Led by Red

PULLMAN – Just who is Marshall Lobbestael?

Ask roommate Andrew Roxas and he’ll say, “He’s just a baller,” a guy who loves to play football.

Ask Washington State offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy and he’ll say, “He’s a fierce competitor.”

Ask former WSU quarterback Alex Brink and he’ll say, “He’s a smart kid.”

And ask Cougars head coach Paul Wulff and he’ll say, simply, “He’s our guy.”

This week that’s more than true.

With the spinal injuries suffered by senior Gary Rogers and junior Kevin Lopina, Lobbestael is just about the Cougars’ only guy at quarterback, at least the only one on the roster who has thrown a collegiate pass.

He’ll make his first collegiate start Saturday, leading the Cougars against Oregon at Martin Stadium.

But what do Cougars fans really know about the redshirt freshman from Whidbey Island, Wash.? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the blanks.

•He’s 6-foot-3, weighs right around 200 pounds – but looks lighter – and has short-cropped red hair.

•He led the Oak Harbor High Wildcats to the 2006 State 4A football crown, putting together a near-perfect semifinal win over Gonzaga Prep in the process.

•The only Pac-10 team to recruit him was Washington State, despite being named a first-team all-state selection.

•He lives with five offensive linemen, so he never gets enough to eat.

•And becoming WSU’s starting quarterback five games into his redshirt freshman year isn’t going to change him.

“I get a lot more text messages on my phone from all my friends and stuff,” he answered this week when asked what’s been different. “Besides that, nothing really.

“I just try to do what I always do, get school right, because if I don’t, my parents will probably get on me. I’m telling them right now, on the record, I’m doing my homework still.”

But he’s doing a different type of homework as well.

“We’ve been watching film together at the house, so I’m pretty sure he’s on top of his game that way,” said Roxas, who is returning to action this week from a knee injury in part because he wants so much to be on the field protecting his friend.

One guy intimately aware of the challenges facing Lobbestael – and well acquainted with Lobbestael himself – is Brink, who took over WSU’s starting reins in the seventh game of his redshirt freshman season.

“(Starting is) different than having to come in during the middle of a game,” Brink said when reached by phone Wednesday. “I did the same thing, came in in the middle of a game and was able to kind of sling it around and make some plays.

“You don’t really think about it quite as much as when you’re having to prepare to start.”

But unlike Lobbestael, Brink, the holder of seven WSU career passing or total offense records, had to start on the road – at Oregon State.

“He’s real fortunate he gets to do it at home,” Brink said. “He’ll have a lot of support. And those coaches are going to do a lot of good things to get him ready.”

But there are pitfalls.

“The biggest thing is there are a lot of emotions that come into it when it’s your first start or it’s a big game or anything like that,” said Brink, who was drafted by and spent time in the Houston Texans’ fall camp. “Those are the things you have to guard against.

“That’s the biggest thing, and sometimes the toughest thing as a quarterback, calming yourself down and being able to go out there and execute and be a leader.”

Lobbestael understands that.

“Calming myself down, throughout a drive, will be something I need to think about, but not worry about,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll let my emotions get caught up with my play or my concentration, hopefully.”

“I only spent a year with Marshall, but I got to know him pretty well,” Brink said. “He loves playing the game and when you’re like that, you care a lot about what’s going on.

“Sometimes, when you care so much, there is so much emotion there, you get lost in it a little bit. I definitely think it’s important for him, and … he clearly understands what he needs to do to be ready to go.”

It’s not as if Lobbestael won’t have help.

Junior center Kenny Alfred: “I’ll be making as many reads, blitzes, looks, whatever I can do. Help him with play direction in some instances, to make sure he’s protected. That’s the No. 1 thing, protecting him.”

Sturdy: “My deal with the quarterback position is, you don’t have to be Superman. You’ve got to be one of the 11. You’ve got to do your deal. Don’t try to do everything. Just manage the game. Don’t worry about carrying too much weight on your shoulders.”

And this from Lobbestael: “The older guys are stepping up, and everyone is stepping up to help me out when they can. Not only that, but on top of helping me out, they’re doing their own job really well.”

That gets us back to our original question. Just who is Marshall Lobbestael?

“He’s a guy with a certain level of moxie to him,” Wulff said. “And he’s a competitor. That’s the thing his teammates know and we all as coaches know, competitors usually are successful.”