Football notebook: Two Cougars rank second nationally

Washington State may be on a four-game losing streak but two Cougars rank No. 2 in the nation in important statistical categories.

Senior running back Jerome Harrison is No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards, averaging 166.1 yards per game. The national leader is DeAngelo Williams of Memphis at 187.

Junior wide receiver Jason Hill is No. 2 in receiving yards per game with 137.6 after his six-catch, three-touchdown, 240-yard game against California on Saturday night. The national leader is Mike Hass of Oregon State at 149.5.

Harrison will put his streak of 10 consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing on the line Saturday at No. 1 USC. With 1,163 yards gained and four games remaining, he is on track to erase the WSU season rushing record of 1,637 yards set in 1984 by Rueben Mayes.

Last year, Harrison was held to 15 yards on 11 carries by the Trojans. He ran wild the following week with a 247-yard day against UCLA that started his current streak of 10 games with at least 100 yards rushing.

How's this for improvement? WSU sophomore kicker Loren Langley made only 5 of 11 field-goal attempts last year but is 10 for 11 this season. It is the best percentage in the Pac-10.

• Backup quarterback Josh Swogger hasn't played a down this month, which has started campus rumors that he might be looking to transfer to I-AA Youngstown State in his home state of Ohio.

However, he told the Web site Cougfan.com yesterday the rumors are baseless.

"I'm a Coug," Swogger told Cougfan. "That's the way I look at it. That thought hasn't even crossed my mind. There's always going to be stuff like that. Pretty funny, really."

• There was no official word yesterday on the kickoff time for the Nov. 5 Arizona State at WSU game but it won't be a night game. The Stanford at USC game was moved to a 7 p.m. kickoff that night on TBS. WSU officials are trying to get the ASU-WSU game on TV in an afternoon slot. The Oregon at WSU game Nov. 12 will be a night game.

• Senior tight end Troy Bienemann has caught 90 passes in his four-year career and is closing in on the school record for tight ends. That mark is 95 catches and was set by Clarence "Butch" Williams, who played from 1989-92.

• The Cougars are 0-3 against USC when the Trojans have been ranked No. 1 (1972, 1979 and 2004). Last year's visit by USC to WSU was the first visit of a No. 1 team to Martin Stadium. USC won 42-12.

This marks the third consecutive year USC will play WSU one week after playing the Huskies.

The Cougars' visit to Memorial Coliseum on Saturday will be only the third home game of the season for USC. It also will be the Trojans' homecoming game.

The Trojans have only one road game left on their regular-season schedule — at California on Nov. 12.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com