Inside the game with #33 Tana Pritchard and #41 Max Hersey

What are some changes this season that Leach made to benefit Cougar football?

Pritchard: “Leach assigns every incoming freshman a “big brother” who is an upperclassman on the team. This really helps the freshman get acclimated to not living at home anymore. Our practices start during the summer so these incoming freshmen are thrown into the mix of a very different lifestyle right away. We lift early in the morning and have practice a few times a day over the summer. I really enjoy being a big brother; I want to make their transition as easy as possible.”

Hersey: “I see the changes in how we play now; one of my favorite memories is at University of South Carolina. No one thought we would win that game, and we came out and won against the odds.”

How do you feel about the upcoming bowl game?

Pritchard: “The whole team is pretty excited to get on the road and play in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, we just found out yesterday.”

Hersey: “I’m pretty excited. It’s great for the seniors who have seen some pretty rough times while at WSU, I’m defiantly focusing a lot of my energy on playing for them. The seniors have experienced bad seasons, loses, and coaching changes that really affected the team as a whole. This is pretty big for them.”

Do you think Colorado State’s competition will be comparable to other schools you’ve played this season?

Pritchard: “Colorado State has a pretty great run game; run offense, as a defensive player that can be comparable to any great defensive teams we played this season like Arizona or Stanford. I think there are definitely better teams that we have played during conference and in our off season that are better than Colorado State.”

Hersey: “I haven’t got a chance to watch Colorado State on film yet so I can’t say for sure what they will be like, but I know we will come out and give it our all.”

Gildan is your sponsor for the Bowl game, what are some of the events they have planned for the team?

Pritchard: “They have a lot planned. We will have a dinner with our team and the opposing team and then we will get to see some of Albakerky, New Mexico. It will be cool to see New Mexico University’s campus including its facilities because that is where the game will be held."