Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks going for one last ride

One of the things about preseason camp in football is that the monotony of repeating drills intended to create muscle memory — compounded by heat — can quickly make it a drag if they’re not careful.

So, coaches and players have to do things to mix it up, which Gerard Wicks and Jamal Morrow took it upon themselves to do on Wednesday.

That’s Hercules Mata’afa attempting to give an interview during Wicks’ and Morrow’s joyride, which is reminiscent of Marshawn Lynch’s excursion back when he was at Cal. Hence:

I think my favorite part of the second one is Keith Harrington being all like “hey guys I want to get on!” and then Wicks slows down and then he’s like “NOPE” and hits the gas.

One little piece of news to come out of camp yesterday if you’re inclined to drive to Pullman on Friday:

Recruiting

If you missed it, WSU picked up a recruit last night. He’s listed as a defensive end and that’s what you’ll see in his Hudl video, but he’s actually going to play offensive line at WSU. He’s 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and “has a frame you can hang some meat on,” as some might say.

Jarrett Kingston, a lineman prospect from NorCal, verbally commits to Wazzu - CougCenter
The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder — unranked by major recruiting services — has seen his recruitment soar over the last week.

NorCal hoss earned his offer with performance at Wazzu camp in July - Cougfan.com ($)
“I went to (WSU’s) camp as a defensive end … but WSU made me realize that I’m an offensive lineman. I’m a tackle. So I’ll put on 50 pounds … I have to do what’s best for me and that’s play offensive tackle,” said Kingston.

Mike Leach news

Leach waxed poetically after practice earlier this week about the time he signed a “gigantic” bra. Well, he apparently told the same story to ESPN for a piece they did on college coaches and weird things they’ve been asked to sign, except he decided to get a little more ... detailed ... with this retelling:

"They throw this bra on the table, and I'm not kidding you, this bra could easily hold volleyballs in either side," Leach said. "I mean, it's just a monster bra. Some people talk about double D's -- this would be double volleyballs. I look up because this is kind of a new one. I look up and they're still laughing. They say, 'Could you sign this?'"

Leach wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He asked whose bra it was. "They go, 'Uh, uh' -- and they point back and there's this lady who's laughing herself and is bright red, and it's their mother. It's their mother!"

"I don't know what exactly happened, but there was some sense of victory on the part of the kids that they talked mom out of her bra," he said. "So I'm looking back at her because this bra is big enough that ... so yeah, I happily and proudly signed it. I mean, if anybody's going to put that much energy and thinking and collaboration and teamwork into getting an autograph, I'm more than happy to do it and I'm just honored they asked."

The artwork in the story — which is a funny read all around — also is top notch:

Camp links

Cougars headed home early ... and other observations from Day 8 of fall camp | The Spokesman-Review
LEWISTON – The Washington State football schedule is frontloaded with home games this season – five of the seven are in the month of September – and Cougar coach Mike Leach wants to make sure his players get all the reps they can inside Martin Stadium before the Sept. 2 opener versus Montana State.

Less is more for Washington State kicker Erik Powell | The Spokesman-Review
In his early years at Washington State, Erik Powell would often spend hours on end of his own time spraying kicks through the uprights, hoping constant repetition would generate the muscle memory needed to convert big-time field goals in big-time games.

Leach believes Washington State has no glaring deficiencies | The Sacramento Bee
Washington State football coach Mike Leach is coming off two consecutive bowl game seasons and he says his Cougars appear to have no glaring deficiencies this season.

Washington State’s new center looks to blaze a trail | The News Tribune
The Washington State football program’s love affair with American Samoa, as all longtime Cougars fans know, began four decades ago with a quarterback, Jack Thompson.