and bad things, but it's not really about statistics in a game like this. It's more about getting the veterans in synch, getting the young guys their first taste of live action, and most importantly, getting back on the bus injury-free. All of those seemed to be accomplished Saturday.

I was able to watch the first quarter before the clock struck midnight, and I came up with a few takeaways. Connor Halliday seemed to take quite a few chances with passes into tight coverage, and was rewarded with incomplete passes or interceptions. While it was frustrating to watch, I think (hope?) it was more a case of Connor seeing what he could get away with in a scrimmage setting, and less a case of him reverting to last season's killer red zone mistakes. If Halliday can't force a completion against our very green secondary, he sure as heck won't get away with it when the games count. Well, maybe against Portland State.

Jamal Morrow and Theron West both looked pretty explosive, and had a few plays where they seemed to burst up the field. The most impressive play I saw was Jeremiah Allison's interception, when he stuck out a hand on Tyler Bruggman's forced throw, tipped the ball up, and caught it one-handed. It was a pretty incredible play, especially for a linebacker. River Cracraft is really, really good. As the team gets better, fewer people seem to want to turn out and watch, because Spokane. Finally, Robert Barber officially announced his Heisman candidacy, logging four tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Football

Crimson and Gray game pretty even affair - Spokesman.com - April 26, 2014
"It was competitive. At times we were not as congruent as I would like because we have guys playing next to people they don’t play next to," Leach said. I was thinking the same thing, coach. We need more congruence out there!

WSU spring game choppy but illuminating - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - April 26, 2014
The team was pretty amped up for the game, perhaps too much so, and there was some sloppy play and some missed opportunities on both sides early. Still, the 6,233 fans who came to the game got a pretty good sampler of what we've seen this spring.

Young Cougars secondary uses Albi turf as proving ground - Spokesman.com - April 27, 2014
If you’re acquainted at all with the Cougars, you know that the eligibility clock ran out this winter on a quintet of defensive backs who’d started almost as many games as Glenn Johnson.

WSU Crimson and Gray Football Game - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - April 26, 2014
S-R photojournalist Dan Pelle covered the Washington State University Crimson and Gray spring football game, April 26, 2014, at Joe Albi Stadium. Check out this big picture gallery of his photos!

Cougar coaches also film critics - Spokesman.com - April 26, 2014

The life of a football coach can be measured in an endless cycle of tape. Game tape, practice tape, opponent’s tape, they all record the minutiae – lost upon the casual observer – that hold the key to a successful snap, game or season.

Pac-12 college football mailbag: Next big thing? - ESPN
There is a WSU question in here that's pretty interesting. The part of the answer that made me shudder was the seven red zone turnovers. That has to improve if the team wants to see better results.

Mike Leach On Unionization - CBS Houston
Mike Leach joined a radio show in Houston to talk about a variety of subjects, including Johnny Manziel, unionization, and television shows.

Basketball

Washington State lands verbal commitment from guard Jackie Davis Jr. | CollegeBasketballTalk
Washington State landed its third verbal commitment Saturday, as Jackie Davis Jr. has decided to play for Ernie Kent.

Baseball

The Cougar baseball game scheduled for Saturday was rained out. The Cougs will face the rival Huskies in the Apple Cup of Baseball Sunday at 2 p.m., with the second game scheduled to begin at 5:30.

Non-Sports

Eight Reasons Never To Go On Spring Break With Children
Drew Magary's columns about life as a parent always kill me. His bit about sharing a bed with one of your kids could not be more true.

From mullet to math genius after a concussion | New York Post
So the reason I suck at math is because I haven't been smacked hard enough, obviously. Also, I never had a mullet like that so please don't ask okay thank you.