"Who's going to empty the tank today?"

I think that's the new motto at Cougar football practice (I heard it over and over again). It sounds like the coaching staff is trying to find out who wants to compete and who doesn't. When I asked Paul Wulff about how bad the team wants to win, he told me that "wanting to win and taking the right steps to win" are totally different. It still sounds like he doesn't like the way the team practices.

No matter, safety Myron Beck told me the team is hungry for a victory. He said he could tell Sunday during weights that there was a different mentality (a new drive inside the team). He said he also noticed a renewed energy yesterday at practice. Greg Trent agreed. He told me the team is "juiced" to get a win. Dwight Tardy also made it clear during practice (warm-ups actually) that he's ready for a victory. He was yelling at guys trying to pump them up.

I know everyone is waiting for a quarterback update...so here it is:

I quickly asked Wulff about the situation (he told the media yesterday that he probably won't decide on a starter until game day). He told me that nothing's changed. Kevin Lopina took most of the snaps with the first team today (that was the case yesterday as well). I'm trying to make sense of it. I understand why Lopina is more involved; because the coaches want to get a better look at him (they've already seen what Rogers can do in games and practice). If Rogers is going to start, it seems weird that he isn't getting the snaps he'll need to succeed on Saturday. Hopefully we'll know something soon (before Saturday).

The other thing I noticed was how healthy the team is getting. Tight end Devin Frischknecht was the only starter I could see who wasn't in pads today. Trent didn't go through some of the warm-ups with the team. When I asked about him I was told that "he'll be fine." He looked good through the rest of practice.

It should be fun for some of the Cougs to play in Texas. Trent, Chima Nwachukwu, Christopher Ivory, Alfonso Jackson, Hallston Higgins, and Kendrick Dunn are all from "The Lone Star State." Trent told me his phone has been "blowing up" with ticket requests. He grew up in Keller (a suburb of Dallas) about 100 miles from Waco. Linebacker Corey Evans is also expecting a good turn out from family and friends. He's from Boyce, Louisiana (about 375 miles from Baylor).

Weather concerns also came up today. Hurricane Ike is expected to sweep through Waco in the late afternoon or early evening on Saturday. School officials from Washington State and Baylor are keeping a close eye on the situation. Wulff told me that there's been some talk of starting the game earlier, but nothing has changed so far. I'll keep you posted on any changes I hear of.

The last thing I want to mention is the spread. The Cougars started as 2 1/2 point favorites, but that's changed. The line is now even and in some cases WSU is an underdog (only by a point). In other words...no one knows what's going to happen.

I'll keep you posted on what I find out about the QBs...and the weather. Stay tuned!

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