Washington State kicks off fall camp

LEWISTON - It may not have been in familiar surroundings, but the Washington State defense seemed to feel at home Friday at Lewiston's Sacajawea Junior High School as it dominated the first practice of fall camp.

The defense won about two-thirds of the plays by the end of practice, repeating its strong performance from the spring.

"It was definitely a good day for the defense. We went out there and did everything we expected to do," safety Deone Bucannon said. "That's what Cougar football is all about - flying around, getting to the ball and creating turnovers."

Several playmakers emerged on the

defensive unit, as defensive lineman Destiny Vaeao, cornerback Daquawn Brown and cornerback Damonte Horton all came up with interceptions. Safety Mitchell Peterson, who stood out during the spring, had an impressive pass tip during seven-on-seven drills, as did cornerback Anthony Carpenter. Nevertheless, Leach was pleased with the play of quarterbacks Connor Halliday and Austin Apodaca.

"I thought both Connor and Austin looked pretty good," Leach said. "I thought they were a little bit streaky at times."

Halliday outperformed the redshirt freshman, just like he did for most of the spring camp. Apodaca had a miscommunication with his receivers on one play and overthrew his target on another, but he still had a solid performance. As for Halliday, he found room for improvement.

"I'd say for the most part our tempo needs to be a little better, and that's on my shoulders to get the call in faster to get the line moving," Halliday said. "I think we were a little sluggish toward the end, but that happens on the first day."

Junior college transfer Vince Mayle was projected to be one of Halliday's favorite targets this season, but the 6-foot-3 receiver had a mediocre practice and dropped a pass. Reports of his weight varied from 220 pounds to 240, but either way, Mayle admitted he needs to shed some pounds before the season begins.

"When I got to Pullman I came in overweight. I was probably never 220, I played at 225 in (junior college)," Mayle said. "Right now I'm about 234 and it's going to be down after camp."

The other highly touted newcomer, freshman receiver Robert Lewis, suffered a few drops early on. He recovered to make some nice plays as practice continued, but he was outshined by sophomore receiver Gabe Marks. Fans may remember him in a No. 84 jersey last year, but he looked impressive Friday in his new No. 9 uniform. He made a terrific catch during one-on-one drills, and seems upbeat about the Lewiston camp. He admitted the taller grass at Sacajawea Junior High made it harder to run, but he was nevertheless enthusiastic about the training camp atmosphere.

"I think it'll pay off," Marks said. "I think we're going to become a closer team because we're always going to be together for these 10 days."

Tom Hager can be reached at (208) 883-4633, or by email to thager@dnews.com