The competition level was high from start to finish in the third practice of spring football. The Washington State Cougars put on their shoulder and back pads for the first time this spring and took the field Tuesday.

“We came out here and worked hard and what I like to see is we all came out here and just we never took plays off, we’re working towards playing as one,” senior nose tackle Toni Pole said.

Pole, along with the rest of the offensive and defensive line, was able get some practice in the trenches during the first day of pads.

With pads on, the team was able to become more aggressive with their blocks and the run, Head Coach Mike Leach said, adding that the offensive and defensive lines were able to be more productive as well with pads on.

During 7-on-7 skeleton and team scrimmage, the intensity level never seemed to drop. Players were fighting for every yard and there were a few heated exchanges between the offense and defense.

“It was really competitive today, guys were getting after it,” Pole said. “And as every football team there were a few fights. You gotta get a little chippy.”

On the offensive side, a player that has been consistent at practice is redshirt junior wide receiver Drew Loftus. He has emerged this spring and received reps with the first-team.

“Drew has had a heck of a spring, when we were just up there throwing by ourselves for those nine weeks of winter, he’s a heck of a receiver and he’s a lot faster than people give him credit for,” senior quarterback Connor Halliday said. “Be looking out for him.”

Loftus said he is trying to work hard this spring and that the more reps you get the better you’re going to be. He also said he is looking to do big things this season.

The WSU quarterbacks have had a couple of great guests come by practice. Saturday it was former Texas Tech quarterback, Graham Harrell, and on Tuesday former WSU quarterback Jason Gesser made an appearance and offered his analysis on the Cougar signal callers.

“I think the biggest thing that (Halliday) has to focus on is working on his fundamentals, working on his footwork, making sure those things go well and keeping his technique solid,” Gesser said. “He’s got a good arm, he’s got a good release, he’s got good anticipation, but when he gets lazy with his feet is when you see his accuracy go down.”

Halliday was 9-of-15 in the scrimmage and recorded a touchdown and one interception. Junior defensive end Destiny Vaeao “sacked” Halliday once. Redshirt freshman Tyler Bruggman was 8-of-14 during the scrimmage and threw for three touchdowns, two that went to redshirt senior Vince Mayle.

The Cougars will continue spring practice at 3 p.m. Thursday.