Defense excels as the Cougs take the field for day 9 of spring football

The weather in Pullman on Tuesday was erratic. Look at the window one minute, you see blue skies. Look out the next, you see cloudy skies... Then rain... Then snow... Then sun...

So, you know, it was basically an April day in Pullman.

It may have been an inconvenience for you on your trip across campus, but it was all in a days work for the WSU football team who took the field for day 9 of spring practice. One side of the ball didn't seem to mind the weather and, according to Mike Leach, had one of the best performances in practices so far.

"I thought we were flat on offense, but I also thought the defense raised the intensity. I thought this was the best practice out defense has had in Spring. I thought they competed extremely hard. I also think that it's coming together for those guys quite a bit."

Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review also checks in with the performance of Keith Harrington, a freshman running back who wowed at Saturday's scrimmage.

Harrington struggled to pick up blitzes, made little impact in the ground game and – a former receiver, no less – dropped a pair of passes during the "skeleton" passing drill.

While the entire offense suffered some malaise during Tuesday’s practice, Harrington’s listlessness in particular seemed to upset his coaches. Probably because they’d just seen him electrocute the defense during Saturday’s scrimmage, rushing for 85 yards and a score on six carries and adding 53 more yards as a pass-catcher.

After the scrimmage Leach was quoted as saying that Harrington could be the first option at running back. Today?

"If you can't do it two days in a row, then you're not going to get out there very much..."

Also, in breaking quarterback battle news, Coach Leach went in depth with reporters in his post practice interview session. He gave us all the inside information and took us inside the X's and O's to answer the question "What allows Peyton Bender to get the ball out so quickly?"

"He just throws it quick. I mean, instead of moving at a slower speed, he moves at a faster speed."

Now in your WSU 2015 fall class catalog: "The science of not moving at a slower speed" with Professor Leach.

Spring Football

WSU spring football: RB Keith Harrington impresses, but must become more consistent - Spokesman.com - April 14, 2015
PULLMAN – Flashes and bursts are the images most appropriately used to describe the inconstant nature of freshman running back Keith Harrington, whose coaches are annoyed by his inconsistency, but beguiled by his unpredictable running style.

Offensive malaise plagues Cougars during Tuesday's practice | The Spokesman-Review
From the start of Washington State's practice on Tuesday, everything seemed just a little off. The weather, for one, kept fluctuating between sunny with blue skies and snow flurries as overcast skies blotted out the sun.

Mike Leach after Practice April 14 - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Mike Leach video interview with reporters following April 14 practice.

Practice Recap April 14 - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
April 14 practice recap.

NFL Draft

Defensive tackle prospect Xavier Cooper visited New Orleans Saints on Monday | NOLA.com
Add Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper to the list of New Orleans Saints visitors this week.

Baseball

Pistorese Repeats as Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
For the second-straight week, Washington State senior Joe Pistorese has been named the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week for April 6-12, conference commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.