Cougars should be content

PULLMAN – Six down, six to go. And the Cougars couldn’t ask to be in much better position.

Had Washington State failed to pick up a road win on Saturday at Oregon State, things would be looking rather glum around Martin Stadium these days, with two top-flight Pac-10 teams coming to town in the next two weeks.

But beating the Beavers has left WSU in enviable position and set up a probable bowl-game run, barring a second-half collapse.

Looking back at the Cougars’ first-half schedule, it’s tough to imagine WSU doing any better. At 4-2, 2-1 in the Pac-10, the Cougars have beaten every single team they had at least a moderate chance to beat, and its two losses came to teams that were ranked in the top three as recently as two days ago. (Auburn’s loss to Arkansas over the weekend sent it plummeting from No. 2 to No. 11.)

And though WSU won’t be favored in the next two home games against California and Oregon, it still enjoys the luxury of playing four of the remaining games at home. And most observers would agree that the Cougars’ two best efforts of the season were in a blowout win over Idaho and a narrow loss to USC – the two games played thus far in Pullman.

What’s emerged from the first half of the season is a team far different from what was expected of the 2006 Cougars. Coming into the year, it was assumed that WSU would have to win games by scoring big while allowing nearly as many points.

But as Saturday’s 13-6 win showed, the Cougars have been far less than advertised on offense and far more than advertised on defense. Rarely spectacular on either side of the ball, the two have generally combined to keep WSU in games and allow for victories.

It’s a formula that is far less spectacular than what led to last season’s 4-7 record but far more effective, too, a trade that head coach Bill Doba is more than happy to take.

All is not perfect for the Cougars, though. The offense has been surprisingly hit-or-miss in almost all regards – except in the red zone, where they’ve been almost universally off the mark. And although the defense has played exceedingly well at times, USC and Auburn both gave it significant problems. And the opposing offenses still left on the schedule are closer to that caliber than they are to the Oregon States and Idahos of the college football world.

But, as Doba might be quick to point out, every team has issues at this point. And the one thing that matters most – the win column – tells a most optimistic story about these Cougars.