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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Bill Doba (4th season, 19-16) 2005 record: 4-7 Pac-10 finish: 1-7 (t-9th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 15th (212.0 ypg) Passing: 20th (277.3 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 65th (153.6 ypg) Passing: 113th (289.1 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Auburn Sept. 9 Idaho Sept. 16 #Baylor Sept. 23 at Stanford Sept. 30 USC Oct. 7 at Oregon State Oct. 14 California Oct. 21 Oregon Oct. 28 at UCLA Nov. 4 Arizona Nov. 11 at Arizona State Nov. 18 Washington # Seattle Depth Chart: Offense 7 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. SE 83 Jason Hill Sr. 15 Benny Ward So. FL 2 Chris Jordan Sr. 86 Brandon Gibson So. LT 70 Bobby Byrd Jr. 75 Scott Friberg Fr. LG 73 Sean O’Connor Sr. 72 Derek Hunter So. C 69 Kenny Alfred Fr. 60 Dan Rowlands So. RG 61 Josh Duin Sr. 74 Andy Roof So. RT 55 Charles Harris Sr. 68 Colin Donovan So. TE 80 Cody Boyd Sr. 41 Jed Collins Jr. SB 5 Michael Bumpus Jr. 3 Lorenzo Bursey Jr. QB 10 Alex Brink Jr. 17 Gary Rogers So. RB 35 DeMaundray Woolridge So. 20 Kevin McCall Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 7 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 94 Mkristo Bruce Sr. 96 Mike Graise So. DT 40 Aaron Johnson Jr. 19 Odell Howard Sr. DT 75 Ropati Pitoitua Jr. 92 A’i Ahmu So. DE 58 Matt Mullennix Jr. 97 Lance Broadus Jr. SLB 42 Scott Davis Sr. 43 Brian Hall Sr. MLB 52 Greg Trent So. 50 Jason Stripling So. WLB 49 Steve Dildine Sr. 38 Cory Evans So. CB 12 Tyron Brackenridge Sr. 32 Ian Bell So. CB 25 Don Turner Sr. 27 Ryan Kensok So. SS 37 Eric Frampton Sr. 22 Michael Willis So. FS 23 Husain Abdullah Jr. 30 DeWayne Patterson Sr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 27 Loren Langley Jr. P 39 Darryl Blunt So. KR 3 Lorenzo Bursey Jr. PR 5 Michael Bumpus Jr.

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The Washington State Cougars expect to go to a bowl game this year. But they expected to go last year too. After a 3-0 start to the 2005 season, illustrating the insignificance of victories over weak non-conference opponents, the Cougs lost seven straight Pac-10 games before barely beating their low-powered rival, Washington.

What troubles most WSU fans as they look forward to a new season is how the Cougars dropped most of those games. Aside from the pasting at USC, Washington State could have or should have won every other Pac-10 game. There were player mistakes, yes, but there were coaching goofs, too, enough to undoubtedly put the head man, Bill Doba, on the hot seat elsewhere.

In Pullman, Doba is isolated and insulated from criticism that would be more audible were he the coach of, say, an SEC team. The media cuts him slack because he's approachable and accessible, coming across as a genuinely good man. In addition, though the Cougars played in the Rose Bowl in '98 and '03, expectations still aren't as high as in college football hotbeds.

Just give WSU fans a competitive, exciting team and a bowl game every once in awhile, and that's usually enough. But it's been almost three years since they smacked Texas in the Holiday Bowl, and you'll note the disparity between the Longhorns and Cougars now -- national champions compared to non-contenders.

Since then, the Cougs are 4-12 in Pac-10 play, which is just not good enough. It's time for Doba to produce, and there are reasons to believe he will.

Better hope it happens in a hurry -- Washington State opens at Auburn Sept. 2.

OFFENSE

The Cougars should have one of the highest-scoring units in the Pac-10, led by receiver Jason Hill, a legitimate All-America candidate. After surprisingly saying no to the NFL as an early-entry, Hill expects to break every WSU receiving record in his senior season.

"I want to be the best receiver [in Coug history], hands down, no doubts about it," he says. "That's been my goal. I realize it's doable."

Junior Michael Bumpus teams with Hill to give Washington State one of the Pac-10's best tandems of game-breaking receivers. Bumpus doubles as an extraordinary punt returner.

Quarterback Alex Brink knows how to get the ball to Hill and Bumpus but has a tendency to hit defensive backs in the numbers, too. In '05, Brink threw three touchdowns or more in a game five times but was also intercepted two times or more in five games.

With Jerome Harrison taking his 1,900-yard senior season to the NFL, it's a Coug quandary as to who will take the ball from him. Most believe that Harrison's backup, DeMaundray Woolridge, will become the top ball-carrier now. He was a reliable north-south guy last year, using his bowling-ball build (5-foot-8, 223) to create holes for himself if none were there. Two junior college transfers will also get an opportunity.

The most talented tight end and biggest target is 6-foot-8 Cody Boyd, but he's so frequently injured that Jed Collins could be the starter.

DEFENSE

The line is one of the team's strengths, particularly if Mkristo Bruce keeps finding his way into opposing backfields. At the other end, WSU hopes that Matt Mullennix can effectively replace Adam Braidwood, a British Columbian who was the top overall pick in the CFL draft. Inside, the Cougs are stout with fireplug A'i Ahmu, Aaron Johnson and Ropati Pitoitua, three players Doba has raved about since they arrived on campus.

With seniors Scott Davis and Steve Dildine and sophomore Greg Trent, the linebacking is solid if unspectacular, but the secondary, yikes. Well, not a complete yikes, but a potential yikes. The safeties, Husain Abdullah and Eric Frampton, are adequate, but the corners are not.

SPECIALISTS

The kicking game could be a weakness this fall. Darryl Blunt and Fritz Brayton will battle to replace Kyle Basler as punter. Neither distinguished himself in the spring. Loren Langley, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound junior, is an erratic placekicker with limited range. Other than that, no problems in the kicking department at all.

FINAL ANALYSIS

If Washington State can replace two graduated linemen and just get reasonable rushing yards from their tailback -- likely to be Woolridge -- it could be one of the Pac-10's highest-scoring teams. No defense will be able to stop Hill and Bumpus consistently, and Brink gives the Cougs another option with his fleet feet. Should Boyd remain healthy, which is unlikely, the offense will feature yet another attractive option.

The offense had better be explosive, because the Cougs again look like they're better equipped to outscore opponents than stop them. Though the defensive linemen and linebackers are salty enough, their efforts could be overlooked if the secondary struggles as expected. Factor in a kicking game that should be mediocre at best, and you start thinking that six wins and an invitation to the Las Vegas Bowl would have to be considered a successful season.