Two players depart as USC nears

WSU's entire 2013 recruiting class made it to Pullman, but as it turns out, the entire class won't be staying on campus. According to Christian Caple, two players from the 2013 class are no longer on WSU's roster.

Offensive lineman Matt Meyer and defensive lineman Paulo Lepua were removed from the official roster and are presumably no longer with the team. In his live chat on Wednesday, Christian said he's heard an Meyer's departure is injury related. There wasn't any word on why Lepua was removed from the roster.

Departures like this aren't necessarily unheard of as we saw with Ray Ford last year and Rahmel Dockery two years ago. Sometimes academics become an issue and the player is waiting for final clearance from the NCAA only to not get cleared in the end. We'll have to wait and see if the departures are permanent or temporary.

In completely random news, there was also this blurb in Christian's practice notes. Seems about right.

Leach met with a very friendly group of international students prior to practice, and gave them some WSU t-shirts as souvenirs.

Football:

Cougars optimistic for USC game | KING5.com Seattle
Washington State's narrow loss at Auburn has given the Cougars confidence they can win their Pac-12 opener on Saturday at No. 25 Southern California.

WSU live chat, 1 p.m. - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 4, 2013
I doubt it. I kind of expected more rotation at Auburn with the heat and all that, but Breske said he was pleased with the way the No. 1 group played, and nobody really needed a breather, so he just stuck with them. Expect that again if they're playing well. He won't just rotate for the heck of it.

Russell talks Marqise Lee - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 4, 2013
The Cougars went through their usual Wednesday paces at practice, peppering in a ton of scout preparation with some special teams work. The latter is the focus of this post. Keep reading, por favor.

Random Notes: Post Week 1 | September | 2013 Articles
We mentioned this on the podcast, but the right side of the line is going to need to step up its game this week if we’re going to stay in the ball game. On the bright side, Saturday represented Rico Forbes’ debut, so there’s good reason to believe that his play will improve as the season progress.

WSU Cougars Connor Halliday OSU Beavers defense Pac-12 on spot week 2 - ESPN
The Oregon State defense and Washington State QB Connor Halliday are on the spot this weekend in the Pac-12.

Pac-12 football picks - Spokesman.com - Sept. 5, 2013
If not for those pesky Buffaloes and Beavers, last week would have been a flawless one for my picks. I tried to rectify my mistake of picking against Eastern Washington, but was told Vernon Adams was not eligible to win Pac-12 Player of the Week. Oh well.

Kiffin mum on starter - Spokesman.com - Sept. 5, 2013
PULLMAN – Lane Kiffin isn’t quite taking his ball and going home. But the USC coach isn’t saying which of his quarterbacks will have the ball when the Trojans play at home Saturday against Washington State, though he has already made the decision.

Pac-12 play pits Trojans against Cougars | College Football | Columbus Ledger Enquirer
For the first time since 2010 the USC Trojans and the Washington State Cougars will square off as each team opens its Pac-12 Conference schedule at the Rose Bowl.

USC Secondary Prime For Mike Leach-Led Offense - Conquest Chronicles
The USC secondary has been called young, explosive, raw and most importantly productive in large part thanks to a bevy of depth arriving at the position this offseason. All of which should be put to the test facing up against the strong-armed Connor Halliday in the pass-happy Washington State Cougars offense looking for blood.

Director of Athletics Bill Moos Podcast - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
In his latest podcast, Director of Athletics Bill Moos discusses this week's Cougar Athletics action, gives an update on the Football Operations Building construction, and looks ahead to Hall of Fame weekend, Sept. 13-14.

Furney Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State football senior kicker Andrew Furney has been named one of 30 NCAA® Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes who excel both on and off the field who have been selected as candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate football.