Cougars pulling off charade with Price

The Washington State head coach has already accepted the job at Alabama.
By KEITH WHITMIRE
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
PASADENA, Calif. -- Call it the Rose Charade, what's being pulled off by Washington State the last three weeks leading up to the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma.
The man calling the shots for the Cougars is actually Alabama's coach. Washington State's real coach is playing the role of defensive coordinator.
Confused? So are a lot of Washington State fans and, initially, players.
Washington State coach Mike Price was hired by Alabama on Dec. 18 but is coaching the Cougars through the Rose Bowl. Price's defensive coordinator, Bill Doba, will replace him as head coach, but is still serving in his assistant's role for the game.
The way Washington State has dealt with the situation is by acting as if the coaching change never happened. None of the press notes and clippings distributed by Washington State's media relations staff mention the change.
Price, especially, has tried to divert attention away from his eventual departure, as much for his own sake as for the players.
"I don't want to think about it," Price said. "I want to concentrate on this game and the strategy of this game. I want to be calm, cool and unemotional. Which is difficult for me because I'm not that kind of guy. After the game, there will be all kind of blubbering."
Ends 14-year stay
Make no mistake, Price is no Dennis Franchione, the man he will be replacing at Alabama. Rather than climb the career ladder by moving from place to place, Price has coached Washington State the last 14 seasons.
Price, 56, grew up in Everett, Wash. He played at Washington State, was a graduate assistant coach there and later an assistant coach for five years.
He seems a perfect fit for Washington State, which is located in remote Pullman, eight miles from the Idaho border. He's such a Washington State guy, even Price wonders why Alabama came calling.
"I don't know why they hired me," Price said. "Sometimes I say, 'Why me?' "
A lot of Washington State fans and players were asking the same question when the news broke. Angry calls and e-mails flooded the Washington State athletic offices, most of them complaining about Price continuing to coach the team through the Rose Bowl.
Sports information director Rod Commons says the initial anger has subsided.
"The fans are upset," Commons said. "The boosters are not. They're the ones who understand the opportunity he's been given."
Reason he's leaving
Price's explanation for taking the Alabama job is akin to a major league baseball player wanting to play for the New York Yankees. Yes, he will make more money at Alabama, but it's also about getting a chance to coach a storied program.
"It's a chance of a lifetime," Price said. "It's like loving candy and being in a candy store. I love football."
At Alabama, Price won't have to entice and persuade wary recruits to come to Pullman and play for a program that doesn't get a lot of national media attention.
Those recruits are now Washington State players, not all of who reacted well to Price's decision to leave.
"Some people were really mad," offensive lineman Derrick Roche said. "Initially, there was a faction that said, 'If you don't want to be here, go."'
The players eventually accepted the situation, probably because Price has long been an upbeat coach who isn't afraid to show his affection for his players.
"It happened so fast it was a shock, it was almost like getting in a car accident," quarterback Jason Gesser said. "As the days went on, we found out what the reasons were. It's almost like we're happy for him."
Players and coaches said it would have been more disruptive for Price to leave, forcing Doba to take over coaching duties and search for replacements.