Hot Cougar Action: The day after the spring game

It may not be wise to make too many assumptions based on a spring football game, but hey, what the hell. Saturday's game was interesting and like most games of this sort, there was some good and some not so good.

The game was basically the 2012 season in a nutshell. A few explosive passing plays mixed in with offensive line issues and a lacking running game. Defensively, WSU flashed well despite playing very basic schemes. The Cougars progressed defensively last season and appear to have left off right where they finished.

With the spring game fresh on the DVR and not a whole lot to talk about, we'll have extensive coverage throughout the coming weeks but here are a few other quick observations.

• Kristoff Williams looked good, which is either a great sign for the season or another giant tease. We've heard about his potential for three full years. One year he is going to stay healthy and put it all together. Maybe this will be that year.
• Someone mentioned this in the gamethread or on Twitter, but for the most part the defense played very fundamentally sound. There weren't many missed tackles or blown assignments. There were a few issues, as you'd expect, but for the most part there was a lot of positive on defense.
• Accuracy was an issue for both quarterbacks. Not only completing passes, but throwing catchable balls in the right places. The wind was blowing, but either way, it was a little dicey at times.
• If the coaching staff can figure out the secondary, the WSU defense could be pretty dang good this season because the front seven is loaded. Even without a few key players, the defensive line and linebackers flew around and made plays. This just in, Darryl Monroe is still fun to watch

Football:

Cougars offense finds success in second half of spring game - Spokesman.com - April 21, 2013
A halftime summit was held at Albi Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Mike Leach overseeing a group of inconsistent and underachieving football players whom he said suffered – as the coach has grown fond of saying – from "performance anxiety."

QBs Halliday, Apodaca shake off rust as Gray wins day | WSU Cougars - The News Tribune
SPOKANE — College football players love to bet on their final spring scrimmages. No money changes hands, of course — that is an NCAA no-no — and the players’ bets often consist of little more than the right to brag in the locker room for a week or two.

Late Touchdown Lifts Gray Past Crimson - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
SPOKANE, Wash. - Washington State saw the Gray team score a late touchdown and convert a two-point conversion to post a 22-21 victory in the Crimson and Gray Game played in front of 8,340 fans at Joe Albi Stadium Saturday afternoon.