Cougars’ Vandalized Defense Can Expect Changes This Week Price Says He’S Looking At More-Frequent Substitutions WSU At Cal

Nobody at Washington State is pointing fingers yet. But, in the wake of the second loss to Idaho in as many years, the Cougars know changes will be made.

The majority of those will be on the defense. After applying adequate pressure in the first two games, the Cougars defensive line was complacent against Idaho. That allowed Idaho to pick apart the defense and roll up 475 yards.

While the starters on that line might not change, Washington State coach Mike Price said there will be changes in the substitution pattern.

“At times our defense did get tired,” Price said. “We probably will substitute a little bit more early in the games coming up.”

That could mean getting younger players like ends Isaac Brown and D.D. Acholonu some more action on the outside rush. It also means that since playing time is at issue, this week’s practice will turn more competitive, something the Cougars desperately need.

It was obvious in Saturday’s game the Cougars also need a leader to emerge on the defense. The offense has finally found its leader in quarterback Jason Gesser. Now someone who is making plays on defense needs to step up.

The problem is the only two players making plays, Billy Newman and Marcus Trufant, are not very vocal. And the one player who everyone knows could lead the defense, linebacker Curtis Holden, was in the stands Saturday because he is academically ineligible.

The linebacking corps definitely could’ve used Holden or somebody to drop into pass coverage. The linebackers were also overrunning plays and then trying to take the opponent’s head off rather than just tackle him.

The Cougars were also hurt by the illness of Chris Martin. The senior cornerback did come up with eight tackles and a 33-yard fumble return. But he had contracted flu-like symptoms and had to be hooked up to an IV prior to the kickoff. It was obvious he was a step behind on the field.

Martin’s illness is a temporary thing and the coaches are doing everything possible to make sure the poor play of the defense is as well.

“Right now we are just finishing the critique part and we’ve got to put our heads together and come up with a solution,” said Price. “It’s easy to critique and it’s not quite as easy to come up with solutions.”

Defense is not the only area where the Cougars are looking for solutions to their problems.

Kicker Nick Lambert is out this week with a pulled thigh muscle in his kicking leg. Anousith Wilaikul will handle the kicking duties at Cal. He has never attempted a field goal at the Pac-10 level.

Wilaikul did kick off once against Idaho after the last Cougars touchdown. It was a short kick and gave Idaho excellent field position at its own 43. But Price said that was the call.

“It was supposed to be a squib,” Price said. “We squibbed one earlier and almost got it. If I would’ve had to do that again I would’ve tried to bomb it as far and as deep as possible.”

But Wilaikul does not have the leg Lambert does on kickoffs, so Price was making a calculated gamble.

“Our coverage was very poor,” the coach said. “Our kicking game was inept. I thought that would be a strength for us. Idaho did a much better job in the special teams than we did.”

Price will also be looking to change personnel on the return teams.

“Kick off returns and punt returns have not been at all spectacular,” he said. “We need a little bit more pizzazz on that special teams. So we are going to be looking at putting some new people into some different positions and try and create a little bit more excitement.”

Injury report

The Cougars made it through their third straight game without a significant injury. Gesser does have sore ribs from his leap into the end one. Wide receiver Milton Wynn has a bruised knee. And running back David Minnich has a bruised toe. All are expected to play this week.

Wide receiver Farwan Zubedi is also expected to be back from a knee injury this week. Zubedi won’t be 100 percent, but still could contribute. Linebacker Serign Marong is still out with a back injury but could be back in two weeks.

Cal report

Next up for the Cougars is the one Pac-10 team the Cougars beat last year: Cal. And the 1-2 Bears once again look beatable. Price and most of the team watched the Bears’ 17-3 loss at Fresno State Saturday night.

“I saw a team that was a lot like the Cougs,” Price said. “They are not running on all eight cylinders either. They had opportunities to beat Fresno State and they had opportunities to beat Illinois. Both teams are struggling right now.”

Both teams have beaten Utah.