It shouldn’t be so tough for Cougs
Washington State will play at Stanford today in a game that most assume should be the Cougars’ to lose. A win would put them in good position as the Pac-10 season progresses and set up a possible return to the bowl season.
Sound familiar?
It should, because WSU has been in a similar position in both 2004 and 2005, only to fall flat both years against an underdog Cardinal team that ambled into Martin Stadium and waltzed out with a win.
Both times the Stanford loss, as much as any other, made the difference in a WSU season going bad.
“Obviously, it’s hard to say we were the better team the last two years because we’ve lost both times,” Cougars quarterback Alex Brink said. “I think it’s pretty obvious that both losses have been pretty big for us in terms of what’s happened after that in our season. We know it’s an important game.”
Last year’s game in particular was a stinging loss for WSU. Stanford came in having lost the previous two games, one to Division I-AA UC Davis.
The Cougars thought they’d have a chance to rebound from a blown opportunity at Oregon State.
“We were 1-2, we came into that game and every Washington State students was chanting ‘UC Davis,’ ” recalled Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards, who has been a Cougar killer in each of the last two games. “Coming out of there with a victory and being able to win a Pac-10 road game boosted our confidence a lot.”
This year, the scene shifts back to California, where Stanford will host its first conference home game in a new Stanford Stadium, built in the months since last season ended.
The change of venue might be a good thing for WSU, as the visiting team has won six in a row in this series.
The 2-1 Cougars have to like their chances against a 0-3 Stanford team that is struggling to find its footing.
“After this weekend we’re obviously a little low – 0-3 never feels good when you’re a football player,” Stanford linebacker Michael Okwo said in the aftermath of a four-touchdown home loss to Navy last week.
“We don’t really have the swing or the momentum that we wanted to have going into the Pac-10 season.”