Cougars meet the press, release Week 4 depth chart

The attention for Washington State has officially turned from Oregon to Utah. The Cougars will travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utes in what could be a pivotal game for WSU's bowl chances. Mike Leach and a few players met with the media to discuss the game

The Oregon game came up during the interviews with the general consensus that the Cougars played well, but not well enough to win and will have to work on improving on that performance. Washington State had a rough go of it the last time they traveled to Utah and that game was also a topic of discussion with the players. Mike Leach had no interest in discussing the 2012 game. Gunnar Eklund was asked about the offensive line being sent out for the post game press conference that year and said it was a game he won't ever forget.

WSU also released its depth chart for the week. The offensive depth chart didn't change, but there were a couple minor tweaks on the defensive side. Jeremiah Allison takes over as the No. 1 WILL linebacker. Allison has proven to be a playmaker this year and played very well against Oregon. Mitch Peterson is back on the two-deep listed with an "or" as the backup SAM linebacker. Beau Glover is the No. 2 free safety, surpassing Isaac Dotson this week. Sulaiman Hameed is still listed as the No. 2 SS although it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get a good amount of playing time. You can check out the full depth chart and the rest of the media notes here.

Gunnar Eklund

Mike Leach

River Cracraft

Mitch Peterson

Football:

Questions and answers for the Pac-12 North - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
Could Connor Halliday be smarter with the ball? Now, he hasn’t had a flawless season, but if Saturday’s close loss against Oregon told us anything, it’s that Halliday can really excel in this offense when he, his receivers and his offense line key in.

WSU linemen can't forget last visit to Utah - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2014
For the dwindling number of Washington State football players old enough to remember the last trip, Saturday’s return to Rice-Eccles Stadium is a reminder of likely the lowest point in their careers.

Grading the Oregon game - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2014
Washington State went toe-to-toe with Oregon for 60 minutes and Saturday, and it did it because the Cougars played well at every offensive and defensive position.

Cal game set for 7:30 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2014
Washington State's football schedule has been updated to show a 7:30 p.m. kickoff for the Cougars home game against California on Saturday, Oct. 4. With a 6 p.m. start for the following week's game at Stanford that means the Cougars will play at least seven consecutive night games to open the 2014 season.

O-Line progress among positive signs in Cougs' loss to Oregon | KREM.com Spokane
Ever since head coach Mike Leach came to Pullman, a big point of emphasis has been on that offensive line. He's been constantly looking to get bigger and grow in numbers. With only two returning starters entering the season, there was this assumption quarterback Connor Halliday might be in some trouble, but that group is maturing early in the year and they definitely took a step forward this past week against Oregon.

Utah football: Utes have little margin for error vs. Washington St. (Video) | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah had until takeoff on Saturday to revel in its 26-10 victory on one of the most storied grounds in American sports. The wheels went up, the TVs came on, and the Utes — those who were still awake, at least — watched their next opponent nearly sink a national title game favorite.

Utah Hosts Washington State Saturday - Block U
The 3-0 Utes welcome the 1-3, but very dangerous Washington State Cougars for their Pac-12 opener in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

WSU football: things we learned from (almost) beating Oregon - Pacific Takes
Washington State almost pulled off the impossible, narrowly losing at home to Oregon 38-31. Powered by a suddenly rejuvenated defense, the Cougars held the high powered Duck ground game to a paltry 172 yards and sacked Marcus Mariota seven times.

10 things to know about Utah Vs. Washington State | KSL.com
The Utes closed out their non-conference slate with a commanding 26-10 win over Michigan last Saturday to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Quoting Cracraft, Peterson and Eklund - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2014
Left guard Gunnar Eklund, linebacker Mitch Peterson and receiver River Cracraft were available to speak with the media during Washington State's weekly Monday press conference. Highlights from those interviews are after the jump.

Men's Basketball:

6-8 wing King commits to Cougars - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2014
Derrien King, a 6-foot-8 wing from Los Angeles, has given an oral commitment to basketball coach Ernie Kent to play at Washington State, according to multiple reports.

Volleyball:

Cougs to Face No. 4 UW and No. 1 Stanford on Road - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State University volleyball team (9-3) hits the road, a familiar place for the Cougars so far in 2014, as Pac-12 Conference play begins this week.

WSU:

WSU Connections Store to Open in Downtown Spokane - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State University will host a grand opening for its WSU Connections store in downtown Spokane Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 23, and WSU alumni, fans and friends are invited to join the celebration.