Every week I go to Pullman for football practice (this is my third year making treks to the Palouse). Every week I ask the Cougars, "What's it going to take for you guys to win on Saturday?" I stopped asking that question about three weeks into the season last year and it didn't come back out again until the Apple Cup.

When the new season started, I questioned if I'd ever need to ask WSU about winning ball games. I asked them before the Stanford game, because it's a new year and you never know. I also asked this week because Wazzu actually has a legitimate shot at victory...and they believe that too! It's been a while since I've heard this much motivation and excitement from the Cougs.

Washington State plays Hawaii in the 8th annual (and maybe the last ever since the contract ends after Saturday's game) Cougar Gridiron Classic at Qwest Field in Seattle. WSU has done pretty well in the Emerald City, winning five of the first seven contests. But, that's not where they get their confidence from this week (although a crowd of 45,000+ in an NFL stadium doesn't hurt).

Hawaii isn't the same Hawaii team you might think they are. This isn't the same squad that went undefeated in 2007 before losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It's not even the same squad that beat Wazzu 24-10 last year (launching the Warriors into another bowl game). Honestly, Hawaii just isn't that good this year (they had to score 17 unanswered points to beat Central Arkansas (I-AA/FCS) 25-20 in their opener).

When I said this isn't even the same Warriors team as 2008...I really mean it defensively. Hawaii doesn't return one starter on defense (that's right...not one). The Cougars are very aware of that. Paul Wulff was still quick to point out that a lot of this year's starters saw the field last year. Kevin Lopina also said that these guys are all scholarship athletes and they are playing for a reason. I think Legwone Mitz was a little more honest with me. On Wednesday, he said that the team wants to take advantage of a defensive corps that doesn't have "camaraderie" yet. Expect to see the Cougars using the ground game (like I mentioned in my last blog, Mitz told me they want to "pound the rock") like crazy.

While Wazzu is running...Hawaii will be passing. They use a spread offense (run-and-shoot style). The numbers are a little deceiving from their season opener. The Warriors ran the ball in 28 of their 60 plays, but quarterback Greg Alexander (who looks like he is 35-years-old) registered 16 of their carries. Hawaii's running backs only rushed the ball nine times (a wide receiver also got a carry). The box score also says there were two "team" rushes which I assume means they fumbled and recovered the ball behind the line of scrimmage a couple of times.

Alexander poses a threat to the Cougar defense because he is good on his feet (despite being 6'4" 240 lbs.). He ran for 76 yards against Central Arkansas, so that means Wazzu will have to contain him (which is asking a lot of a weak defensive line). Alexander also poses some problems with his arm. Last year, he threw for a career-high 315 yards against WSU. The Cougs lack depth in the defensive backfield, so a spread offense could hurt them again this year. They MUST put pressure on the quarterback. I've said this before and I'll say it again...Washington State should blitz linebacker Andy Mattingly like crazy (I beg them to just let him run free...he's a beast that can do lots of damage).

Besides Alexander, Hawaii's biggest offensive threat is wide receiver Greg Salas. He's the team's top receiver from a year ago and he caught seven passes for 180 yards in this year's season opener. The other really good receiving threat is Kealoha Pilares, who nabbed six catches against Central Arkansas. Other than that, Hawaii uses their running backs a lot in the passing game (a staple in a run-and-shoot offense).

A big question mark for the Cougars is special team coverage. They allowed 230 return yards (67 on three punt returns/143 on three kickoff returns) against Stanford. Hawaii's kickoff return man Jovonte Taylor is more than capable of hurting the Cougs. He returned four kicks for 103 yards last week, while punt returner Ryan Henry averaged ten yards per return against Central Arkansas. Wazzu must do a better job shutting these guys down.

The Cougars opened as six point underdogs in Las Vegas, but Hawaii is now only favored by two points. That means bettors have some faith in WSU.

I believe in the Cougs as well (maybe I'm just a homer)...I think they'll beat Hawaii 21-20.

The last thing I want to mention before I put up links for uncut interviews is this...I'm a little disappointed in Kevin Lopina. When I asked him if he felt like the Cougars could win on Saturday, he responded with "I hope so." I want more confidence in the starting quarterback than that. I understand that he didn't want to guarantee a victory, but give me something better than "I hope so."

I posted my interviews with Lopina, Legwone Mitz, and Xavier Hicks on KREM.com. All you have to do is click on their names to hear their raw interviews.

I also want to remind everyone that we'll have full coverage of this weekend's game on KREM 2 News at 10pm and 11pm. We'll also have all the highlights and postgame reaction on the Cougar page on KREM.com.

I also want to give you a heads up that you can follow me on Twitter. I have all sorts of Cougar coverage throughout the week on there (especially when I don't have time to blog), so be sure to check me out @TLKREM2.

That's it for now!

GO COUGS!!!

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