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Even WSU alum Keith Jackson can't get an answer out of Gesser PASADENA, Calif. - If there is one face that says big-time college football, it is the one that belongs to Keith Jackson. So when Jackson, along with partner Dan Fouts, was at the Rose Bowl on Friday afternoon it was a good bet something of national importance was about to happen. Jackson paced the sidelines and waited for more than 45 minutes on the hallowed turf to do a 30-second interview with Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser. Jackson posed what he called "the question the whoooole world wants to know." The world will have to wait until the kickoff at 1:30 p.m. today. Gesser wouldn't spill the beans about whether he'll be able to play today against UCLA in a game that affects so many of the other bowl matchups, not to mention the Pac-10 title and millions of dollars for WSU. Gesser did throw a few passes for the ABC-TV cameras and then did two quick takes with Jackson about how he was going to try to play. After Gesser finished with Jackson, one of WSU's most famous alums, he jogged around with his teammates. He did it without his specially-made brace and with a noticeable limp. It was backup Matt Kegel who took most of the snaps during the Cougars' walk through and the redshirt junior from Havre, Mont., looked sharp doing it. WSU coach Mike Price said that traffic was so heavy and it took so long for the three WSU buses to get from Los Angeles International to Pasadena, even with a police escort, that he considered canceling the practice. "I was going to call it off, it took so long, but there's nothing like driving up and seeing that sign on the front of the Rose Bowl," Price said. "Most of our guys have seen it before, but there may have been a few who haven't. This is the real deal. This is where we want to be." If the Cougars can win, they get to come back and see again the famous neon single red rose that adorns the front of the stadium. If they don't, they'll limp into a Holiday Bowl game that would be anything but a holiday. It was the infamous L.A. traffic that kept Jackson waiting. And he wasn't too pleased when the senior quarterback came over with his hat on backward. "At the Apple Cup two years ago I made him take it off," Jackson laughed. Gesser said, "I remember, and we lost so I'm not taking it off this time. Besides, my hair is all messed up." Price said Gesser is getting better every day as he recovers from a high ankle sprain suffered during the triple-overtime Apple Cup loss to Washington that means WSU must win today or it will be Southern Cal playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. "Jason has had four really good practices," Price said. "We've decided we're not telling who is going to start. Both could play and I'm sticking with my statement that it's 50-50." Price admitted he has made a decision and that the starting quarterback has been told. On a cold, damp afternoon that seemed more like spring in Pullman than winter in L.A., Kegel looked sharp as the Cougars ran through a few plays designed to showcase his strong arm. Although the Rose Bowl turf is sure to look great on TV, it needs to be replaced. Many bare spots have been painted green and there are invisible divots, something that probably doesn't bode well for Gesser if he steps in a hole with his sore ankle. No matter which quarterback plays, the WSU offense should be helped by a healthy Jermaine Green. After suffering a groin pull that kept him out of the second half against Washington, Green appeared to run without pain Friday. "It just doesn't get any better than this," Price told his team after its 40-minute practice ended. Jackson would surely agree with that. | ||||||||||
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