3 things to watch

1

Four sacks would be good, too: Mkristo Bruce tallied a school-record five sacks last week, and no one thinks that will happen again this week. But the WSU defensive end’s matchup on the edge with USC left tackle Sam Baker will be one of the most important on the field, and one of the most interesting.

Bruce might move around on occasion so he’s not going head-to-head with the remarkably talented Baker, but for much of the day it’ll be Bruce’s job to beat Baker 1-on-1.

2

Turner time: USC should be without wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett today, which means that the offensive spotlight will fall in part on sophomore Patrick Turner. Turner is another 6-foot-5 superstar recruit, but he’s played mostly in the shadows thus far behind Jarrett.

Steve Smith will also be responsible for picking up a lot of the offensive slack, but it’s Turner who will probably draw attention.

3

Stepping up: Alex Brink has had his share of ups and downs, but it’s undeniable that many of the downs have come against the top teams on the Cougars schedule. Brink has yet to play a good game against superior competition, and that’s part of the reason that WSU hasn’t come close to pulling off an upset against a highly ranked team.

Most notably, Brink has failed to come near 100 passing yards against Auburn this year or USC last year. Unlike those two games, this one is at home, and Brink will need to play like the veteran quarterback the Cougars need.