The WSU football team took the field for its 10th spring practice on a sunny Thursday afternoon in Martin Stadium.

The Cougars seem to be hitting their stride after the last few practices lasted longer than usual due to the team’s need for extra conditioning.

“We are out here trying to get extra conditioning in,” Outside Linebackers Coach Roy Manning said in an interview with WSU Athletic Communications. “We have to be able to push past that threshold of what we think is tired and fatigued.”

Manning said he sees constant improvement the farther the Cougars get into their spring practices.

“That bar, that expectation level is going to rise, and it’s not day one or day three,” Manning said.

The Cougars held their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, which featured a lot of balance from the offenses’ depth chart. No one from the running back position carried the ball more than four times during the scrimmage.

“Not only are they good players but they are all competitive players,” Running Backs Coach Jim Mastro said. “We’ll let it play out through the fall, and the best two or three are going to play.”

A standout from the scrimmage was senior wide out C.J. Dimry, who caught two touchdowns out of a total of five catches.

The Cougars’ defensive linemen have started to become more comfortable with the style of first-year Defensive Line Coach Jeff Phelps after the departure of former Coach Joe Salave’a.

“[Phelps’] philosophy is slightly different from Coach Joe’s,” redshirt senior defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale said. “He focuses on the little things we just have to focus and dial in every time we are on the practice field.”

Other defensive players have taken notice of the positive presence Phelps has brought to that side of the ball.

“I think that [the defensive linemen] are really coming together and creating some chemistry,” redshirt senior linebacker Isaac Dotson said. “The D-Line has been performing really well.”

The defense has a few question marks coming into the season, and one of those is the secondary. However, incoming freshman defensive back Isaiah Love has started to show some play-making ability.

“The young guys, as a group, have played pretty good,” Head Coach Mike Leach said. “It seems like a new one surfaces each day.”

The Cougars will continue spring practice at 10 a.m. on Saturday with a scrimmage starting at 10:45 a.m. in Martin Stadium.