Cougars fine with flying under radar
LOS ANGELES – Washington State is back in a comfort zone of sorts. Rarely at the forefront of Pac-10 football discussions, the Cougars have receded into the shadows again after spending much of the decade’s first half in the spotlight.
Head coach Bill Doba fielded few questions from the crowd Thursday at Pac-10 media day, hopping off the podium within nine minutes of arriving on it. Defensive end Mkristo Bruce was the lone player who didn’t field a single query.
And the Cougars, to the surprise of few, were picked to finish eighth in the league.
“I hope so,” Doba said, asked if his team is under the radar.
“It’s motivation,” Bruce added. “I love being the underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life – my whole life. To see that we’re eighth doesn’t surprise me. I mean, how can I expect to be ranked third if we had a horrible season? Two years in a row we’ve had a losing season.”
Indeed, it’s the memory of those last two seasons and a combined 9-13 record that WSU now sets out to erase. In particular, the travails of 2005, where the Cougars fumbled away as many as five Pac-10 wins in the fourth quarter, probably won’t disappear unless WSU rediscovers winning ways.
Doing so won’t be easy, not with a defense that still has holes and an offense looking to replace an All-American running back.
Doba said junior college transfer J.T. Deiderichs, a strong candidate to become Jerome Harrison’s heir apparent, will not qualify academically and it appears sophomore DeMaundray Woolridge is the likely starter. Cornorris Atkins, a recruit from Reseda, Calif., also did not qualify, Doba said.
But Doba and Bruce came to Los Angeles pleased with the way summer conditioning has gone, and Bruce vowed that the squad beginning camp on Aug. 6 will have a greater sense of purpose than the ones reporting for action the last two years.
“Last year and the year before we had young people, and some people were (saying), ‘I want to do this. I want to do this,’ ” he said. “Now it’s, ‘We need to do this.’ Not ‘I.’ “
The Cougars, both collectively and individually, will need everything in their arsenal right out of the gate as the season opener will be a tough one at Auburn on Sept. 2. The Tigers are being picked by most college football observers as an SEC favorite and a top-five team in the nation, and their rabid home crowd is sure to treat WSU with anything but Southern hospitality.
“I must have had a weak moment there when I agreed to that one,” Doba noted wryly. “I think the first game of the year is always important because it’s a springboard into the season.
“Last year we had a lot of young kids. And we could have really gotten embarrassed by an Auburn. This year, I thought we were going to be pretty good. We have a lot of kids coming back.”
Notes
Doba declined to comment on any specifics regarding defensive linemen Odell Howard and Paul Stevens, although it appears the two upperclassmen could be in some disciplinary trouble. “I’ve got to find out more about it,” Doba said. “As soon as I know for sure what went on, then we’ll make a decision.” … Three players are injured and will miss at least the beginning of camp. Defensive end Lance Broadus had surgery in June to repair a torn groin muscle and could miss part of the regular season; tight end Bryan Baird is out with an elbow injury; and offensive lineman Colin Donovan will be home for the start of camp after arthroscopic knee surgery.