As we continue our look at WSU football going into Spring practice we focus on running backs today. The story here is somewhat similar to the wide receivers. Some talent, little quality depth, and hopes placed on the young or injured stepping up in a big way.

We'll try to do our preview a touch differently. We'll cover on what to watch for, what you should be freaked out if it happens, and what you should hope will happen for each unit. We'll start out with wide receivers!

Overview: The unit is full of players that kind of make you yawn. Our brightest prospect is Carl Winston who had all of 36 carries last year as a true freshmen. He definitely flashed potential and remains the most likely candidate to breakthrough and really solidify this unit. We all hope that James Montgomery is able to come back from a catastrophic injury to fill that #2 spot but that's a very dicey situation. Behind those two would be Logwone Mitz who showed possibilities in short yardage situations as a power back. We also have a new running backs coach who specializes in special teams. This is probably a running backs unit that will be considered the worst in the Pac-10 to start the season. Nevertheless, if Winston continues to progress it still might be better than last year's version of backs.

What to watch for: The ability for Dave Ungerer to breathe some energy and life into this unit. He's got some raw material to work with but no one expects great things next year. Watch for Mitz and Winston to shoulder heavy loads this Spring to jack up the experience meter on both of them. Those two will determine whether or not we have a a serviceable running game this year. In the Fall, we'll be able to see if James Montgomery is recovered and if Ricky Galvin is good enough to play right away. For now, it's the Winston and Mitz show.

What you should pray you don't read about: That Chantz Staden is having a "great" spring and moving up the depth chart. Staden suffered a knee injury and missed last season. The year before he played quite a bit and showed that he is neither fast enough nor elusive enough to be a quality back in the Pac-10. He was simply a guy that knew his assignments and that was good enough to get him playing time. If we see Staden taking a lot of snaps from Winston and Mitz then we should be nervous about their progress.

What to hope for coming out of Spring ball: That Carl Winston came into the Spring over 205 pounds and with a chip on his shoulder. That Logwone Mitz took a huge step forward and the two combined to clearly separate from the pack of more average running backs that were taking snaps. We'd also love to read that James Montgomery was doing light drills throughout practices and that he remains on track to suit up when Fall practice starts in August.

All in all, it's the kind of unit that national and Pac-10 writers will really hammer as being bereft of talent. But it's also the sort of unit that could surprise people and become respectable if not solid by the time we get to the first game of the season. The key this Spring will really be whether Carl Winston can become the undisputed starter and whether Logwone Mitz can provide quality depth. If those two things come together and Montgomery makes it back in the Fall they'll have a real shot at having a reasonably effective running game when the Cougs load up the plane to head to Stillwater.

Up next, the quarterbacks.

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