Long shot WSU has nothing to lose

PULLMAN – Robb Akey sat down for dinner and turned on the television Monday night. On the tube was the Monday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.

Suddenly, Washington State’s defensive coordinator realized just how much he’d like watching this game.

“That’s the first time I’ve been excited to see Reggie Bush,” he said.

The former USC running back isn’t terrorizing Pac-10 defenses any longer, but his teammates left behind have shown they can still do plenty of damage this season.

The Trojans come to Pullman for today’s 4 p.m. game in Martin Stadium as heavy favorites, the third-ranked team in the country with aspirations of making it back to the national title game despite losing a pair of Heisman Trophy winners.

“They’ve had the top recruiting class each of the last four years … so there’s plenty of skill there,” WSU head coach Bill Doba said.

But the Cougars aren’t thinking of themselves as sacrificial lambs at the altar of the conference’s best. Coming off of three consecutive wins, WSU is as high on confidence as it has been in years.

The Cougars’ lone loss on the season came to another top-five team, Auburn, so the home team today should have no excuse for being unprepared for the talent level coming to town.

“I think we go into every game, there’s always a chance that you can win,” Doba said. “I don’t care how good they are. It depends on how they play. Obviously, we have to protect the football, make sure that we don’t lay it on the ground and give them an easy touchdown here or there or good field position. But I tell you, it happens every Saturday.”

It won’t hurt WSU’s upset chances that USC will be without All-American wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who suffered a shoulder injury and won’t suit up against the Cougars.

Even though the Trojans have more blue-chippers to insert in the lineup, they recognize that losing Jarrett means losing a big part of their potent offense.

“He’s one of the most productive receivers in the history of the Pac-10, so it means a lot,” USC head coach Pete Carroll said.

The favorites also bring to town a defense vastly improved from last season, thanks to a linebacking corps among the best in the nation. As a result, the Cougars know that winning today would mean a whole lot more than just a fourth addition to the win column.

“Everything to gain and nothing to lose, really,” Doba said.