Cougars find no answers for Smith
PULLMAN – Washington State’s defense this season has been predicated on keeping opponents away from the big play.
USC wide receiver Steve Smith got the big play early anyway. And then, as if beating WSU deep wasn’t enough, he doubled the Cougars’ troubles by beating them underneath as well.
“They kind of found a mismatch,” WSU defensive end Mkristo Bruce said. “I think a couple of plays we threw the linebacker out there on Steve Smith. They caught us.”
The Cougars’ two-deep zone defense had helped to hold numerous offenses in check this season. But Smith rendered it ineffective, getting in between the safeties for long gains and then feasting on single coverage from linebackers like Greg Trent and Scott Davis on drag routes.
“When I was in the middle they had the linebacker on me,” Smith said. “That’s just a mismatch all the way.”
The USC senior finished the day with 11 catches for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His performance was all the more important since the Trojans were playing without All-America wideout Dwayne Jarrett, who injured a shoulder last week.
But even though the WSU defense knew Smith would be getting the ball, it seemed to be able to do little to keep it from him.
“Darned if you do, and darned if you don’t,” WSU head coach Bill Doba said of the defensive options against Smith. “The drag hurts us. We know that. We made a little switch later to try and compensate for that on the short drag.”
Never was Smith’s ability to beat the Cougar defense more obvious than on USC’s 8-minute, 21-second touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Smith caught four passes on the drive, including one in the flat on fourth-and-2 that he stretched just far enough to move the chains once again.
“You can’t really put a younger guy on him. Maybe he needs two or three guys on him. He came out and had a great game,” Bruce said. “The offense is up and ready to go on the field and then they get a first down and get to start all over again. It’s eating away at the clock and it’s eating away at us. For us to be successful, we have to finish on third downs.”
Based on Smith’s success, the Cougars are sure to see other offenses attack the middle of the field. And while few will sport a receiver as talented as Smith, it’s clear the Cougar defense needs to do some additional work to compensate in the coming weeks.
“I think there were a couple of times he snuck in the middle during the game,” safety Eric Frampton said. “It was difficult keeping track of Steve Smith.”