WSU coach Mike Leach

Despite the appearance of an unidentified player on crutches, Washington State coach Mike Leach says his team is "100 percent healthy'' heading into his team's game against Rutgers Thursday.

(WSUCougars.com screenshot)

PISCATAWAY -- Poor Kyle Flood.

The Rutgers football coach has had to deal with an assortment of injuries throughout the preseason, including the absence of two potential starting wide receivers in Ruhann Peele and Andre Patton when his team opens the season Thursday night against Washington State in Seattle.

The coach on the opposite sideline, however, has enjoyed the luxury of having a completely healthy team this summer. Never mind the fact that Washington State's top returning wide receiver, Gabe Marks, reportedly could be headed for a redshirt season as he deals with an apparent injury.

Oh, and forget about the player appearing on crutches in the background of a post-practice

press conference video that was posted to the school's athletics website Sunday. Really, just disregard the screenshot photo included with this story.

Because Mike Leach reiterated Tuesday during the Pac-12 media teleconference that his team is "100 percent healthy'' heading into the Thursday night affair at the home of the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.

"Amazingly for over two years we've been 100 percent healthy,'' Leach said, when pressed on the status of Marks, who remains listed on the Cougars' two-deep released to the media earlier this week. "There hasn't been so much as a hangnail in 2 1/2 years. So anything that has to do with health or injury, there's no excuses to hide behind here. Because this team in every game we're as healthy as we can be.''

Ok, so we know Leach isn't exactly as transparent as Flood (or most other college head coaches) when it comes to reporting injuries to the media and, by extension, to the fans who pay large sums of money to see the top players play. As NJ.com's Dan Duggan astutely pointed out plenty of coaches are guarded when it comes to discussing injury information.

But Leach takes it to a new level, one that makes it difficult to take seriously the other things he has to say. Even when Leach, who is regarded as an offensive innovator when it comes to scheming highly efficient passing attacks, actually offers insight on Rutgers offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen, who will match wits with Leach on Thursday night.

"I've never spent any time with him,'' Leach said. "I've met him and certainly been impressed by what he's done over the years. He's been successful everywhere he's been. His guys are always kind of these tough, hard-nosed, very fundamental guys. They kind of run play-action, but then by the same token his offenses are one that you better not fall asleep on because out of the blue Ralph's teams will go deep on you when you least expect it.

"I've always thought he's done a very good job as far as his offenses have gone. He's done it at a number of stops so I do think he's a very established and sharp guy.''

Here are some other highlights from what Leach had to say during his Pac-12 media teleconference Tuesday afternoon:



On whether he throws out the window last year's stats that indicate Rutgers will struggle against the pass and Washington State will have trouble stopping the run: "I think you have to throw quite a bit out because they're both very different teams, there's a lot of new faces on both teams. In the secondary there's new faces from Rutgers. On the defensive line there's a lot of new faces for us. Then you got a little more depth. I think with our two teams that's the case.''

On Rutgers QB Gary Nova: "I think he leads and operates their offense. You think about college football, there's almost nobody that's started games for four years. He started some his first year. So he's been king of the hill there for a long time and I think he is the key to their offensive efforts.''

On whether it's been a benefit to watching film of Rutgers playing similar teams to Washington State's pass-friendly spread offense: "You pay attention to comparable sets and scheme as you go through the film. We've certainly paid a little more attention to that then somebody that packs it in there. Rutgers played a pretty decent variety of teams. Virtually everybody throws it so it's hard to make choices of who to pick or everybody runs it and packs it in there in all these tight sets and you're scrambling to find film. Well, Rutgers had a good combination.''

On Rutgers rotating its defensive line and whether it forces his QB to get the ball out quicker: "Pretty much everybody we play does that. So everybody is trying to keep their d-line fresh. It really doesn't change much. If they get to you, you have to adjust. If they're not getting to you, you may adjust another direction.''

On Rutgers weakside linebacker Steve Longa: "He's just a good player with experience. He's one of their key guys. So you just have to go out and play well.''

On Washington State's inexperienced secondary: "We got new faces there. The thing about new faces is ... everybody we miss (due to graduation) were new faces at one time. (The new defensive backs) have had a pretty good training camp. It might be, for all we know, they'll be better than the guys that left. But by the same token there's always an adjustment, too.''

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.