Answers evade Cougars

WACO, Texas – Chris Ball had no easy answers.

Washington State’s assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator stood outside the Cougars’ locker room Friday night and searched for them after WSU’s 45-17 defeat at the hands of Baylor.

“I’ll have to look at the tape,” Ball said, “but there were a couple of times we were in our base defense out there and it looks like we’re not getting lined up right.”

Was Ball mistaken? Defensive end Kevin Kooyman didn’t think so.

“He’s a fast guy,” said Kooyman, referring to the challenges presented by Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin, “(and) there wasn’t much we could do about him when you don’t get lined up right.

“We didn’t put ourselves in a position to make plays.”

That underlines the base nature of the Cougars’ early-season defensive problems. They aren’t even in a position to make plays.

Ball, in the first year of his third tour in Pullman, is the person in charge of making sure that changes.

The defense he brought in is the same one used while he was in Alabama and Pittsburgh the last few years. He had success at both.

Last season Ball coached the Panthers’ secondary. That group finished third in the nation in pass defense while Pitt was fifth overall. His last three years at Alabama, the Crimson Tide’s secondary, Ball’s unit, never finished worse than 19th nationally in pass defense.

So it’s no wonder he said Friday of WSU’s defensive scheme, “It’s worked in the past.”

But it’s not working now.

In the Cougars’ first three games, they have:

•Yielded 1,012 yards rushing – including 426 against Baylor – and 1,427 yards in total offense;

•Allowed back-to-back 200-yard individual rushers – Cal’s Jahvid Best (200 yards) and Baylor’s Griffin (a BU school-record 217 yards);

•Given up five runs of more than 50 yards;

•Allowed the opponent to score on 11 drives that took less than 2 minutes, including seven of less than a minute.

So Friday night, before he returned to the locker room, Ball promised changes were coming.

“This whole thing is new for them,” he said. “We’ve got to look at what we’re doing. If we can’t get lined up in our base, we have to find something we can get lined up in.

“That’s on us, as coaches. We’ve got to look in the mirror first at what we’re doing defensively.”

That mirror may also reflect the position the offense has put the defense, with 10 turnovers in the three losses, including nine the past two weeks. The Cougars are minus-8 in the turnover margin.

They have committed silly fumbles and unexplainable interceptions. They have been caused by miscommunication and by injuries. Almost every one has put the defense in a hole.

“Turnovers,” Brandon Gibson said, when asked the offense’s main issue. “I’m not putting them on the quarterback, or receivers or linemen. It’s everybody. It’s a team thing. We need to take care of the ball, including myself.

“We need to take care of the ball and be assignment correct.”

Gibson’s assignment Friday was twofold: As a senior leader, he’s responsible for helping the young receiving corps mature quickly and he has to get himself open, especially on third down. He did both.

“Brandon’s trying to get them lined up out there, lots of times,” Wulff said. “You can just see it. We’re not mentally strong enough yet. We’re in a growing-up phase, the receiving corps. That’s why we see a lot of those mistakes.”

When WSU needed a conversion, it seemed Gibson was always open. Of the eight passes he caught, three of them came on third down. All resulted in first downs and all came in the middle of the field.

“That was true,” he said. “We tried to get there a lot. Seam routes from the slot. We’ve got to look at the film and try to build on it.”

Notes

Devin Frischknecht suited up but didn’t play because of a balky back. His status for next week is unknown. … Right tackle Micah Hannam and guard Brian Danaher both missed time with injuries, with Will Hunter and B.J. Guerra filling in at those spots, respectively. … The bus dropped off the Cougars at Bohler near daybreak Saturday morning, so they were given the day off. They’ll practice today, then take their usual off-day Monday. They’ll return to Rogers Field on Tuesday for preparation for Saturday’s 4 p.m. home game against Portland State. The game will be shown live on FSN. … WSU has led a game for 3 minutes, 35 seconds this season. That’s how long the Cougars were ahead of Baylor in the first quarter.