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So when is it time to start admitting that this is a great program? The 30 wins over the last three years more mighty USC with a shockingly dominating 28-20 win over Texas in last year's Holiday Bowl cementing the team's place among the nation's best. Heck, take away the three Apple Cup losses to Washington and the Cougars have lost five games since 2001 with two of them coming to eventual national champions (USC last year and Ohio State in 2002) and one to Oklahoma in the in the Rose Bowl. Now the real work begins.
A ton of lettermen return, but there's very little overall starting experience and no proven firepower on the normally explosive offense. The receiving corps is a huge, screaming question mark considering the quarterback situation is still unsettled. The entire defensive line needs to be replaced along with both outside linebackers (now that Will Derting has moved to the middle) and all-time leading scorer, PK Drew Dunning, is also gone. Even with all of those problems, Wazzu is still getting respect going into the season after finding a way to reload last year. This might not be a Pac 10 champion, but don't expect a major drop-off back to the days of looking up from the league cellar.
The Schedule: Thanks to the Pac 10 opener at Arizona followed up by home games against Oregon and Stanford, The Cougars can't demand anything less than a perfect 6-0 start going into a brutal finishing kick. Missing Cal is nice, but not enough of a break to ease up the race for a Pac 10 title. The season opener at New Mexico could be tougher than expected.
Best Offensive Players: Senior OT Calvin Armstrong. Last year was supposed to be the season Armstrong went from being a first-team All-Pac 10 talent to an All-America star. It didn't happen, but he still had a very good year. Now he and fellow Shaq-sized tackle Sam Lightbody will combine to form one of the best tackle tandems in the country.
Best Defensive Player: Junior Will Derting. It's never fair to compare college players to NFL superstars, but Derting is a near carbon copy of former Texas Tech/now-Miami Dolphin All-Pro Zach Thomas. He is tough as nails with great range and a nose to always be around the football. He'll shine in his new role in the middle.
Key player to a successful season: This will be the second year in a row the Cougars have to replace their starting quarterback. Josh Swogger saw time last year as a freshman, but he struggled mightily having a hard time moving the offense. He'll be pushed by redshirt freshman Alex Brink after a strong spring, but it's Swogger's job to lose. With a shaky receiving corps, the quarterback play needs to be razor sharp.
The season will be a success if ... the Cougars win eight games. That might sound like an easy get for a team that has won as much as this one has, but there are too many replacements and too many tough games to ask for more.
Key game: Oct. 30 vs. USC. The Cougars beat Carson Palmer and the Trojans two years ago in a thrilling 30-27 overtime win, and then got blasted 43-16 in South Central. This won't just be an important national game for Wazzu, it could be necessary sandwiched between road trips to Oregon State and UCLA.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Washington State 150 for 1,230 yards - Opponents 102 for 875
- Rushing yards per carry: Washington State 3.1 - Opponents 2.7
- Fumbles: Opponents 47 (lost 24) - Washington State 31 (lost 18)
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