First-year Washington State coach Paul Wulff is setting high goals for the long term.

But next year?

He says he's mostly concerned with first becoming a team.

"When I say that, I'm not talking about wins and losses," he told the Spokesman-Review. "I'm just talking about being a great team to each other and forming a tight bond."

Wulff wasn't sure at first that he'd have enough of a team to hold a spring game, and he initially canceled the scrimmage in favor of another practice. But come game day, Wulff changed his mind and the Cougars held a scrimmage.

Still, the quandary indicted some of the personnel issues the Cougars are facing, reasons WSU is likely to be picked near the bottom of the Pac-10 -- if not at the bottom -- heading into the season.

Most notably, when the spring session concluded, WSU had just one healthy and available running back, redshirt freshman Joe Campbell. The two who shared the job last year, Christopher Ivory and Dwight Tardy, each missed all or part of the spring with injuries, and Ivory is also dealing with academic issues.

"We are still a little limited with a few guys," Wulff acknowledged.

What spring ball did do was help define the quarterback situation.

Redshirt senior Gary Rogers looked good enough running the team's new no-huddle offense to hold onto the starting job while junior Kevin Lopina emerged from a pack of contenders as the backup. Rogers has seen limited playing time the last few years, spelling Alex Brink -- who was the starter for most of the last four years -- and his progression looms as one of the keys for the Cougars next fall.

Wulff and his coaches also installed a new 4-3-4 defense -- the Cougars ended last year in a 3-4 -- moving standout linebacker Andy Mattingly to defensive end in the process.

Though some now have different roles, the Cougars return 14 position starters from last year, eight on defense, so there is some reason for hope. The biggest task in the fall will be solving the depth issues.

"We are just not a mature football team yet," Wulff said.

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