Unfortunately, because of my work schedule this week, I will not be in Pullman tomorrow for practice.

That doesn't mean I won't be keeping a close eye on the Cougs.

As for today, we're focusing on California. The Cougars and Golden Bears kickoff conference play on Saturday (3:30pm start time at a revamped Martin Stadium).

The Bears (predicted to finish fourth in the Pac-10 at the start of the season) are coming off a 38-31 victory over Michigan State. Offensively, California looked good, accumulating 467 total yards (203 rushing; 264 passing) in the win. Defensively, they seemed vulnerable (especially through the air, allowing 381 passing yards) after giving up 17 fourth quarter points.

Cal's running game is inexperienced, but pretty darn good. Sophomore Jahvid Best (111 yards against MSU) and redshirt freshman Shane Vereen (101 yards...the most yards in a debut game in school history) carry the load. The Golden Bears have had at least one 1,000 yard rushers in each of the last six seasons...there's no reason to think one (if not both) of these guys can achieve the feat this year. Paul Wulff called them "the fastest tailbacks in the league" in today's teleconference.

Sophomore Kevin Riley beat out incumbent Nate Longshore at quarterback during fall camp...and it looks like a good decision after the first week. Riley completed 17-of-24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns (he was interception free). Oklahoma State had no problem picking apart the WSU defensive backs...if the Cougars haven't found an answer it could be a long day.

Luckily, there isn't one wide receiver taller than 6'2" on the Bears roster. Unfortunately, 6'2" is tall enough. OSU's Dez Bryant is 6'2" and he caught jump ball after jump ball last week (by the way Dez...thanks for the comment). We'll see what happens (my fingers are crossed).

I don't have time to get into Cal's defense right now (I have a show to do), but hopefully I can get to it tomorrow.

Thanks to my buddy Joe Nickle of the WSU Sports Information Department (I stole this information from his blog):

Punter Reid Forrest (ankle) and wide receiver Jeshua Anderson (hernia) practiced today. Their status for Saturday is uncertain.

UPDATE - 9/2/08 - 10:40am: After doing some more research it sounds like Andrew Roxas, a starting offensive lineman, left practice yesterday with a knee injury. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that Roxas told teammates that he'll miss at least two games with an "apparent sprain."

On a brighter note, offensive lineman Vaughn Lesuma returned to practice yesterday as well. The P-I is also saying that if Daniel Blackledge's "touchy hamstring permits," he'll start over Jared Karstetter at wide receiver on Saturday.

I'll leave you with this quote (also from Wulff's teleconference):

"From a talent standpoint [California is] definitely one of the top teams in the conference...It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us," he said. "But we have them at home, and if our kids take the steps that we believe they can take it's going to be a heck of a ballgame."

P.S. Kim...thanks for your comments. It will probably be a "long, hard road," but (just like you) I'm confident there will be a big payoff in the end.

Just look at recruiting. Bill Doba had only a couple of players signed before Wulff took the reigns last year (late in the recruiting season). Paul and his staff already have at least six verbal commitments for next year...and one for the following season (the earliest commitment in school history). That's a major improvement!

And, the glasses are only temporary (I have a problem with one of my eyes), but thanks for the compliment. Maybe I'll bring them back every once in a while.

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