Quick update for you, dot-dot-dot style......Grippi's latest:  o-line looking healthier/better?  Sure hope so.  One has to wonder what young #10 can do with, you know, time to throw the ball?....Speaking of time to throw the ball, Troy Aikman mentioned something during yesterday's Atl-Dallas TV broadcast that had me wondering about our own young Tuel.  Aikman said, in reference to Matt Ryan, "one of the most impressive things about Ryan is his ability to look down the field, even when things are collapsing around him.  That is one of the hardest things as a young QB, where you fight your natural instinct of "flight" when there are pass-rushers in your face.  The best young QB's are the ones that can maintain their eye level and make plays in the face of adversity." 

Now let's harken back one more time to the Jeff Tuel video, from yesterday:



Check out the TD pass to Forzani.  What do you see?  Pre-snap, Cal is showing a possible blitz with their 3-4 look, the strongside linebacker straight up over the tight-end...at the snap, the linebackers all drop back into coverage, and Cal rushes just 3 down linemen....Tuel takes his drop off the playaction in the shotgun, just a 3-step drop (but given how deep he is, it's much more like a 5-7 step drop).....Tuel makes his read, sees that there isn't a blitz, so he has a little more time than usual....however, the right-defensive end, #97 Cameron Jordan, has a little bit of a bull-rush going on, and he's beating the tackle to the QB.....instead of looking at the rush and running for his life?  Tuel instead KEEPS HIS EYES DOWN THE FIELD, STEPS UP INTO THE POCKET and delivers a beauty of a deep ball, reading it perfectly by hitting the one-on-one match-up.....even when Cal dropped eight into coverage.....phenomenal play by an 18-year old babe in the woods.

Not to get ahead of ourselves here, but.....well, we are a blog, it's what we do, right?......you start to think about the talent level of the QB's that have come through Pullman, in terms of size, arm strength, and feet....could Jeff Tuel have the best set of tools since, well, Ryan Leaf??....It's early, it's a stretch, etc, but still.....yes, we are impressed with the young man! 

Read on for more, including our weekly blog ballot....

So WSU takes on the Fighting Irish this Saturday in San Antonio.  But as many of you already know, this isn't the first time these two teams have clashed.  We all remember the hoops second round tournament game in 2008, WSU advancing to the Sweet 16 and all that.  But what about football?  I know it feels like eons ago, but does anyone remember 2003?  Remember Ty Willie vs. Bill Doba!? 

The time:  September 6th, 2003

The place:  Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

What happened:  WSU and Notre Dame played a tough, physical game in the late-summer humidity.  WSU was staked to an early 19-0 early first-half lead, but the Irish rallied, big-time.  Notre Dame came all the way back to actually take the lead late, only to see WSU come down the field in the final minute and score on a game-tying 34-yard touchdown pass from Matt Kegel to Sammy Moore.  WSU would miss a field goal in OT, Notre Dame made their field goal, and that was it.  Irish win it, 29-26 in OT.  Current NFL running backs Ryan Grant and Julius Jones would combine for 170 rushing yards for the Irish, as Notre Dame won a wild, grinder of a game with high emotions on both sides of the fence. 

Meanwhile, WSU would recover from this early setback to go on to win ten games in '03, beating #5 Texas in the Holiday Bowl and finishing in the AP top ten for the third straight season.  WSU was actually the first PAC-10 team to finish in the top ten for three straight years since USC pulled it off from 1972-1974.  Of course USC has been unstoppable since then, but....whatever! 

And for what it's worth?  Since 2003, outside of USC?  Only WSU, Cal and Oregon have actually finished in the top ten in the final polls in representing the PAC-10. 

Anyway, what's the point of all this?  Check out the video, after the jump, for some great highlights from that 2003 WSU - Notre Dame game.  Aw, the memories so thick, you'll have to wipe them away from your faces. 

So after some real promise with young Jeff Tuel vs. Cal?  Now the bad news.  Louis Bland, yeah, you know, probably the best defensive player on the roster?  That guy.  He's pretty much done for '09.  In fact, Grippi speculates that not just for '09, but, perhaps even spring ball is going to be a big question mark.  Sounds like that pesky PCL in the knee has finally run it's course.  All the best in a speedy recovery to Louis Bland. 

This loss hurts.  I mean hey, they ALL hurt.  But losing Bland off a defense that needs his fire, passion and intensity, not to mention he's a pretty damn good football player?  Not good.  So what does that mean?  Well, the weekly depth chart has Alex Hoffman-Ellis back atop the middle linebacker spot, but he's battled the staph infection injury in his arm and still may not be all the way back to full strength.  This probably means a lot more PT for Mike Ledgerwood, the sophomore who led the linebackers in tackles with eight vs. Cal last week.  But man oh man, the linebackers are looking awfully thin all of a sudden.  Grippi also reported that Andy Mattingly is banged up with a left knee bruise.  And last week they had moved Myron Beck back to safety, but this week he is right back to linebacker.  Thin, thin, thin.

So here's a question for you Coug Nation.  There's a reason I picked the picture above, with Louis Bland and the youngster next to him.  This is right up Sutra's alley in regards to redshirt-burning, but, is it time for Darren Markle, the super-strong true frosh, to play?  There is still a lot of football left, five full games.  The linebackers are just battered right now, and you wonder who else may go down in the coming weeks?  Maybe more so than even the young true frosh DB's in Washington and Carpenter, Darren Markle is needed RIGHT NOW!  Now Markle wasn't listed on the depth chart this week, so he may not even make the trip to San Antonio.  But you have to wonder if things might change, sooner rather than later? 

You probably remember Darren Markle.  All-everything linebacker from Meridian, Idaho, and he has made a great impression in his first go-around with the Cougar coaches.  But he really turned some heads back in high school with his weight-room prowess, sporting a 400+ pound bench, and a 600+ pound squat??  Here he is doing 615 pounds on the squat rack in January.  This is when he was still a high school senior! 



That's a lot of weight.  You know, for some people maybe.....

Anyway, that's about it for now, a pretty light post today.  And no, sorry, but we didn't get the radio show covered last night.  Hopefully we are back at it next week.

Enjoy your Wednesday, and of course, GO COUGS!