I hate bye weeks, but I am a selfish fan. I really missed Cougar football this weekend (I don't care if they are 1-5). It just didn't feel right without a WSU game to watch or listen to. I also got really tired of hearing the joke, "At least Wazzu didn't lose this week" (I'm sure you heard it too).

On the other hand, the football team embraced the bye week. It's become a little clichéd to hear players and coaches say that it was nice to hit the "reset button" (Kenny Alfred said it feels like September 5th all over again) after a bye, but I actually believe it with this group. They seemed motivated at practice (as they usually do) and they genuinely sound excited for the game this weekend against California (you'll definitely hear the excitement from Jeff Tuel if you listen to his interview).

The bye week also gave WSU a chance to get healthy. Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis, defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm, and offensive linemen B.J. Guerra, Zack Williams, and Steven Ayers are all coming back from injuries. Paul Wulff did say that Guerra, Williams, and Ayers will be limited, but it's the first step back to a full recovery.

The offensive line is where help is needed the most. The Cougars allowed 12 sacks in their last game against Arizona State. Having a few of the big guys back should help the cause, even if they are only part-time players on Saturday.

We talked to Paul Wulff, Kenny Alfred, and Jeff Tuel at practice. You can find their uncut interviews on the WSU page on KREM.com.

I also wanted to let you know that if you scroll down on the video player on that same page, you can also find raw interviews with DeAngelo Casto and Klay Thompson from basketball practice last weekend.

For those of you that didn't hear, former WSU wide receiver Brandon Gibson was traded to the St. Louis Rams right before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. I think it's a good situation for him (especially if Donny Avery has to miss some time to injury). Hopefully he gets an opportunity to show the league what he is made of.

That's all I have time for right now. GO COUGS!!!

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