WSU offensive line receives high marks

One of the major rallying points in the offseason hype buildup around next season is WSU's offensive line. There was a time only a few years ago when the Cougar offensive line was arguably the worst in the country. Now, it's being pointed to as a strength and a reason WSU might have some success next season.

It isn't just WSU fans blindly touting their own either. The ESPN Pac-12 blog posted their Pac-12 North offensive line rankings and the Cougars were given a "Good Shape" grade. Here are some of David Lombardi's thoughts on the Cougars:

The potential for a big year is certainly here, but Washington State's offensive line must prove that they can add that road-grading element to their repertoire before we hit the "buy" button on all of their available stock.

Having watched some brutally bad offensive lines at WSU, getting to the point where we can start adding elements to the repertoire is quite the site. Not long ago, the only repertoire was getting beat constantly and giving up sacks. Clay McGuire maybe doesn't receive as much praise as some of the assistant coaches, but he's done a fine job turning around the offensive line.

Prior to McGuire being in anything other than the "complete and total disaster" group would have been an upgrade. Now we're pushing on what at least one person not wearing Crimson glasses would consider great shape.

*****

Football:

Position review: Pac-12 North offensive lines - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
The Cougars' coaches are pushing to evolve their offense -- Luke Falk may line up under center up to 25 percent of the time to help facilitate a downhill run game -- and they're confident in their front's ability to adapt from exclusively shotgun territory because of its veteran nature.

Washington State will be hungry for revenge | Scouting Rutgers' opponents | NJ.com
Still, you can bet that even as Rutgers' coaches are relaxing on a beach, they're thinking about the upcoming season. The same goes for NJ Advance Media's beat writers. As the offseason winds down, we're going to take an inside look at each of Rutgers' 2015 opponents.

2015 Washington State Cougars Football Preview | Maddux Sports
The Cougars should still be explosive on offense, but the defense will still struggle even with some improvement. With a tough conference schedule, I can’t see more than 5 wins for this team.

Soccer:

Kaitlyn Johnson to Play for W-League Championship - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Kaitlyn Johnson of the Washington State soccer team will compete with the Colorado Pride for the W-League Championship beginning Friday, July 24 in Laval, Quebec. The Pride earned a berth to the championship defeating the Seattle Sounders Women in the Western Conference Championship, Saturday in Seattle.