Time for jinx to end

More than 100 players suit up for the Cougars, and they all have one thing in common. None of them has ever tasted victory in the Apple Cup.

So the task falls to second-year head coach Bill Doba, a defensive coordinator when Washington State last beat Washington in 1997, to get his players in the right state of mind and body to finally claim victory in the Cougars’ biggest rivalry game.

But when you haven’t won in six tries, Doba realizes he has to first figure out for himself what that aforementioned state of mind is.

“We want to win obviously, as bad as in any game we’ve played and probably a little bit more,” Doba said. “It’s a special week. Last year I tried to say it’s just another game, and it’s not just another game. It’s the Apple Cup. It means a lot to a lot of people. I found that out last year with all the hate mail. But it’s something where our kids, we expect them to be there, with nobody late, and practice hard. We’ve got to get ready.”

Last year, as anyone in Pullman can tell you, might have been the most painful loss of all in this six-game skid. By far the better team over the course of the season, the 9-2 Holiday Bowl-bound Cougars lost 27-19 to the 5-6 Huskies, a defeat that still stings.

“We were riding pretty high. We thought we were pretty good and all the sudden we got knocked off that pedestal,” Doba said. “It was just tough because we had a winning season going. I think we expected to win and it was a nightmare, really, whether you were a head coach or an assistant. It was really tough on us and tough on our team.”

Doba attempted to downplay the significance of the game in the week leading up to it, a strategy that appeared to backfire as Washington played with more passion and fire for much of the matchup.

But instead of trying to goad his players into a frenzy by kickoff, Doba said he’ll focus on having strong practices in order to sharpen his team’s play come Saturday.

“I think they were up for it,” Doba said of last year’s team. “But maybe not quite as much as they should have been. There’s a fine line between being too high and being too flat. I don’t know how the Huskies hit it for sure, but we need to be really intense in preparation. That’s where you win the game, not so much in the pregame talk or the rah-rah before the game. I think you win the game on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

This year’s Apple Cup doesn’t have quite the same sizzle, with neither team headed for a bowl game. The 4-6 Cougars’ loss on Saturday at Arizona State took them out of the running for a postseason bid, and the 1-9 Huskies lost hope a month ago.

But even with both programs nearing the end of a down year that has claimed the job of Huskies head coach Keith Gilbertson, Doba admitted that his team probably has more to lose this week — something that is reinforced by the sentiment that his Cougars are the better team.

“They’re right,” Doba said of those who put the pressure on WSU. “It’s bragging rights. And for our seniors it’s a way for them to finish on a positive note. They’ve been around, they’ve sacrificed a lot. And it would be a real send-off for them at least, something that they can do that hasn’t been done around here in years. We’ve had 10-win seasons and bowl victories and haven’t beaten the Huskies.”

Injury update

The Cougar secondary has been a point of concern for much of the Pac-10 season, and that could continue this week as two of the team’s four starters are currently listed as questionable.

Cornerback Alex Teems, who has had neck problems in recent weeks, sustained another stinger at Arizona State. And senior safety Jeremy Bohannon is also in doubt for the last game of his collegiate career because of an ankle sprain.

Two other Cougars, wide receiver Greg Prator and starting running back Jerome Harrison, are probable. Prator re-aggravated a high ankle sprain, while Harrison sprained a thumb.

One senior who has endured plenty of pain as of late is offensive captain Sam Lightbody, a starter at right tackle. Lightbody has been playing with torn ligaments in his thumb that will require surgery immediately after the season. And he’s also had a bruised knee that has had significant swelling.

“He’s got a knee that looks like a Husky — it’s purple,” Doba said.

Linebackers Brian Winter and Brian Hall, both special teamers, are in doubt as well. Winter has a leg bruise and Hall has a stinger.

Tickets available

This year’s Apple Cup may not have bowl implications, but it’s still been a tough ticket with everything selling out early this month. But WSU’s ticket office received 300 tickets back from Washington over the weekend, and they are on sale.

Fans who are still interested in purchasing tickets are encouraged to do so soon. They can be bought online at ticketswest.com, over the phone at 1-800-GO-COUGS (choose option two), or in person at the Cougar Depot in Pullman.

Notes

Doba said he was leaning toward splitting the team’s field-goal duties this week. Freshman Loren Langley, who kicked in every game but the last, would kick when the Cougars are inside the 15-yard line — including extra points. Junior Graham Siderius, who missed in his only attempt last week after hitting one against UCLA, would take charge on longer attempts. “Loren, on his extra points, was right down the middle every time,” Doba said. “He just struggles a little bit when he gets out there around 35, 40 yards.” … The Cougars will almost certainly practice without pads for a third consecutive week on Wednesday.