On Saturday, ASU won't be the only team honoring Pat Tillman.
Washington State head coach Bill Doba said Tuesday that his players plan to wear "PT" decals on the back of their helmets. The decals will be similar to the patches that ASU's football players have worn on the neck of their jerseys throughout the season.
"He's an American hero, and we're going to honor the man," said Doba, who received permission to wear the decals from the Pat Tillman Foundation. "Win, lose or draw, we'll be a part of that celebration of life as a team."
Doba said Tillman's sacrifices speak volumes about his high character.
"A guy who gave up free agency to stay with Arizona because they gave him a chance, and then to turn down the amount of money that he did to go serve his country, that's rare," Doba said. "I think that just speaks really well of what kind of person he was."
Game-planning
Washington State likely will try to keep the ball in the hands of junior running back Jerome Harrison, who rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns on a school-record 42 carries in Saturday's 31-29 win over UCLA.
Harrison has emerged as the focal point of an offense that's still struggling to find its footing without injured quarterback Josh Swogger. Backup quarterback Alex Brink has thrown for 829 yards and four touchdowns in Swogger's absence, but his four interceptions and low completion percentage (46.6 percent) trouble Doba.
"The opponent has an awful lot to do with what you can do offensively," Doba said. "If you can run the ball, it sets up the play-action passes, the reverses, everything. We would like to try to run the ball if we can, but Arizona State has a pretty good defensive line, and they've got three really good linebackers."
Going bowling?
At 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-10, Washington State must win its last two games to be bowl eligible.
The Cougars, who close the season Nov. 20 against hapless Washington, are one of five Pac-10 teams on the bowl bubble. Oregon and UCLA are 5-4, and Oregon State and Stanford are 4-5.
Doba said he notices progress in his program, despite Washington State's struggles this season.
"In the past, it was up once every four years," Doba said. "Now, it's down once every four years. I think I'll take the latter."
Quick kicks
Junior Graham Siderius will handle field goals Saturday, and freshman Loren Langley will kick extra points, Doba said. Langley is 5 for 11 on field goals, with two misses coming inside the 30-yard line. Siderius is 1 for 1, making his lone attempt from 31 yards last week against UCLA.
Sophomore split end Jason Hill, who has 10 touchdown receptions, needs just one TD catch to match the school record held by Kevin McKenzie (1997), Chris Jackson (1997) and Devard Darling (2002).
Washington State has scored in 236 consecutive games, the nation's second-longest active streak among Division I schools. It hasn't been shut out since 1984, when it suffered a 44-0 loss against Ohio State.
Doba on Saturday's weather at Sun Devil Stadium: "We're hoping for snow."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
