Five football questions for WSU

(AP Photo/Dean Hare)

WSU @ USC
Game info: 10:15 pm EDT Sat Sep 26, 2009

WSU Football | Five questions for USC
All-American Mays struggles to get back in the fold
Barkley back in action, eyes Saturday return
Trojans plummet to #10 in Examiner.com Top 25

The University of Southern California will welcome the Washington State Cougars this Saturday at the coliseum. USC is coming off a disheartening loss to the other Pac-10 Washington school and looks to erase recent memories in the game against Cougars.

After rallying to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes at the “Horeshoe,” the Trojans suffered a BCS-sized setback with the 16-13 loss the following weekend at the hands of the Washington Huskies. Playing with redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp at quarterback since true freshman starter Matt Barkley was out with a shoulder sprain, the Trojans' offense was incredibly anemic, especially on third-downs where they were 0-for-10.

Pete Carroll is banking on the return of Barkley as well as All-American Taylor Mays as the Trojans take on a Cougars team that pulled off an impressive victory over Southern Methodist on Saturday.

To understand the Cougars a little better, I'd like to introduce Washington State Examiner, Lew Wright. Lew and I had a chance to exchange questions regarding the upcoming Cougars-Trojans showdown on Saturday. Here is what Lew had to say:

NL: Not to live in the past, but does Washington State have something to prove after last year's 69-0 loss at home to USC?

LW: As the saying goes, that was then, this is now. Both USC and WSU are different teams from a year ago. When they met in Pullman a year ago, Coach Paul Wulff was in the process of establishing a system and foundation to build on. Offensively, WSU was the least talented team in the conference…by a wide margin. They didn’t even have enough players on the roster for a scout team quarterback. Fortunately Coach Pete Carroll chose to do the right thing early on and took his foot off the accelerator on the out-manned Cougs. That’s right, the score could have been run up further had a coach from the SEC been at the helm of the Trojans. The total dominance by USC a year ago won’t loom large. Neither school will have much memory of what took place in terms of proving anything.

NL: Washington State currently has an offensive line decimated by injuries with their two starting guards, B.J. Guerra and Zack Williams expected to be out of action for a significant amount of time. What will the Cougars do to protect the quarterback and combat against a big and physical Trojans' front line?

LW: Coach Harold Etheridge will be challenged to keep fresh players on the OL. The loss of Guerra and Williams hurts because both were playing good football. The Cougs will need inspired play from a couple of talented reserves. Joe Eppele has both size and Pac-10 experience. Tyson Pencer is a strong player that lacks experience but has tremendous potential. The Cougs best chance of contending with the outstanding players up front for the Trojans is to do a better job with the no huddle offense. They have yet to run it efficiently enough to control game tempo. Marshall Lobbestael will get the start for the second week in a row. It will be up to him to mix things up if WSU can counter what is arguably the best defensive front in the Pac-10.

NL: Washington State's Marshall Lobbestael made it all the way back after a devastating knee injury to regain the starting job at quarterback for the Cougars. How would you grade his two touchdown, two interception performance against SMU and what can we expect out of Lobbestael this Saturday?

LW: Marshall Lobbestael was a different quarterback last week when compared to his playing time in the first two games. Difference? He wasn’t trying to come into the game already two or three touchdowns behind. Though I’m not much for “grading” a player’s performance, he did a good job against SMU. Lobbestael is a fiery competitor. Two starting receivers weren’t available last week. One of those was deep threat Jeshua Anderson, a world class hurdler, who has left the team to focus on track. The Cougs should get outstanding true freshman Gino Simone back this week strengthening the receiving corps. WSU took a huge hit in their running game with the loss of James Montgomery, their leading rusher, for the season. Dwight Tardy will start in the backfield, but has been dinged up. For Lobbestael to be effective Saturday, it’s critical to have the running game working. Last time I looked USC is the best in the Pac-10 at stuffing the running game. Coach Wulff may check to see if Jerome Harrison still has any eligibility left!

NL: The Cougars defense had a great game against SMU, returning two of Bo Levi Mitchel's four interceptions for touchdowns last weekend. How will they go about putting pressure on Southern Cal's starting quarterback on Saturday?

LW: Not sure I would characterize the play of the Cougar defense as “great” last week. For the first time in roughly two years, the defense turned in timely big plays. Those big plays were set up by the inspired effort of true freshman Travis Long at DE. WSU’s co-defensive coordinators Coach Chris Ball and Coach Jody Sears clearly have their work cut out for them. Their plans and schemes can be effective if a couple of things happen. Red shirt freshman Anthony Laurenzi spent a lot of time in the SMU backfield in the second half last week. The Cougs need him to step up once again. Senior Jason Stripling had a career-best performance last week at linebacker. That, coupled with another great game out of sophomore Alex Hoffman-Ellis starting at MIKE can keep the Cougs in the game. If senior SAM linebacker Andy Mattingly is close to full-strength, that’s where pressure will come from.

NL: Washington State was able to rally from 17 points against Southern Methodist for their first victory of the season. How important was it for the Cougars to get this win and was it a boost to the program to do it in such fashion?

LW: The win last week was huge for Coach Wulff and the program. His young team has looked much improved from a year ago. They needed to learn how to win. A comeback win simply reveals what keen eyes have seen in the first three games. This roster comes to play four quarters of football. There hasn’t been any quit in the team. Speaking in real terms, of the 60 players traveling down for the game, this will be the first college road trip for roughly half the roster. Compound that fact with the game being played in the LA Coliseum before a national television audience and against an outstanding football team. Will youth be served Saturday evening? Virtually everyone say no, but that’s why they play the game isn’t it?

Check out Lew's Five Questions for USC for more analysis.

For even more information regarding this game and everything else Cougar related: Washington State Cougars Examiner

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