Skinny - Washington State, o, Washington State. I struggle to think of teams that are worse than the Cougars from Washington State. The defense was next to last in the NCAA last season in terms of scoring and guess where the offense was? You guessed it, next to last. As pitiful a team as they are they killed a non D-1 school in Portland State and managed to squeak a thriller (haha a thriller) out against Washington in the battle of defeated Pac-10 schools last season to salvage the season. Kevin Lopina was miserable last season at quarterback. He managed to throw a goose-egg in terms of touchdowns, while throwing a dazzling 11 picks. Dwight Tardy ran for a tremendous 481 yards as the feature back. Brandon Gibson was the one bright spot at receiver, but the talent was so bad around him, he made no difference. He's gone so now the Cougars rely on the amazing weapons of Jeshua Anderon (less than 10 ypc) and Kevin Norrell. Sick of the sarcasm, well the defense isn't any better. Washington State, I expect, to go defeated this season in Pac-10 play and its possible with a loss to SMU to play a perfectly defeated season. Washington State was good in the beginning of the century, but now they're just a laughing stock.
Strength - None
There is nothing at all to look forward to about this team. I'm sorry but this team is in shambles. Kenny Alfred, the center, is the team's top player, but he's in his senior season and the team needs to start building for the future. James Montgomery should challenge for the starting role at running back after transferring from California. He was a top 30 running back out of high school and should help a program with no back surpassing the 500 yard barrier or 3 TDs last season. Louis Bland is the bright spot on the defense after totaling 7 TFLs in his freshman season. Washington State didn't bring home a stellar recruiting class and the future looks bleak.
Weakness - Pretty much everything
The quarterback situation is bad. Kevin Lopina had a 0-11 ratio last season and will battle Marshall Lobbestael for the job. Both players battled injuries last season and Lobbestael is coming off a torn ACL. The receivers they're throwing to are weak after the graduation of Brandon Gibson. The offensive line won't provide much protection and Lopina will probably be the starter as he provides a little more mobility and he'll need to escape the pocket as it will consistently break down. Toby Turbin is the leading sack returner with 3 and the pressure from the defensive line is weak and the defense should be tired with the amounts of time it will spend on the field. The linebackers and secondary don't give the team much hope.
Key Game - 11/28/09 @Washington
Washington State's only shot at a win in the Pac-10 pending the other doesn't forfeit or forget the two deep at the airport is their season finale at in state rival Washington. Washington State won last year, but several things point in favor of the Huskies. The Huskies should have an improved running game highlighted by Jake Locker's return and a healed starter to aid the running back position. The defense is stronger for the Huskies and the game is at home, which will prove difficult for the Cougars. A rivalry game can go either way, but I'm willing to believe after State winning last season, that Washington will win this game by double digits.
Key Player -Kevin Lopina
Lopina was the starter last season although Lobbestael got some playing time while Lopina was on the mend. Lopina failed to throw a TD pass, while Lobbestael had a 4-4 ratio, but Lopina had a better passing percentage and is better on his feet than Lobbestael. Lopina is the senior, so he has one last shot at the job. If he fails to improve on last season, the position will be handed to the future in Lobbestael, if he fully recovers from the ACL tear last season. The loss of Gibson as a first option will put even more pressure on the quarterback position. Games against Hawaii and SMU are winnable and the Cougars could match last season's win total if they pull those two out.
Impact Freshman - Gino Simone
Predicted Pac 10 finish - 10th
Top 5 Players
1. C Kenny Alfred
2. S Chima Nwachukwu
3. LB Louis Bland
4. LB Andy Mattingly
5. WR Jeshua Anderson
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