WSU defense endures day for the books
LOS ANGELES – Sure, playing the top team in the country with the top offense in the country isn’t going to make things easy.
But not many could have imagined that WSU’s already struggling defense would look this poor against USC.
“No question about it. Best team we’ve played,” defensive coordinator Robb Akey said. “I’m not happy about the numbers, but the numbers we need to worry about right now are getting backing the win column again. We don’t play for statistics. We can’t.”
That’s a good thing, because on Saturday the Trojans helped the Cougars rewrite their record books for defensive ineptitude.
USC rolled up 745 yards on offense, the most allowed by WSU. (The previous mark was 696, set by Iowa in 1969.) The Trojans scored 53 points, the most given up by the Cougars since the 1990 Apple Cup. And – bear in mind – USC was in slow-down mode for the entire second half.
“Every game we’ve been in we’ve competed. And this game, it’s definitely different,” WSU safety Eric Frampton said. “They spread the ball around. We thought it was going to be Reggie Bush and LenDale White, but they gave it to everybody. All the receivers, (they) spread it around, got the ball in a lot of guys’ hands.”
Frampton got beat by Dwayne Jarrett for the Trojans’ first score, biting on a move to the corner as Jarrett cut back inside for an easy score. Even though Frampton responded with a couple of big hits and a team-high 13 tackles, it was too little to save the Cougars defense.
Members of WSU’s secondary were 1-2-3-4 in tackles, a testament to the frequency of USC’s big plays.
Nine different Trojans caught passes, and LenDale White’s 155 rushing yards were complemented by 97 more from Reggie Bush. Giving two running backs room to run has become a trend for the Cougars, who allowed both Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch of Cal to surpass 100 yards apiece the week before.
“They’re damn good,” Akey said of USC. “I mean it: Both of those running backs are very, very special. The quarterback earned that Heisman Trophy. That offensive line does a tremendous job.”
Throwing out WSU’s three non-conference games against weaker foes, the Cougars defense has allowed 41.4 points a game – and 42 or more in all but one contest.
The Cougars have played all but one game this Pac-10 season without their defensive captain, Will Derting. Akey said he expects to have the senior middle linebacker in the lineup next week against Arizona State.
But if the Cougars expect one player, even one of Derting’s caliber, to make the difference on a suddenly porous unit, they may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
“If we win, I don’t care if it’s a thousand yards against us,” Akey said.