WSU Football | A first look at UCLA

November 10, 12:25 PMWashington State Cougars ExaminerLew Wright

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This coming Saturday afternoon at 2pm in Pullman, WA, the high point of Dad's Weekend will kickoff. Literally.

Washington State will return to their home turf of Martin Stadium to host the Bruins of UCLA in a Pac-10 conference game.

Despite the anticipated enthusiasm typically associated with college football, it's a stretch to say either team will "roar" onto the gridiron in the heart of the Palouse.

Coach Paul Wulff and the Cougs are looking for their first conference victory of this season. His counterpart, Coach Rick Neuheisel saw his team earn their first Pac-10 win last weekend over the other team from Washington.

Neither WSU nor UCLA were thought to be a threat for a Pac-10 championship going into this season. But a combined 1-11 for the two schools at this point in the year? Perhaps Husky and Trojan fans might have expected as much given their bias.

One thing both WSU and UCLA have in common this season is the search for "the guy" at quarterback. Their struggles stem from the same source as well. Injuries.

Coach Neuheisel will be going with freshman Kevin Prince this week. Prince has started seven games this season, putting up some decent numbers. He's completing 57% of his passes while averaging 180+ yards a game.

Coach Wulff would like this game to feature two freshmen quarterbacks. At the moment, his preferred starter, Jeff Tuel, is a question mark after injuring his knee last week against Arizona. If Tuel isn't ready to go, sophomore Marshall Lobbestael will run the Cougar offense.

A distinct parallel exists with the Cougars and Bruins in 2009. Neither team has generated enough offense to win conference games. UCLA is averaging just 322 yards of offense a game, ninth in the Pac-10. The Cougs stats are even weaker with 272 yards of offense a game placing them last in the conference.

Hard to believe that a team led by Coach Neuheisel with the offensive genius of Coach Norm Chow up in the booth calling plays would rank ninth in team offense.

Conventional wisdom seems to have reared it's ugly head in Westwood. Young offensive line units will struggle in conference play. The Bruins have a junior, three sophomores and a freshman on their starting OL. Nine games into the season, their athletic talent is beginning to show, but their youth has a lot to do with why UCLA hasn't moved the ball effectively on offense up to this point in the season.

Last week both Kevins, Craft and Prince, shredded the Husky secondary for 371 yards through the air. That total compensated for five Bruin turnovers allowing UCLA to eke out a 24-23 victory in the Rose Bowl.

Washington State looks to have their hands full containing the new-found aerial attack of UCLA. And if there's any coach in the nation who will spot weakness in a defense during the game, Coach Chow is one of the best.

Here's the prospective depth charts for both schools heading into a week of practice and preparation:

Coach Wulff has a few question marks to find answers for beyond the status of Jeff Tuel. If Chima Nwachukwu's ankle sprain keeps him out, the WSU thin secondary becomes razor thin. As if the speed UCLA has in their receiving corps isn't enough, freshman Jay Matthews will have to contend with a sore shoulder he re-injured against the 'Cats in his first career start last week. Make no mistake, whoever lines up at the safety opposite senior Xavier Hicks, Jr. is surely going to be tested early and often.

If ever there was a time for Washington State's front seven on defense to come of age, this is the week. It was their play that earned the lone Cougar victory this season against SMU. Two interceptions returned for touchdowns proved to be the difference in that game. The fact UCLA has been far from flawless executing their offense offers a similar opportunity for the Cougar 'D' to step up once again.

The strength of the Bruins this season has been their defense, though they are not invincible. Opponents have enjoyed a measure of success rushing the football against a very experienced front seven. However, a lot of that success has come late in the game because they have been on the field too long and too often.

Sound familiar?

With WSU back at home in front of their fans on Dad's weekend, Coach Wulff is hoping there will be another familiar sound echoing around Martin Stadium.

"...and that's another, Cougar, first, down"

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