Will WSU take steps to prevent theft of signals?

When Oregon played Arizona State last Thursday, the Ducks hid their offensive signals behind big white sheets held up by their staffers on the sideline. On Monday, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost all but accused the Sun Devils of trying to steal signals.

“From the intel we got, I’ve never heard of a team going to the lengths they go to to try and get the signals,” Frost said.

According to an article by The Oregonian, Oregon had heard that ASU’s defensive staffers were trying to tell their defensive play-caller on the field whether the Ducks were going to run or pass. Which, of course, puts the offensive team at a disadvantage.

This isn’t the first time this year that ASU has been accused of stealing signals. Utah’s players also made similar accusations after they played the Sun Devils on Oct. 17.

With Washington State hosting Arizona State this Saturday, Cougars coach Mike Leach was asked whether he was at all concerned about the allegations Oregon’s Frost had made.

“You’ve got two straight schools with a concern for it back-to-back,” Leach said Monday. “The conference probably ought to investigate it.”

He was noncommittal when asked whether the Cougars would take a page out of Oregon’s book this weekend and put up sheets on the sideline to hide their signals.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Leach said. “You never know. We might.”

Stealing signals isn’t technically illegal in college football, and this isn’t the first time a team has been accused of it. Auburn was accused of signal stealing in 2013, and during the 2014 National Championship game between the Tigers and Florida State, Seminoles staffers on the sidelines shielded their signals from view by holding up white towels.

WSU NOTEBOOK

▪ Washington State’s Nov. 14 game at UCLA has been set for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. This marks the second WSU game of the season that will be broadcast on ESPN. And it will mark WSU’s first trip to play the Bruins on the road since 2011, when the Cougars lost, 28-25.

▪ The Cougars opened as a one-point underdog to Arizona State, but as of Monday morning, the Cougars are now favored by 2.5 points.

▪ As he’s done the past few weeks, Mike Leach gave the Cougars Sunday night off from practice because he believes it helps to keep his players fresh as they push into the final month of the regular season.WSU returns to practice on Tuesday afternoon.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Will WSU take steps to prevent theft of signals?."