Fall camp scrimmage roundup

Optimism levels continue to rise.

Quick notes:

• From all accounts, the Cougars are way ahead of where they were last year. Whether that's lip service or not remains to be seen. Mike Leach has continually praised the effort and quality work the team has gotten during camp.
• Connor Halliday took every first-team snap on Sunday. Barring injury, he's the guy come August 31.
• According to Christian's count, the WSU offensive line allowed five sacks during a 70 play scrimmage. That is still an issue.
• One under-the-radar name that seems to come up in a lot of practice reports is running back Jeremiah Laufasa. Don't be surprised if he has a role this season.
• Official scrimmage statistics can be found here.
• The Cougars returned to Pullman Sunday night and Camp Leach in Lewiston is officially over.

Blurb of the day:

From Christian's story in the paper:

Quarterbacks - five of them - combined to complete 68 percent of their passes, four touchdowns among them. There were no turnovers. There was room for running backs to run more often than there wasn't.

In other words: Leach's Air Raid, Pullman edition, is starting to look the way it's supposed to. It didn't for much of last season, when WSU's pass efficiency was bad and its rushing offense was worse.

Quotable:

Halliday on team chemistry, via Bud Withers:

"We've made huge strides this camp," said quarterback Connor Halliday, after WSU had finished the hour-long scrimmage under warm, threatening skies. "My biggest deal is, this is the closest group of guys I've ever been a part of at WSU.

"Caring about the guy next to you will make you play a heck of a lot harder than if you don't have that great a relationship with him."

Videos:

Leach and Halliday met the media following the scrimmage. Via WSU Athletics.

Injury report:

Second-string left tackle Devonte McClain was absent. We don't know why yet, but definitely something to monitor going forward. If a serious injury is involved freshman Riley Sorenson will likely move into the No. 2 spot.

Tweet of the day:

I'll have official stats in a little while, but general impression was that offense is way ahead of where it was at this time last year.

— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) August 12, 2013

Today's schedule:

The Cougars get a day off from practice on Monday, although they will do some film work.

Football links:

Off campus and out of state, Washington State looks locked in | Bud Withers | The Seattle Times
It doesn’t strike you as the kind of place where a college football team begins nurturing a dream.

Quarterbacks sharp in WSU scrimmage - Spokesman.com - Aug. 11, 2013
LEWISTON – Lightning jagged through dark skies in the distance as Mike Leach spoke with reporters on Sunday afternoon, the Washington State coach answering questions about the Cougars’ first scrimmage of preseason camp at Sacajawea Junior High.

Offense Shines In First Scrimmage of Preseason Camp - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Connor Halliday tossed two touchdown passes in Washington State’s first scrimmage of preseason camp Sunday afternoon.

Notes from WSU's first scrimmage - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 11, 2013
FROM LEWISTON — Turns out Washington State got out of Lewiston just in time — a thunderstorm rolled in toward the end of practice, and lightning could be seen in the distance during interviews. No matter. The Lewiston Experience is in the books, WSU is back in Pullman and practice will resume Tuesday on campus. For now, we have notes from Sunday's scrimmage, so read on.

Women's basketball:

Women's Basketball Defeats Levice - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Lia Galdeira led all scorers with 16 points as the Washington State University women’s basketball team defeated Levice, 69-34, at Sportová Hala in Levice, Slovakia, Sunday. The game was WSU’s first of a four-game tour through Austria, Slovakia, and Czech Republic.

Cougs in the NFL:

Wilson on spot to find special teams role - NFC North Blog - ESPN
Wide receiver Marquess Wilson's sole responsibility in three years at Washington State was to catch the football, a job the Chicago Bears’ 2013 seventh-round draft choice excelled at.

Tuel, Bills blast past Colts in preseason opener " Breaking News " The Herald Bulletin

The Buffalo Bills' rookie third-string quarterback completed an astounding 19 of 23 pass attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns, helping the visitors blast away from the Indianapolis Colts in the second half and win Sunday's preseason opener 44-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium.