A couple of weeks ago I went to Pullman with former Herald sports editor Hec Hancock to watch USC play Washington State.
I feel for WSU coach Paul Wulff, who is living through the season from hell as his players go down to injury one by one, or are so inexperienced or just not good enough to play in the Pac-10.
I have to believe most people are surprised, as I am, to what extent the mess was that Wulff inherited from former coach Bill Doba.
My sister and her husband go to all of the WSU home games, taking their motor home and spending at least two nights in Pullman, giving them a chance to see their only son, who is a student there.
I mentioned before the Portland State game last month that the Cougs actually had a chance to win a game. She replied that it wasnt about wins and losses anymore; it was about how good the party would be.
Situations alter our goals.
Some of the beat writers who cover the team on a weekly basis liken covering the Cougs to writing an obituary after each game. But they have to come up with a different obit each time.
A lot of us are looking forward to covering the mens basketball team, said one.
Wulff, as he should, will get plenty of time to fix the program. Hell get some strong recruits over the next few years.
WSU fans were pretty spoiled in the early part of this decade, what with three consecutive 10-win seasons. Wulff will get them back there some day.
The question is, how much of a timetable does he get to get the team back to a bowl game? Four years? Three?
Five?
My vote is five years. Whats yours?
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Wulff wasn't commanding enough for WSU
Wulff wasn't commanding enough for WSU
This, as they say, is where the rubber meets the road. In the cruel arena of assessing coaches, there's no time for sentiment, only for cash flow.
The Cougars dismissed Paul Wulff on Tuesday.
An old WSU offensive lineman, Bill Moos, called in another old WSU lineman and told him he was done. It must have torn both of them up.
WSU considered cash flow, not emotions
WSU considered cash flow, not emotions
This, as they say, is where the rubber meets the road. In the cruel arena of assessing coaches, there's no time for sentiment, only for cash flow.
The Cougars dismissed Paul Wulff on Tuesday. An old WSU offensive lineman, Bill Moos, called in another old WSU lineman and told him he was done. It must have torn both of them up.
You had to have a devil's heart not to cheer for Paul Wulff. When he was a 12-year-old in Northern California, his mother went missing -- never found -- and his deceased father is presumed to have killed her. Later, coaching at Eastern Washington, Wulff suffered through the death to cancer of his first wife, Tammy.
Wulff's future at WSU may ride on Apple Cup
Wulff's future at WSU may ride on Apple Cup
SPOKANE -- Washington State's bowl hopes were dashed by an overtime loss to Utah, but there is still plenty on the line in Saturday's Apple Cup game against archrival Washington.
Tops on the list is the future of WSU coach Paul Wulff.
There is passionate debate among Cougars fans about whether the fourth-year coach should be fired or brought back for the final year of his contract.
WSU medical staff clears QB Tuel to play
WSU medical staff clears QB Tuel to play
PULLMAN -- Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel, who fractured his left clavicle Sept. 3, was cleared to play this weekend by the school's medical staff.
"I'm ready to go," Tuel said prior to practice. "It feels good, strong. A little soreness here and there, but nothing serious.
"I'm excited to be out here. I want to win this game. That's all I'm looking forward to in this upcoming game and that's what I'm concentrating on."
New era arrives for WSU football
New era arrives for WSU football
I write this with a somewhat heavy heart: Paul Wulff no longer is Washington State's football coach.
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