UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Washington State's defensive depth could take a hit after a pair of recent arrests involving senior football players.

According to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, defensive tackle Anthony Laurenzi was arrested on suspicion of third-degree theft at the Walmart outlet in Pullman Sunday, two days after outside linebacker Travis Long was cited on a minor-in-possession charge.

"Long, we'll definitely handle internally," said WSU's first-year coach, Mike Leach, at Pac-12 football media day here Tuesday. "With Laurenzi, I haven't been back to town (recently). I've got to get to the bottom of it."

The Long incident likely will be dealt with by extra conditioning work, but Laurenzi's status may be in jeopardy, since, if the allegation is well founded, he would have violated one of Leach's no-tolerance rules against stealing.

Long, a defensive lineman his first three years at WSU, is considered a solid all-league candidate. Laurenzi is listed as a starting tackle and backup nose tackle on a defensive line that isn't deep.

Long appeared as scheduled at the media-day gathering, an occasion that marked his 21st birthday.

Leach was a popular figure at the annual Pac-12 function. One media member, taking note of Leach's bear-killing expedition in May, asked him who he would pick to accompany on a hunting or fishing expedition, and Leach, saying he worked the winner through a bracket in his mind, chose Utah's Kyle Whittingham.

Leach was also asked to compare WSU's player representatives at the event, Long and quarterback Jeff Tuel, to war generals. After considerable thought, Leach settled on Stonewall Jackson as comparable to Tuel, and Ulysses Grant to Long.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com