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Cougar BLOG |
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September 2008
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Washington State is just one day away from what should be their first win of the season (it's sad that I have to say "what should be"). They take on Portland State (a Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) team out of the Big Sky Conference) tomorrow at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4pm. We know what the Cougars bring to the table, but what about the Vikings? That's what I'm here for... Portland State is 1-1 this year. They beat Western Oregon 31-14 on August 30th, had a bye week, then lost to UC-Davis 38-24 last weekend. The Vikings offensive coordinator is Mouse Davis (born in Palouse, Washington). According to Wikipedia, he "helped to popularize the Run & Shoot offense" and still uses the not-so-popular-anymore offense at PSU. The Vikings have run 141 plays this season, only 29 of those have come on the ground. It should come as no surprise then that only 61 of Portland State's 855 total yards this season are rushing yards. That means it's all about the air attack. PSU's quarterback Drew Hubel has connected on 62.6% of his passes this season. He's registered three TD passes and two interceptions. They also have an experienced backup in Tygue Howland, who started for them last year before getting hurt. The Vikings use several different targets. Five of their receivers average 50 or more yards receiving per game. Mario D'Ambrosia (77 ypg), Ty Coleman (68 ypg), Aaron Woods (62.5), Lavonte Kirvin (59 ypg), and Bobby McClintock (a running back who averages 53.5 receiving yards a game) will all get their hands on the ball. PSU's defense appears to have plenty of holes. They've allowed an average of 421.5 yards per game this year (UC-Davis rolled up 588 yards alone). Much of the damage has come on the ground. The Vikings give up 182 rushing yards a game (227 against the Aggies). That's good news for a WSU football team that's had trouble running the football. The Cougs leading rusher is Dwight Tardy who's picked up 123 yards over the first three games (Wazzu averages only 82.7 rushing yards a game as a team). Maybe some big yardage on the ground this weekend can give the Cougar running backs some confidence heading into Pac-10 play. A couple more notes about the starting lineup and injuries. It sounds like linebackers Cory Evans and Kendrick Dunn did not practice again yesterday and are listed as questionable for tomorrow. If they don't play, Hallston Higgins and Myron Beck will start in their place. As for the offensive line battle (Steven Ayers vs. Joe Eppele vs. B.J. Guerra at right guard), it will likely be settled on game day. Plus, Kevin Lopina has practiced everyday this week without any problems and will likely start at quarterback tomorrow against the Vikings. That's all I have for now... GO COUGS! 2 CommentsLeave a comment |
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GO COUGS!!!
took care of business and looked good doing it. Nice win for the cougs tonight. Hope Rogers is ok. Other than that it was a good victory and one we needed to have badly to get this group believing in each other.