NCAA Football Preview - Washington State Cougars

NCAA Football Betting Lines

08/21/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - 2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: The 2006 season was a mix of tremendous highs and terrible lows for the Cougars as the team was unable to put forth consistent effort each and every game. In the season opener against Auburn, WSU was embarrassed in a 40-14 debacle. The team rebounded by winning its next three games. However, those wins came against Idaho (56-10), Baylor (17-15) and Stanford (36-10) -- not exactly murderer's row. Washington State put up a fight against USC in its next contest, but eventually fell to 3-2 with a 28-22 setback. The Cougars clawed their way to 6-3 with three wins in their next four games, the lone loss being a 21-3 setback to Cal at home. WSU was one win away from earning a bowl bid, but the team stumbled down the stretch losing its last three games. By season's end the Cougars were 6-6 overall and 4-5 in league action, missing a bowl game for the fourth consecutive year.

2007 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Last year, the Cougars ranked 15th in the nation in passing by averaging 259.8 ypg. Expect more of the same this year with seven starters back, including QB Alex Brink. Brink threw for 2,899 yards in '06, but the team finished with just 23 passing TDs, a number that must improve. Although the squad lost star wideout Jason Hill, Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson are back. Bumpus was solid last season, grabbing 60 balls, however, he was not a scoring threat, finding the end zone just once. Hopefully Gibson, who caught 49 balls, will be the go-to guy WSU needs. There is a lot of promise in tailback Dwight Tardy. As a freshman, Tardy racked up 667 yards on the ground and has the potential to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau. Chris Ivory, who left school last season for personal reasons, is back and should also play a role in the rushing attack. The line will give plenty of protection to Brink thanks to the return of three starters and the addition of mammoth juco transfer Vaughn Lesuma (6-5, 340 pounds)

DEFENSE: Here lies the biggest problem for Washington State, a defensive unit which is riddled with inexperience. The main concern is the secondary which is filled with holes in a conference that is littered with talented QBs. Most of the options at corner will be juco transfers. B.T. Walker and Markus Dawes will have first crack at the starting jobs, and free safety Husain Abdullah is the only returning starter. The linebacking corps is also dealing with experience issues as Greg Trent is the only starter back and will have his hands full as he will be looked upon as the leader of this unit. The front line has the most talent, however, health is a major concern. Tackles Ropati Pitoitua and A'I Ahmu dealt with too many injuries a year ago and will have to stay healthy for the line to be successful. Lance Broadus suffered a shoulder injury recently, but up-and-comer Kevin Kooyman has shown some promise.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Loren Langley returns to take care of the kicking duties, but the senior needs to be more consistent or he could find himself on the bench in favor of Romeen Abdollmohammadi. Darryl Blunt did a commendable job as the team's punter in '06, netting 41.4 yards per boot. The biggest problem is the return game as WSU finished last in the Pac-10 in punt and kick return average last year. There isn't one player on the roster who looks like a serious home run threat so expect to see several guys give it a shot.

OUTLOOK: Offensively, the Cougars seem to be one of the more complete teams in the Pac-10, however, the defensive unit is filled with holes. The schedule is not very favorable as the team only has five true home games (one game is in Seattle against San Diego State). The road slate will be extremely tough for WSU, as the team opens up at Wisconsin and will also have to play at USC, Arizona, Oregon, Cal and Washington. If the defense can play better than expected the Cougars might be able to claw their way into the postseason for the first time since 2003.