But first
things first: This weekend in Seattle, our beloved Cougs will take on the Tribe
from the North (brave and bold)--the Wreckers -- in what we hope will be a laugher. How much of an impending disaster is
Idaho football right now? The guy
the athletic department was pinning its publicity on isn’t even starting. At one point in a recent scrimmage,
George Yarno was upset with the play of his offensive line, prompting an
“Idaho’s going to kick your [buttock]!” at which I’m pretty sure I heard the
linemen stifle a snicker. I know I
laughed.
As promising
as the season looks, we’re not without bad news here in Pullman. Poor Billy Knotts. You gotta feel
for the guy. He’ll be missing
around four weeks of his senior year, and two of the best road trips of his (or
just about any other Cougar’s) career.
We’ve also lost Chris Hurd for the season. That’s also tough for a kid who works
his tail off to be good at what he does, and was finally in line to get some
playing time this year. Get well
soon, guys.
As
a result of the Hurd injury, it’s nice to know that my main man, Alex
Brink, is to be put on “red-alert” status, which fortunately for him does
not mean that he will be roaming the sidelines with a briefcase handcuffed to
his wrist. That would look silly,
and we all know that there’s no silliness in football now that Rick
Neuheisel isn’t springing for Dilly Bars and strumming hippie music anymore,
at least not at the college level.
For those of you who rely on this column for news (I pity you),
“red-alert” means that Brink will travel with the team and be listed as the
number three quarterback, but only by urgent necessity will he lose his redshirt
year
Anyway,
on to the game, and the upcoming season: I can’t wait to walk into Seahawk
Stadium. I can see it now: I’ll leave the concourse and head to my seat, and as
I file through the tunnel (Give me some space, buddy—hey, you two! Get a room!), the green of the field
will explode into sight as I reach the seats. I’ll meet up with friends and family,
fill my face with hot dog and soda (and maybe a pretzel with cheese), and watch
as the undefeated Cougars take the field against undefeated Idaho. Hopefully, something special will
happen; one player will make his name known in this game, a name that we will
quickly learn as we hear it over and over through the year. There are a handful of guys who could
make the leap to big-time player, like Will Derting did against Nevada
last year. Guys like Robert
Jordan, Josh Shavies, and Cody Boyd.
As
excited as I am, there’s one thing I have to get off my chest. It’s been bothering me for a week, and
it’s really not Cougar-related, though it is related to the upcoming game. Note
to Tom Cable: loyalty matters.
Benching a senior who has done nothing for your program but take beating
after beating and continue to put up huge numbers doesn’t look good to anyone.
Brian Lindgren is getting the shaft. Just one man’s opinion, I guess, but the
decision to sit Lindgren stinks worse than Lewiston at low tide. There, I feel better
now.
Back
to the Cougs: This season has a lot
more uncertainty to it than last year, which sometimes makes things a little
more fun--or frustrating, depending on your point of view. Last year, we knew we had a good team,
and had to sit through the torment of maybe not living up to standards in games
like the one at Arizona. This
season, we think we’re good, but
still need to make sure of a few things before declaring this team great. Will the middle of the offensive line
hold up? Will Matt Kegel be
able to carry the load? Will the
defensive backfield hold up if someone gets hurt? I’m an optimist, so I’ll answer ‘yes’ to
all those questions, and I’ll even guarantee a great year. My advice to you is to sit back and
enjoy the season; savor the highs, dismiss the lows, and after the Cougs beat
the Huskies, you’ll be reminded for the umpteenth time this season how wonderful Cougar Football truly is.