Seattle Times: WSU Football Notebook | Cal knows too much?

By Craig Smith

Mike Dunbar used to go to Pullman to pick the brains of Cougars coaches as a guest. On Saturday, he returns to try to beat them. The California offensive coordinator was the head coach at Central Washington from 1987 to 1991, compiling a record of 54-9-1. Two of his teams were ranked No. 1 in NAIA polls.  "When you're the coach at Central, you've got the great advantage that you sneak over to Pullman and learn something from them and then sneak over to Washington and learn something from them," Dunbar said. "I always had to make sure I didn't tell Washington about the Cougs or the Cougs about Washington. That was part of the deal."  Dunbar, 57, graduated from Lakes High School in Lakewood. His first coaching jobs after graduating from the University of Washington were as an assistant at Clover Park High School under Bob Calleron and nearby Mann Junior High School under Dave Kerrone.

"I learned a lot from them," Dunbar said. "Football is football." He then joined Frosty Westering's staff at Pacific Lutheran before moving on to Central as an assistant and was later promoted to head coach. Since leaving Ellensburg, he has been offensive coordinator at Toledo, head coach at Northern Iowa (with a 29-15 record from 1997 to 2000) and offensive coordinator at Northwestern. Dunbar, whose wife, Linda, went to WSU, has brought more spread offense and more shotgun snaps to Cal. The Bears are 10th-ranked and have scored more than 40 points in five successive wins after losing their opener at Tennessee.

Cal's weapons include quarterback Nate Longshore, who leads the Pac-10 with 17 touchdown passes. Running back Marshawn Lynch is averaging 100.8 yards a game, and the Bears have a trio of receiving stars in DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan. DeSean also has returned two punts for touchdowns. Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Dunbar's "organization and game-planning have been great. He's done a nice job of calling plays and mixing it up and getting everybody involved. He's definitely brought a positive aspect to the team."  Dunbar finds the trip to Pullman a bit unusual because about a year ago, when he was at Northwestern, he and WSU offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller talked "spread offense" shop over the phone. "Now we have to compete against each other, so we don't compare notes any more," he said.

NOTES

• Cougars RT Charles Harris is considered doubtful for Saturday's game after suffering a sprained ankle at Wednesday's limited-contact practice. Another player fell on the ankle. If Harris can't play, LG Sean O'Connor will move to right tackle and Dan Rowlands will start at left guard.  It will be the third position on the O-line for O'Connor this season. Harris didn't practice Thursday.

• Cougars receiver Jason Hill (shoulder) practiced with a yellow "no-contact" jersey Thursday. Coach Bill Doba reiterated that it probably will be a game-day decision whether he plays.

• Cougars DE Mkristo Bruce, who leads the nation in sacks with 10, has been selected as a midseason All-American by SI.com and CBSSportsline.com. Dennis Dodd of CBSSportsline.com this week called Bruce "the best defensive player in America."

• Senior WR Chris Jordan, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after the Baylor game, is now jogging and could rejoin the team as early as the Oct. 28 game at UCLA, according to Doba. Jordan caught three touchdown passes against Idaho.

• Both nonconference teams the Cougars beat — Baylor and Idaho — are 3-3.

• Former Cougar Jerome Harrison, a rookie running back for the Cleveland Browns, now has his own Web site at www.jerome-harrison.com, which lists the going rate for an endorsement appearance by him as $3,000 to $5,000 per hour.