It's a different Jeff Tuel leading the Washington State offense this season.
You can tell it when he jogs out to practice, the handful of pounds he added in the offseason, part of a rock-solid 6-foot-3, 223-pound frame. You can tell it in practice, when he delivers passes. Or when he uses his feet to avoid a rush or to run away from a defender. You can tell it in the huddle, on the sideline, after practice. The junior quarterback is the unquestioned leader of the Cougars offense.
When you examine the quarterback position in Pullman this year, everything starts with Tuel.
Physically, he's got all the things you look for," offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy said Saturday. "The big thing is how is he going to handle the position when the bullets are flying. I think he proved he could do that last year (when) he came a long way in his development.
"Right now in camp he's at another level."
He is, in his third year as a starter, ready to take his spot among the greats who have played his position
the Bledsoes, the Leafs, the Gessers, the Rosenbachs.
It's an honor (to be mentioned with them) because those guys were great quarterbacks," Tuel said. "But each and every one of them has reached out to me in some way, told me if I need anything to contact them, given me pointers, tips.
"It just goes beyond the quality of play. It's just the quality of people they are. That means as much or more to me than just their numbers."
Being talked about in that company is nice, but all those former Cougars quarterbacks did something Tuel has yet to do: Throw for 3,000 yards.
"That's what I have set in my mind and I'm going to do what it takes to get there," said.
Last season Tuel finished with 2,780, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and throwing 18 touchdowns. Tuel's bigger goal is to lead to at least nine wins in a season.
If we had a 10-win season," Tuel said, "I wouldn't care how many yards I threw for. It would put a lot bigger smile on my face."
The latter goal will be tougher, as
has won just three games in the two years since Tuel left Clovis WestHigh after only one season as a starting quarterback and made the trek north toPullman. But Sturdy believes the Cougars' quest couldn't be in better hands.
The biggest difference is (this year), when things aren't right a little bit, he knows the concept well enough he can get it to someone that's not necessarily the primary read," Sturdy
We have a Pac-(12) position now, 1 through 5,"We have five quarterbacks here who belong in the Pac-(12). Not all of them can start, but they are going to continue to compete, and a couple of those guys will emerge and play a lot of football over the next few years."
You can tell it when he jogs out to practice, the handful of pounds he added in the offseason, part of a rock-solid 6-foot-3, 223-pound frame. You can tell it in practice, when he delivers passes. Or when he uses his feet to avoid a rush or to run away from a defender. You can tell it in the huddle, on the sideline, after practice. The junior quarterback is the unquestioned leader of the Cougars offense.
When you examine the quarterback position in Pullman this year, everything starts with Tuel.
Physically, he's got all the things you look for," offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy said Saturday. "The big thing is how is he going to handle the position when the bullets are flying. I think he proved he could do that last year (when) he came a long way in his development.
"Right now in camp he's at another level."
He is, in his third year as a starter, ready to take his spot among the greats who have played his position
the Bledsoes, the Leafs, the Gessers, the Rosenbachs.
It's an honor (to be mentioned with them) because those guys were great quarterbacks," Tuel said. "But each and every one of them has reached out to me in some way, told me if I need anything to contact them, given me pointers, tips.
"It just goes beyond the quality of play. It's just the quality of people they are. That means as much or more to me than just their numbers."
Being talked about in that company is nice, but all those former Cougars quarterbacks did something Tuel has yet to do: Throw for 3,000 yards.
"That's what I have set in my mind and I'm going to do what it takes to get there," said.
Last season Tuel finished with 2,780, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and throwing 18 touchdowns. Tuel's bigger goal is to lead to at least nine wins in a season.
If we had a 10-win season," Tuel said, "I wouldn't care how many yards I threw for. It would put a lot bigger smile on my face."
The latter goal will be tougher, as
has won just three games in the two years since Tuel left Clovis WestHigh after only one season as a starting quarterback and made the trek north toPullman. But Sturdy believes the Cougars' quest couldn't be in better hands.
The biggest difference is (this year), when things aren't right a little bit, he knows the concept well enough he can get it to someone that's not necessarily the primary read," Sturdy
We have a Pac-(12) position now, 1 through 5,"We have five quarterbacks here who belong in the Pac-(12). Not all of them can start, but they are going to continue to compete, and a couple of those guys will emerge and play a lot of football over the next few years."
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