Backrow Banter

Greetings Cougar nation! I’d like to start this post off by apologizing for my recent absence from my usual Sunday column the past two weeks. I’m currently in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip through Spain with my brother and uncle. While the scenery and environment in Spain is unbelievable, it has left me with a hectic travel schedule hell bent on keeping me from commenting on the state of our beloved Cougs.

 Today I took a three hour train ride from Madrid to Sevilla. While studying the beautiful Spanish landscape (actually kind of looks like Eastern WA) and listening to a little of the new Kings of Leon album, I couldn’t help but get excited imagining what it might be like to watch a WSU football team this fall that is capable of reaching a bowl game. With this notion in mind, I compiled a list of what must go right for the Cougars to sniff contention in the new Pac-12 North Division. Click on the jump to read more.

1) Jeff Tuel Must Put Up Monster Numbers: No surprise here. For the Cougars to compete with the likes of Darron Thomas, Nick Foles, Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley, Tuel must be consistently spectacular. Outside of the Palouse Posse years, WSU has never reached a bowl game without a quarterback who can carry his team to victory. 24+ TD’s and over 3,000 yards passing are numbers the junior signalcaller is very capable of reaching. With an unproven running game and a young but talented defense, Tuel will need to use his array of wide receivers to create an offense capable of putting 30+ points on the board.

2) Morton’s Men: The offensive line during Paul Wulff’s tenure has been an absolute nightmare. Fortunately, OL Coach Steve Morton is the right man to improve the Cougar frontline. After a year of experience together, the offensive line will need to develop a continuity not seen on the Palouse since George Yarno roamed the sidelines. If a combination of Ricky Galvin and Logwone Mitz can average around four yards a carry, then passing lanes will open up for Tuel and a dynamic core of receivers.

3) T-Long to the Rescue: The defensive line’s struggles have been painfully well-documented. If the WSU defense is going to climb out of the conference basement statistically, Travis Long is going to need to transform into Mkristo Bruce 2.0. Last season, Long played nearly the entire year with his shoulder popping in and out of place. He still managed to earn All-Conference recognition and put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Now healthy, Long will need to make a huge jump to cushion growing pains other unproven members of the defensive line will go through. However, with the addition of Jordan Pu’u Robinson and Toni Pole, I’m betting Long has 8 or more sacks in 2011 thanks to fewer double teams.

4) Sturdy Nation: I touched on my distaste for Todd Sturdy’s playcalling late in games in my last column. In an effort to not start a Sturdy smear campaign, I’ll just say that EWU’s spread offense engineer should stick to what he knows and has enjoyed success with. No more Power I formations and no more stretch running plays against USC teams who have more speed off the edge than anyone else in the country. Displaying a little creativity and aggression will go a long towards ensuring CPW is around in 2012.

5: The Rise of Simone: When defenses throw double teams at Jared Karstetter or Marquess Wilson on the outside it will be up to Simone to haul in passes across the middle to keep the chains moving. A highly rated prospect out of Skyline High School, Simone has battled injuries in his first two seasons on the Palouse. Nonetheless, he runs great routes and has, in my opinion, the best hands in WSU’s talented receiving corps. Jim Walden proclaimed he could catch more balls than any player in the school’s history after an impressive performance his freshman season against USC. If he stays healthy, I’m betting he turns into a more dynamic version of former WSU wideout Scott Lunde. Nothing is more frustrating for defenses than an inability to get off the field on third down. This makes the deceivingly fast Simone an especially dangerous weapon.

The aforementioned players and coaches must perform well in order for WSU to reach the 6-win plateau for the first time since 2003. Fortunately, the team has every reason to be motivated. Nearly every preseason magazine is picking them to finish last and they are undoubtedly playing for Paul Wulff’s job. If they can manage to start 4-1 with the help of a soft early season schedule, you can’t help but think reaching 6 wins is a very realistic possibility.

As the season draws nearer, I can’t help but be optimistic. This WSU team finally has the talent and experience to make an impact in the Pac-12. I’m sick of 10-loss seasons and getting embarrassed by assholes like Lane Kiffin and Rick Neuheisel. I’m fed up with being happy about losing to top-ranked opponents by only a few touchdowns. Most of all, I’m excited to see players I’ve watched go through hell be rewarded for the hard work and perserverence they showed through the toughest stretch in Cougar Football history.

September 3rd can’t come soon enough.

All for now,
Go Cougs!