Pullman Practice Report - Day 11

Wazzu junior quarterback Gary Rogers threw a pair of touchdown passes and senior running back Kevin McCall rushed for 98 yards to lead the Cougar offense during the second full scrimmage of the spring season Friday afternoon at Martin Stadium.

"We got a little better today," said WSU head coach Bill Doba. "We emphasized the run in this scrimmage and we ran the ball a little bit better. We threw the ball and gave Gary a lot of reps, so that was good. The field goals were all good but one. Whatever (the kickers) did during the off-season I like it. Overall we are progressing, we are taking it slow."

McCall opened the scoring when he took a handoff and rushed 42 yards to the end zone, the only rushing touchdown of the day. McCall finished his afternoon with 98 yards on 16 carries. Redshirt freshman Marcus Richmond added 50 yards of 13 rushes while sophomore Dwight Tardy had four carries for 11 yards.

Through the air the Cougars completed 18 of 29 passes for 130 yards and three scores. Rogers found Brandon Gibson for a 14-yard catch and run for his first touchdown then connected with senior Jed Collins for a three-yard score over the middle. Rogers ended the day 6-of-9 for 52 yards and two scores. Sophomore Cole Morgan found redshirt freshman Anthony Houston for an eight-yard touchdown score that proved to be the final play of the scrimmage. Morgan was 7-of-11 on the day for 39 yards. Senior quarterback Alex Brink completed 5-of-10 passes for 39 yards.

Twelve different receivers caught passes on the day, led by Collins who had three while Gibson, Houston, Corey Williams and Benny Ward all had two.

"Spring basically is to emphasize fundamentals," said Doba. "It is a fun time really, nobody wins and nobody loses. You get to experiment with some things, play a lot of young kids, and give them a chance to see what they can do."

After allowing 371 yards of total offense in the first scrimmage, the Cougar defense reduced that total by a third as it allowed 228 on the afternoon, to go with some big play. Senior defensive back B.T. Walker intercepted a Morgan pass in the end zone for the only interception on the day while senior defensive end Lance Broadus and redshirt freshman defensive end Preston Brooks each recorded quarterback sacks.

The kicking game was also highlighted on the afternoon as seniors Romeen Abdollmohammadi and Loren Langley combined to make nine of 10 field goals.

As for the added duties Doba has taken on this spring, working with the linebackers and taking on the defensive coordinator duties as well, the coach is enjoying the work. "It's been fun for me, it is fun to coach a position again and work with those kids. It's good for me, I hope it's good for the team, I'm sure it will be."

The Cougars resume spring practice Monday afternoon while the third and final scrimmage of the spring will take place Saturday, April 14 at Martin Stadium. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 1:15.

Rushing – McCall 16/98 (TD), Richmond 13/50, Tardy 4/11.

Passing – Brink 5/10/0/39/1, Rogers 6/9/0/52/2/19, Cole Morgan 7/11/1/39/1/8.

Receiving – Collins 3/13 (TD), Gibson 2/21 (TD), Ward 2/16, Williams 2/11, Houston 2/9 (TD), Michael Bumpus 1/8, Tony Thompson 1/7, Finas Rabb 1/7, Greg Walker 1/19, Reid McEllrath 1/5, Ben Woodard 1/7, Richmond 1/7.

Scoring – McCall 42 run; Rogers 14 pass to Gibson; Rogers 3 pass to Collins; Morgan 8 pass to Houston.

Interceptions – B.T. Walker.

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