WSU FOOTBALL
Washington State outscoring opponents 52-0,
outgaining them 462-92 in 4th quarter
UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 17, 2018, 8:27 p.m.
Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – If football games ended after three quarters,
Washington State’s record would be no different than it is now. The Cougars
have played well enough through the first, second and third quarter this season
to dispatch Wyoming, San Jose State and Eastern Washington. But the fourth is
why all three have been so lopsided.
This season, the Cougars are outscoring
opponents 38-2 in the first quarter, but their play tends to dip in the second,
where they hold a slight 27-24 margin, and again in the third, where they’ve
actually been outscored 17-14.
Fortunately, they’re bludgeoning opponents in
the fourth quarter.
WSU took a 20-19 lead into the final period of
the season opener at Wyoming, then outscored the Cowboys 21-0 to win 41-19. The
Cougars weren’t as destructive in the fourth against SJSU, but still edged out
the Spartans 7-0 for a 31-0 win. Then WSU led by 11 points after the third
quarter against EWU, and wound up winning by 35 after outscoring the Eagles
24-0 in the final quarter.
So, that’s 52 points for the Cougars and zero
for their opposition in the fourth quarter this season.
“Shoot, I might tell them they’re all the fourth
quarter if it’ll work,” WSU coach Mike Leach quipped during Monday’s weekly
news conference. “I think that is something we’d like to manufacture.”
Leach suggests the Cougars have somehow found a
way to play well in all three phases during the fourth quarter and it’s
evidenced not only by the scoring margin in that period, but by the discrepancy
in offensive yardage gained.
WSU has exceeded 150 yards in the fourth quarter
of each game this season and the Cougars are averaging 154.3. There’s a major
contrast between that number and the one their opponents have posted: 30.6
yards-per-fourth quarter. None of the three have totaled more than 50 yards in
the fourth and both Wyoming and SJSU failed to clear 30.
“We’ve gotten quite a few plays in the fourth
quarter also, so we’re just trying to manufacture that for all the quarters,
really,” Leach said. “I guess in Wyoming we kind of evolved as a team and just
got better as we got more reps in and some of that happened around the fourth
quarter. I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s timing or what, but we have I
thought – that’s where we’ve played well on all three sides.”
The Cougars also gather as a team on the
sideline before the fourth quarter begins and reemphasize the importance of
closing out games.
“We know that you can only win a game in the
fourth quarter,” defensive lineman Nick Begg said. “That’s the most important
quarter of the game. We try to do our best to give no fourth quarter points to
the other team. That’s pretty much our goal on defense and I think our offense
has taken that fourth-quarter mentality on, too, because they’ve been really
turning it on in the fourth, too.”
Safety Skyler Thomas, the team’s leading tackler
through three games, believes the Cougars are “more locked in” during the
fourth quarter, realizing “it’s like crunch time.”
“So everyone focuses in on doing their job,” he
said. “That’s the biggest thing on our defense.”
And maybe the Cougars can keep their
fourth-quarter mojo alive for at least another week. Their next foe, USC,
hasn’t scored in the final period of its last two games.
“It’s just the most important quarter of the
game,” Begg said, “and I think our team’s starting to realize that.”
::::::::::::
Larry
Scott: Ruling in Todd McNair case threatens NCAA membership of California
schools
SEP 17,
2018 | 5:40 PM
LA Times
Larry
Scott: Ruling in Todd McNair case threatens NCAA membership of California
schools
Former USC
Trojans tailback coach Todd McNair watches USC team scrimmage with former head
coach Pete Carroll. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
Pac-12
Commissioner Larry Scott warned that a Los Angeles County Superior Court
judge’s tentative decision that the show-cause penalty against former USC
assistant football coach Todd McNair violated California law “would threaten
the NCAA membership” of the organization’s four schools in the state if
adopted.
“If
California law prevents institutions in that state from honoring such
commitments, it is hard to see how the Pac-12’s Member Universities in
California could continue to meet the requirements of NCAA membership,” Scott
wrote in a three-page sworn declaration filed in court Friday. “Thus, the
Court’s tentative ruling would place at risk the competitive and scholarship
opportunities that flow from NCAA participation for the Pac-12’s California Member
Universities.”
The ominous words are the latest twist in
McNair’s seven-year legal fight with the organization in the wake of an
extra-benefits scandal centered on former USC running back Reggie Bush.
While McNair
lost his defamation trial against the NCAA earlier this year, Judge Frederick
Shaller entered a tentative ruling last month finding the one-year show-cause
against McNair constituted an “unlawful restraint” on pursuing a lawful
profession. The judge declared the NCAA bylaws supporting the penalty to be
void.
Scott’s
declaration floating the possibility of removing the nation’s second-largest
market from the NCAA was attached to a filing by NCAA attorneys objecting to
the tentative ruling.
The Pac-12
declined to comment further and did not make Scott available for an interview.
“Under
McNair’s interpretation of California law, even if the NCAA has conclusive
proof that a coach was breaking the rules — say, a video of the coach paying
players or receiving money from agents — it would be powerless to sanction that
coach in any way that would restrain his ability to continue unabated in his
present duties and responsibilities,” the NCAA’s filing said.
In another
declaration, Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said the ruling would “force
the Big West’s California member institutions to devote substantially more
resources to self-monitoring and self-policing, because they could no longer
rely on the NCAA’s disciplinary process …”
Scott
invoked the FBI’s investigation into bribery and corruption in college
basketball that included the indictment of former USC associate head coach Tony
Bland.
“The
Court’s tentative ruling, by contrast, would render all show-cause penalties
unenforceable in the state of California,” Scott’s declaration said. “Doing so
would risk worsening the problems identified in the federal criminal
investigation ... by removing a major deterrent to NCAA rules violations.”
Scott
asked the court to consider the perspective of the conferences and schools
before issuing a final decision.
The NCAA’s
filing also challenged McNair’s claim that the show-cause penalty and
associated stigma prevented him from getting another college coaching job — he
hasn’t coached at the college or professional level since USC declined to renew
his contract in July 2010.
“Simply
put, there is no evidence from trial that McNair was ever ‘restricted’ — much
less ‘preempted’ — from obtaining a college football coaching job after the
expiration of his show-cause penalty,” the NCAA said.
McNair
currently works as the offensive line coach for the Village Christian School in
Sun Valley.
…………
WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State quarterback Gardner Minshew, receiver Travell Harris earn weekly Pac-12
honors
Mon.,
Sept. 17, 2018, 4:03 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
After going two weeks without recognition, Washington State players picked up
two of the three weekly Pac-12 Conference honors after Saturday’s 59-24 blowout
win over Eastern Washington at Martin Stadium.
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after
throwing for a career-high 470 yards, on 45-of-57 passing, with two touchdowns
and no interceptions. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Travell Harris claimed
the second honor, winning Special Teams Player of the Week after recording
WSU’s first kick return touchdown in two seasons – a 100-yard sprint from one
end zone to the other in the second quarter of Saturday’s win.
The
Cougars last earned conference player of the week honors after a 33-25 win over
Utah in Salt Lake City last season, and multiple were recognized then as well –
defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa and kicker Erik Powell.
Minshew, a
first-year starting QB for WSU who transferred from East Carolina, becomes the
fourth Cougar quarterback to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors in eight
years. Luke Falk won the accolade six times throughout his career, Connor
Halliday earned it twice and Jeff Tuel once, during the 2010 season. Prior to
that, a WSU offensive player hadn’t won the award since 2008.
Speaking
of Minshew’s ability to adapt to WSU’s Air Raid offense so quickly, coach Mike
Leach said Monday, “Well, he played some of it in high school. I think he’s
done a good job. I think the biggest thing was a little bit schematically, but
just getting used to the players around him because we have a very young
receiving corps. … So them getting used to him, him getting used to them.”
The
Mississippi native is currently the national leader in passing average (401.0
ypg) and completions per game (39.0).
Harris, a
Florida native who doubles as a kick returner and “H” slot receiver for the
Cougars, wins the award after just his third collegiate game. He recorded 125
yards on five kick returns Saturday, is one of 12 players in the country who’ve
returned one for a touchdown this season and currently leads the Pac-12 in kick
return average at 37 yards per game.
“I knew it
was only a matter of time,” WSU running back James Williams said. “Our whole
special teams did good and they had a bunch of perfect blocks and Travell just
made the most of his opportunity.”
::::::::::::::::
Power
ratings: Washington remains on top as Cal…
Power
ratings: Washington remains on top as Cal rises, USC plunges and UCLA bottoms
out
By JON
WILNER
San Jose
Merc News
PUBLISHED:
Sept 17, 2018 at 7:12 am
UPDATED:
Sept 18, 2018 at 9:05 am
To the
issue addressed in the Saturday Night Five column — Week Three could have been
worse; we’re just not sure how — the Hotline has figured out how.
Took me a
few minutes in the wee hours Sunday, but I have the answer:
The Pac-12
South could have been the Big Ten West, where weekend results made it a Pitch
Black Saturday:
Wisconsin
Lost at home to BYU
Nebraska
lost at home to Troy
Illinois
lost to South Florida
Purdue
lost at home to Missouri
Northwestern
lost at home to Akron
Seven
teams, five losses, and four of them to the Group of Five.
(Akron’s
victory over Northwestern, in Evanston, was the Zips’ first over a Big Ten team
in more than a century.)
The
difference, and it’s substantial, is that the Big Ten collected a marquee
non-conference win — Ohio State beat TCU in AT&T Stadium.
In the
Pac-12’s version of that game, USC was run off the field by Texas, which counts
as more than one loss because of the impact a flagship program’s performance
can have on the reputation of an entire conference.
When the
Buckeyes overpower TCU in Jerry World, it provides some cover to the losses in
Madison and Lincoln and West Lafayette and Champaign.
When the
Trojans flame out against UT, it creates a cloud that extends from Pullman to
Tucson.
(Note: For
perspective on the conference’s performance, check our Power Five power
ratings, which feature a breakdown of non-conference results for all the
heavyweights.)
1.
Washington (2-1/1-0)
Last week:
1
Result:
Won at Utah 21-7
Next up:
vs. Arizona State
Comment:
The fate of the season depends not on Jake Browning’s handling of blitzes but
on how quickly the injury-plagued offensive line coalesces. Until it does, the
defense must lead the way. (From here, the OL’s deadline looks to be Oct. 13,
when the Huskies visit Eugene.)
2.
Stanford (3-0/1-0)
Last week:
2
Result:
Beat UC Davis 30-10
Next up:
at Oregon
Comment:
The brutal back-to-back has arrived. If the Cardinal remains undefeated when it
departs Notre Dame Stadium on the evening of Sept. 29, then it will be time to
start talking playoff paths. (Of course, USC is not helping the resume much.)
3. Oregon
(3-0/0-0)
Last week:
3
Result:
Beat San Jose State 35-22
Next up:
vs. Stanford
Comment:
Allow the Hotline to summarize Oregon’s performance not with one word but one
letter: Zzzzzzzzzzzz. A team can face only so many cupcakes before it starts to
cast an eye forward and lose sight of the tasks at hand.
4. Cal
(3-0/0-0)
Last week:
7
Result:
Beat Idaho State 45-23
Next up:
Bye (then vs. Oregon)
Comment:
Having watched Chase Garbers closely for two games, we’ll say this: He gives
the receivers a chance to make a play on every throw: The placement and touch
are impressive.
5.
Colorado (3-0/0-0)
Last week:
4
Result:
Beat New Hampshire 45-14
Next up:
Bye (then vs. UCLA)
Comment:
It’s unfair to completely dismiss the Buffs’ victory in Lincoln based on
Nebraska’s loss to Troy, given that the latter result came with a walk-on
quarterback. So we will suggest a partial discount.
6. Arizona
State (2-1/0-0)
Last week:
4
Result:
Lost at San Diego State 28-21
Next up:
at Washington
Comment:
Watching the second half unfold Saturday night, I kept thinking: That’s the ASU
defense I expect to see this season. Any level of play above that standard,
whether for short or long stretches, will be a credit to Danny Gonzales and the
defensive staff. The Sun Devils simply don’t have the personnel.
7.
Washington State (3-0/0-0)
Last week:
9
Result:
Beat Eastern Washington 59-24
Next up:
at USC (Friday)
Comment:
Difficult to know what to make of the Cougars: Their three opponents thus far
have combined for one win over FBS teams, and that was Wyoming’s victory over
mighty New Mexico State. It’s the softest schedule east of Eugene.
8. Utah
(2-1/0-1)
Last week:
8
Result:
Lost to Washington 21-7
Next up:
Bye (then at Washington State)
Comment:
On the bright side: The defense should keep the Utes in every game — at least
until it reaches the point of physical and mental exhaustion from playing each
week with zero margin for error. That’s the issue (or one of the issues) for
Whittingham and Taylor: Fixing the offense before the defense hits its limit.
9. USC
(1-2/0-1)
Last week:
6
Result:
Lost at Texas 37-14
Next up:
vs. Washington State (Friday)
Comment:
Speaking of fixing the offense … The Hotline went back through the official
stats and found this first-quarter play selection from the Trojans: pass, pass,
pass, run (3), pass, pass, pass, pass, run (23, TD), pass, pass, pass, pass,
pass, pass, pass, pass, run (1), pass, pass, run (3), pass, run (3, TD). Hmmmm.
Related
Articles
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top-25 ballot: Alabama keeps No. 1 on lockdown; LSU and Ohio State climb; Cal
appears; USC drops out
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newsletter: What if Amazon, Facebook, etc., aren’t the best option for a new
Tier 1 deal
The
Arizona schools joined the conference 40 years ago: The greatest players of the
Pac-10/12 era
The top
#Pac12AfterDark experiences: Loaded Week Three lineup could join the list
10.
Arizona (1-2/0-0)
Last week:
12
Result:
Beat Southern Utah 62-31
Next up:
at Oregon State
Comment:
Sure, 62 points and five touchdowns passes by Khalil Tate are reasons for
Wildcats fans to exhale. But here’s a reason to fret: 44.23. That’s the
third-down conversion percentage allowed by Arizona’s defense. In conference,
only two are worse: Oregon State and UCLA. In all major college football, only
21 are worse.
11. Oregon
State (1-2/0-0)
Last week:
11
Result:
Lost at Nevada 37-35
Next up:
vs. Arizona
Comment:
Oh, Beavs. So, so, so close. On the bright side: They rallied from 30-7 down
and have multiple winnable games coming up, starting Saturday.
12. UCLA
(0-3/0-0)
Last week:
10
Result:
Lost to Fresno State 38-14
Next up:
Bye (then at Colorado)
Comment:
Speaking of winnable games: The Bruins appear to have one on Oct. 20 (Arizona)
and another on Oct. 26 (Utah). Anything else would be a sizable upset until,
say, the middle of 2019.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
leading tackler Skyler Thomas says there's no secret formula
By BRIAN
STULTZ, Cougfan.com
PULLMAN –
Free safety Skyler Thomas currently leads Washington State in tackles,
recording 23 in the first three games. There is no secret formula for his
success, Thomas said, he just has a nose for the ball.
"I
kind of like to be around the ball all the time," Thomas said. "I just see the ball and then make my
best effort to make the tackle."
As a
freshman in 2017, Thomas saw action in only two games, recording four tackles.
During the past year, he said he has seen the game slow down, helping propel
him to the starting free safety job.
"I’ve
learned that I just need to settle down myself and catch the flow of the
game," Thomas said. "It’s not as fast as people make it seem. I mean,
it’s fast [and] it’s a big jump from high school to college but as long as you
play fast, do your job and make tackles, you feel pretty good."
::::::::::::::::
The Monday
After: WSU’s closing ability vs. EWU is a good sign moving forward
The manner
of WSU’s victories is highly encouraging.
By Jeff
Nusser
Coug
Center
Sep 17,
2018, 10:32pm PDT
Some of
our fans are fond of saying that the Washington State Cougars do their best
work when very little is expected of them. I always laugh when that pops up,
because, well, very little is expected of the Cougs by the public at large in
the vast majority of years, which means that WSU has a lot more chances to
exceed expectations than most teams, and when they do succeed, of course they
usually do it as underdogs.
However,
I’ll give those fans this: I do think it says something about a program when it
can outperform expectations often enough that it becomes sort of a thing — as
opposed to, say, Indiana or something. And while it’s obviously early in the
2018 season and this narrative could change pretty quickly with a stinker in
Los Angeles on Friday, I think it’s fair to say the Cougs are on a trajectory
to outperform expectations once again.
If someone
really wanted to try and take a negative view of this 3-0 start, they could
point out that WSU beat up on what looks like a pair of Mountain West also-rans
before dominating an FCS team — as an FBS program should. (The guess here is
that’s why WSU has gone from receiving six votes in the AP poll after beating
the Wyoming Cowboys to four after shutting out the San Jose State Spartans and
finally to just two this week after blasting Eastern Washington.)
Lopsided
results obviously can be deceiving. We all remember the 2011 Cougs, who opened
the season by demolishing Idaho State and UNLV by a combined score of 123-28.
That didn’t end so well!
But to
those of us who have intently watched all three games, I think it’s really
difficult to walk away from them thinking doom is just around the corner, even
if we, as fans, are prone to overvalue our own team’s performances. Outscoring
your opponents 131-43 is pretty danged good by WSU standards, no matter the
competition. But what’s really got me excited, beyond the decisive margins, is
the manner in which they’ve gotten to those margins.
Only one
of these first three games was completely uncompetitive, which means that in
each of the other two, WSU had to fight back against a little bit of adversity.
Against Wyoming, the Cougs actually trailed in the third quarter; against Eastern,
the Eagles rallied back to close what had been a 25-point margin to just 11
early in the third quarter. For another team with another quarterback, maybe
those are occasions for a little bit of pants wetting.
With this
team with this quarterback, it’s an occasion to stiffen up and put the gas to
the floor: The Cougs have scored an average of 17 points in the fourth quarter
while allowing zero, closing out games with a gusto not seen these parts for
quite some time. Since we’re comparing teams, they remind me a little bit of
the 2015 squad, which flirted with the fine line between success and failure
all season long. Whenever the odds seemed stacked against them, then-sophomore
Luke Falk would just let it rip and lead his team storming back.
These
Cougs, with Gardner Minshew II at the helm, seem to have that same kind of
vibe. It’s impossible to know how it actually will translate to Pac-12 play,
but I sure feel better knowing that they’ve hit some bumpy spots and been able
to work it out — impressively. The odds of a total pants crapping seem very low
with these guys, which is an awfully nice thing to believe heading into a
Friday night grudge match with the USC Trojans.
It’s also
hard to know how good WSU actually is. However we feel about the process of
arriving at these three wins, the reality is that WSU has beaten FBS teams
ranked 84th and 124th by Bill Connelly’s S&P+, and FCS will always be FCS,
2016 be damned.
But it
sure feels like there’s something there. I remember the way Eastern ran all
over the Cougs two years ago, looking like peers. Some of that was Cooper Kupp
— did you know he’s now in the NFL? No, really! — but Gage Gubrud ran all over
the place and completed about a million passes as WSU looked clueless. On
Saturday, WSU had the far superior athletes, outgunning the Eagles with their
wide receivers and shutting down their prolific offense with speedy linebackers
and defensive backs.
That 2016
team went on to win its first seven Pac-12 games. I’m cautiously optimistic
that these guys are getting ready to head down a similar path. And even if
they’re not getting ready to go on another run to Pac-12 North contention,
they’re already halfway home to six wins. Given the current state of the
Pac-12, the path to six wins hardly seems impossible.
What We
Liked
One
element of the Air Raid that was conspicuously missing last season was the
screen game. It serves an essential function in the offense, stretching
defenses horizontally and expanding the real estate they have to cover.
It appears
to be back this season. Unless my memory is failing, I don’t recall that
they’ve broken a long one yet, but they’ve used a handful of screens to pick up
the standard 5 to 10 yards that keep corners honest. It’s a refreshing change
from last season, when it appeared the young inside receivers just couldn’t
really sustain a block, resulting in a number of very short gains or even
losses in the wide screen game.
It’s an
exciting development because I feel like with guys such as Tay Martin, Travell
Harris and Jamire Calvin, it’s only a matter of time before one of them busts a
long one.
Unfortunately,
it’s going to be a while before WSU can win any more land — the USC Trojans
don’t possess any after losing to Texas, and the Utah Utes also don’t possess
any after losing to Washington and are on bye this week. It’s possible that
Oregon State, the following week’s opponent, could pick up some land ... but
unlikely.
Alas.
Who
Impressed
I see that
Jahad Woods had just five tackles in the game. That can’t possibly be correct,
because I’d have sworn he was all over the field.
Woods is
one of those guys I was referring to with my comment on speed up above; his
interception is one of the more athletic plays you’re going to see all season
from anyone on any team:
Gubrud
couldn’t believe that ball didn’t get over him and into the arms of the waiting
receiver. This just isn’t same team it was, athletically, as two years ago.
I’d be
remiss not to mention Minshew’s massive game, but I think I’m going to do
something separate on him this week, so I’ll just leave it at this: He was
awesome. Haven’t seen one of those from an Air Raid QB at WSU in some time.
Honorable
Mention: Minshew, Travell Harris, Tay Martin, Peyton Pelluer, Hunter Dale,
Jalen Thompson, the offensive line.
Fortunately
this season, WSU’s special teams have been a net positive: Blake Mazza has been
solid with the place kicking, Oscar Draguicevich has proven to be a weapon as a
punter (R.I.P. Kyle Sweet’s rugby punt), and Harris’ kickoff return TD was
special.
But it
hasn’t been perfect. Kick coverage has been a particular concern; WSU ranks
105th in average kickoff return yards allowed. It sure would be nice to get
that cleaned up before playing a team that could really make the Cougs pay.
Additionally,
I’m concerned about the defensive line. The pass rush was fairly nonexistent
unless bolstered by a blitz, and the run defense has been spotty at times. I’m
encouraged by the play of the linebackers and defensive backs, but asking this
much out of them every week seems like a recipe for problems.
The Cougs
travel to Southern California, where they’ll take on a reeling USC team. The
Trojans have gotten their butts handed to them twice in a row, which should
make for an interesting quandary — will they be more discombobulated from their
recent form, or will they come out ready to smack the Cougs in an attempt to
exact revenge?
I’m
betting on the former. USC looks like a mess, and Clay Helton still looks like
he’s not that great of a coach.
::::::::::::
SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
WSU
researchers see new plastics causing reproductive woes of old plastics
September
13, 2018
Plastic
bottle of water on countertop.
BPA has
long been used in bottles, cups, medical and dental devices, and as coatings
for food-can linings and cash register receipts.
From WSU
News
Washington
State University researchers have found that plastic products meant to replace
the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, are also causing genetic abnormalities in
mice.
The
discovery is a déjà vu moment for Patricia Hunt, who 20 years ago linked
abnormalities in egg chromosomes to BPA released by a harsh detergent used on
her lab’s mouse cages. This time, she saw reproductive defects in control
animals housed in plastic cages made with BPA alternatives.
“There’s
growing evidence that many of these common replacements are not safe,” said
Hunt, a professor in WSU’s School of Molecular Biosciences and lead author of a
study in the latest Current Biology. “We stumbled on an effect yet again. This
is a more stable plastic but it induced similar effects on the process of
making eggs and sperm. Importantly, when we tested the chemicals in controlled
experiments, we got similar results for each of them.”
BPA has
long been used in bottles, cups, medical and dental devices, and as coatings
for food-can linings and cash register receipts. After Hunt and other
researchers began tying BPA exposure to developmental defects in numerous
animal species, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned it in baby bottles
and children’s drinking cups. The Washington legislature has also limited its
use.
Hunt and
her colleagues say mice exposed to the common BPA replacement bisphenol S, or
BPS, underwent changes in the way the germ cells in their testes and ovaries
copy and splice DNA while producing sperm and eggs. Both sexes had problems
getting DNA to recombine correctly, leading to a reduction in viable sperm and
an increase in abnormal eggs. Hunt and her colleagues had similar results with
the replacements BPF, BPAF, and diphenyl sulfone.
“These
findings add to growing evidence of the biological risks posed by this class of
chemicals,” Hunt and her colleagues write.
Problems
in the male germline lasted several generations after the initial exposure.
In
addition to risking human reproductive health, the replacement plastics can
also be compromising the integrity of biological research.
“It’s now
becoming almost impossible to run experiments without contamination,” said
Hunt, called the “accidental toxicologist” by Scientific American magazine.
“And it’s not that I live under my own black cloud. It’s that I have a super
sensitive system. A germ line is like the canary in the coal mine. As soon as
something hits, we see it. Other investigators in my facility don’t see it but
it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t impact their research.”
Hunt’s WSU
colleagues in the research are Tegan Horan, a research intern and the paper’s
first author, as well as scientific assistants Hannah Pulcastro and Crystal
Lawson and former postdoctoral fellows Mary Gieske and Caroline Sartain.
Joining them are Roy Gerona and Spencer Martin of the University of California,
San Francisco.
The study
was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
#
