Oregon earlier this season.

THOMPSON-LEVENSELLER CONNECTION, PART II: Freshman quarterback J.T. Levenseller's first pass completion of his career went to tight end Tony Thompson in the second quarter against Stanford. If the Thompson-Levenseller connection sounds familiar to Cougar fans, it should. Tony's father is legendary Cougar quarterback Jack Thompson while J.T.'s dad is Mike Levenseller, current WSU assistant coach and one of WSU's all-time best receivers. The original Thompson-Levenseller duo connected 97 times from 1975-77 and the pair remains close to this day, so much so that J.T., whose real name is Michael Jack Thomas Levenseller, was named after the elder Thompson.

WHO'S YOUR DRADDY: Senior offensive lineman Vaughn Lesuma was named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame recently announced...theDraddy Trophy recognizes the best and brightest in college football, as nominees must have at least a 3.2 GPA, must be a first team player or significant contributor and must demonstrate strong leadership and citizenship...former WSU quarterback Alex Brink was a finalist for the award in 2007.

YOUTH IS SERVED: While the Cougars have had a number of first-time starters this season (26), they have also had an abundant number of underclassmen starting. Through 10 games this season, the Cougars have started 22 different underclassmen, 13 on offense and nine on defense, including punters and kickers. Five true freshmen have seen action this season: wide receivers Jared Karstetter and Kevin Norrell, linebackers Mike Ledgerwood and Louis Bland and safety Tyree Toomer.