Cougars good, bad and lucky, so far
All three descriptions have been apt at times. The fact is, after late rallies at New Mexico and Arizona and a blowout of Idaho, the Cougars might be 6 feet shy of a 4-0 start.
Take away backup quarterback Alex Brink`s lost fumble at the Colorado 2-yard line in the final seconds of WSU`s 20-12 loss in Seattle on Sept. 11, and the Cougars could very well be 4-0 and ranked in the Top 25.
Instead, the Cougars are 3-1, and their stingy defense is carrying a spotty offense. The Cougars are ranked 50th among 117 I-A teams by CollegeSportsReport.com - ahead of only one opponent WSU has played so far (No. 29 Colorado), and behind all but one team left on the schedule (No. 79 Washington).
``I think we`re real close to being a real good team,`` WSU coach Bill Doba said from Pullman during his teleconference Sunday night. ``Obviously, we`re not there yet.``
The Cougars are halfway to six wins, the minimum necessary to qualify for one of seven bowls that have promised spots to the Pacific-10 Conference. Four of WSU`s seven remaining opponents (14-10 cumulative) have winning records, including 4-0 Pac-10 co-leaders USC and Arizona State. Colorado (3-0) is the only team WSU has faced so far that has a winning record. WSU`s three victims are a combined 3-9.
WSU continues to play tough defense - the Cougars are tied for third in the nation with 13 turnovers gained - but they almost certainly will have to improve offensively to beat quality teams. The Cougars have a week off before facing explosive Oregon (1-2) on Oct. 9 in Pullman.
``We can`t play like Saturday and expect to win the rest of the season,`` Doba said.
After losing four fumbles Saturday in a 20-19 win at Arizona, the Cougars are tied with Louisiana Tech for last in the nation with eight lost fumbles. The Cougars` 14 quarterback sacks allowed rank near the bottom, as does their average of 90 rushing yards per game.
``At some point,`` offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller said, ``we`ve got to look in the mirror and say, `Guys, we`ve got to grow up. It`s time for this stuff to stop.```
Hill climbing
Sophomore wide receiver Jason Hill, a special teams whiz who caught no passes in limited action at wideout last year, is tied for second in the nation with six touchdown catches. Leading with eight is Purdue senior Taylor Stubblefield, whom WSU tried to recruit out of Yakima.
Hill is tied for eighth in the country with 419 receiving yards. He`s averaging a whopping 27.9 yards per catch.
``He`s as smart as any young player I`ve ever had,`` Levenseller said.
The other Cougar ranked among the national leaders is punter Kyle Basler. His school-record 87-yard kick helped him average 53.4 yards per punt Saturday, and his season average of 46.1 is fourth in I-A.
Time to rest
Six WSU starters are nursing significant injuries, but Doba said all six might be ready for Oregon. However, Doba said he definitely expects No. 2 tight end Cody Boyd to miss games with the shoulder separation he suffered at Arizona.
Doba said he welcomes the bye week so players can rest up and coaches can hit the road to recruit before practices resume Thursday.
``I think it`s a perfect time for the bye,`` Doba said. ``And we need it, because our kids are sore.``
Harrison eyed
Junior college transfer Jerome Harrison took over for senior running back Chris Bruhn most of the game Saturday. Doba said Harrison might make his first start against Oregon.
The Cougars netted just 28 yards on 35 rushing attempts Saturday.
Harrison ran 12 times for 35 yards and a score and caught a 23-yard pass. Bruhn netted 1 yard on six carries. Bruhn and Harrison both lost costly fumbles Saturday.
``My fumble? I thought I had the dude shook (defender faked out),`` Harrison said with a sheepish grin. ``All I saw was 80 yards. But you can`t go there without the ball.``
Brotherly love
One of Tucson`s daily newspapers ran a letter to the editor Friday from the brother of Arizona junior quarterback Nic Costa.
It made for interesting reading, to say the least.
``What does the best athlete on the team have to do to get in the game?`` Eric Costa wrote. ``Every time he walks on the field, the defense freaks out.``
Hmm. The 5-foot-11 Costa, a starter for the first three games last season, is now a third-stringer. His career completion percentage is 39 percent, and his only stats this year are three rushes for minus-2 yards.
Nice work
After Brink lost fumbles in two straight games, coaches made him carry a football around campus all last week.
``He didn`t turn it over today!`` Doba exclaimed after Saturday`s game ... knowing full well, of course, that Brink did not play in the game.
Doba`s back in good humor after recently barking at a Spokane reporter -- which may be a first in the long career of the genial coach. Last week, Doba rattled off a number of fancy medical terms, then stole a line used in television commercials by (supposedly) intelligent people and deadpanned, ``I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.``
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