SAN FRANCISCO — By and large, Washington State football players aren't saying a lot when asked about the job future of their coaches. The head man, Paul Wulff, has instructed them to concentrate on preparation.

But when asked, they occasionally weigh in, and sophomore guard John Fullington did Saturday night after WSU's 30-7 defeat to California.

"The coaches are coaching their butts off," said Fullington. "I've got a lot of respect for them, putting in so much time and effort.

"It'd be a shame if we had to lose coaches. They've given a lot for us. We need to fight and bring it on the field, and hopefully save their jobs. (But) it's something we're not going to think about. We're just going to focus on next week."

As for fan dissent, safety Tyree Toomer said, "It's too much talk going on (among the players, about the fans) ... they're either going to stay loyal, believing, or question us. That's what they do."

Remembering Mackay

Cal defensive tackle Trevor Guyton, a Redmond High standout, switched jerseys to No. 6 to support an old friend, WSU's Cory Mackay, the defensive end paralyzed in a truck accident in May 2009 in eastern Washington.

"He's been going through some tough times," said Guyton, who competed against Mackay in high school. "He was one of my best friends."

Going home

Next week, the Cougars will have gone from Sept. 10 to Nov. 12 with just one game in Pullman — against No. 4 Stanford.

"It's been one heck of a stretch, I'll tell you that," Wulff said. "I've never experienced anything like this. (But) that's not an excuse for us right now. It's going to be really nice to get back home."

Notes

• Toomer's 10 tackles were a career high.

• Wulff said the Cougars seriously considered moving to redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Halliday once the game got out of hand to get him some experience. "There was a lot of thought of that," Wulff said. "But we just didn't get to that."

• Cal QB Zach Maynard suffered a blow to his head from WSU safety Sekope Kaufusi on a fumble late in the third quarter and didn't return. He was reported to be OK, but Allan Bridgford finished up.

• The Bears, who lost last week at UCLA when Maynard threw four interceptions, didn't throw one against the Cougars. They fumbled once, which led to WSU's only touchdown.

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