Captain Cougar

Gesser is leaving mark in Washington State's record books

With little fanfare outside of the rural Northwest, where a 25-foot-tall poster of him is plastered on a grain elevator near the Washington State campus, quarterback Jason Gesser entered the season as a darkhorse candidate for the 2002 Heisman Trophy. In Washington State's surprising 10-2 run last year, Gesser threw for a Pac-10-best 248.1 yards per game and had 28 touchdowns. Despite some bad breaks this September (one week after the Cougars lost to Ohio State, Gesser was forced to leave the game against Montana State with torn rib cartilage), the Hawaiian-born scrambler is averaging 270.6 passing yards and getting stronger each week. He is on pace to become the school's career leader in passing yards and total offense, leaving the likes of Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf and Jack Thompson in his wake. Most important to Gesser, his Cougars are ranked No. 10 heading into this weekend's matchup with Arizona.

Kelley King: You grew up in Honolulu, so everyone assumes you spent all of your free time catching waves and strumming your guitar. When did you find time for football?

Jason Gesser: Football at my high school was actually pretty serious, partly because we could play it year-round. Most of my childhood was spent going from one practice to another. If for some reason I was home from school and in front of the television at 4 or 5 o'clock, my dad would walk in and say, "Why don't you go back outside and run some hills?"

King: What are we missing on the mainland?

Gesser: There's the Honolulu weather, which is pretty much always nice, and, of course, the Hawaiian food: plate lunches, Kalua pig roasts -- I think about that stuff all the time. And I miss hanging around the beach with my friends. We always found time to do that.

King: I heard that coach Mike Price tried to sell you on Pullman's beach scene when you first arrived on campus.

Gesser: Yeah, he's kind of a joker. The first week I got here he told me that there was this great beach in the area. I was like, "What? No way!" It turns out that "Beach" is the name of some damn nightclub not far from here.

King: Four years later you entered the season as a Heisman candidate. What is most wild about the attention you've been receiving?

Gesser: Weirdest thing is the fan mail. Before the season began I had a whole stack waiting for me in my room. It was one thing to receive letters from, like, Idaho last year; you can understand why someone in Idaho might know who you are. But when kids write you from Virginia, from New York City, it's kind of unbelievable.

King: How would you grade your performance so far this year?

Gesser: I'd give myself a B+, maybe a B-, because I've made a couple mistakes that are inexcusable for a senior. But I'm just happy that Washington State is doing well. The Heisman even has become a team trophy that is given to an individual who represents a great group of players.

King: Considering you tore rib cartilage in late September and haven't missed a start, you've excelled through some serious pain.

Gesser: Yeah, the feeling is kind of like nothing else. You can't sleep on your stomach or back, only on one side. And every time you cough it takes a few minutes get your breath back. And when I throw -- forget about being hit -- there's this sharp pain. An injury to the ribs is the worst. Basically, you're expected to play through it.

King: Do you relate to any other current college quarterbacks?

Gesser: The guys I keep my eye on are pro guys, like Brett Favre and Rich Gannon. To tell you the truth, I can't think of anyone in college who is a lot like me, though. For one thing, most everyone is bigger than me -- everywhere you look there are these 6-5, stand-in-the-pocket guys. Because of my size, my style is necessarily a little different.

King: The one negative people point to is that your size might limit you in the NFL. Care to comment?

Gesser: I'm only about 6 feet, but I did gain 15 pounds to get up to around 200 this offseason, which was kind of needed. I've never been a weight-room fanatic, mostly because I think you can get your arm only so strong before it gets prone to being tight or stiff. This summer, my goal was to try to balance weightlifting with a lot of stretching. But my height has never been a negative factor. I'm not going to worry too much about what the NFL thinks until there is a reason to.

Sports Illustrated writer-reporter Kelley King covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. She will chat with a different player each Tuesday during the season.

 

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