Cougars Expecting The Unexpected

The Washington State defense, which entered the 1996 college football season feeling pretty good about itself, shuffles into today’s Pacific-10 Conference opener notably short on swagger.

Needing the offense to bail you out against Temple can do that.

“We felt our strength was going to be defense, especially after the first game,” Cougars secondary coach Craig Bray said. “Because other than a couple of mistakes, we played really good on defense (in a 37-19 loss to Colorado).

“We thought we could build on that and we thought we could dominate a team like Temple.

“Then we come out and the offense carries the whole game. We jump offside (12 times), we bust coverages. It really got us confused.”

And now the Cougars face the Pac-10’s kings of confusion, better known as the University of Oregon offense. The 25th-ranked Ducks - 3-0 in spite of their young and vulnerable defense - are masters of offensive deception.

“They do so many things offensively, so many gadget plays,” WSU head coach Mike Price said. “They’re averaging seven or eight screens a game, and probably that many bootlegs.”

In that respect, the first of WSU’s two bye weeks has been especially valuable.

“It’s really hard to scout them and it takes a lot of time,” WSU senior cornerback Shad Hinchen explained. “You’ve got to concentrate and focus in on Oregon more than any team you probably play besides Oregon State, with the option.”

There’s more to Oregon than gimmickry, of course. The Ducks average better than 36 points per game. And while that figure may be inflated - defense is an elective at Fresno State, Nevada and Colorado State - the Cougars can’t afford to find out.

To beat Oregon, they’ll need a disciplined effort on defense.

Of primary concern is WSU’s defensive line, which kept Temple in the game by jumping offside an incredible 16 percent of the time (12 of 77 plays).

Hinchen also has something to prove. His mental toughness has been tested this season - by injury, illness and personal problems - and he hasn’t played as well as he’s capable.

Hinchen missed a large portion of two-a-day practices with tendinitis in his knees, then became sick and dehydrated before the season-opener at Colorado. Then came the Temple disaster, a game in which Hinchen, distracted by personal troubles he’d rather not discuss publicly, removed himself from the lineup in the third quarter.

WSU hung on for a 38-34 win, but Hinchen was in no mood to celebrate.

“It’s something that happened to me personally and that’s just behind me,” Hinchen said. “The week off has let me get my head straight on a lot of different things, and I just need to have a good game for myself.”

Injuries to two key performers on the Oregon offense make the likelihood of a WSU defensive breakthrough seem more realistic. The Ducks, however, have uncommon depth at the skill positions, lessening the impact of knee injuries suffered by quarterback Tony Graziani and running back Saladin McCullough.

Ryan Perry-Smith, who threw for 395 yards in UO’s 35-28 win over Colorado State last Saturday, will make his second consecutive start. Jerry Brown has carried 21 times for 116 yards this season, and is apparently recovered from the foot injury that had given the highly recruited McCullough the tailback job outright.

Game notes

For the third consecutive game, Price said he hopes to find playing time for backup quarterback Steve Birnbaum, who has yet to play this season… . Rich Stubler, Oregon’s new defensive coordinator, has implemented a scheme in which the Ducks’ three defensive linemen line up a full yard off the line of scrimmage… . Making Stubler’s job more difficult this week are injuries to outside linebackers Derek Allen and Derrick Barnes, who may not play… . Standout cornerback Kenny Wheaton returned to the Oregon lineup last week after suffering a calf injury against Nevada. “If you’re going to throw that ball in there time after time after time, eventually he’s going to make a big play on you,” Price said. “He’s that kind of athlete.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Cougars vs. Oregon Color Photo

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