Cougars breathe sigh of relief
PULLMAN — The constant breeze passing through Martin Stadium during Saturday’s game might not have been a weather phenomenon.
More likely, it was the result of one big, collective exhale from the Washington State sideline.
One from head coach Bill Doba, who saw a team play with much more confidence the second time around.
One from quarterback Alex Brink, who rebounded after playing so miserably seven days earlier.
One from defensive coordinator Robb Akey, who had time to work with his defense on the bench since they didn’t spend the entire game on the field.
And one from running back DeMaundray Woolridge, who didn’t have to play with a bruised thigh, risking further and more significant injury in a close game.
The Cougars were noticeably and understandably unsettled after their season-opening loss at Auburn, but on Saturday they did much to at least restore a sense that all is not lost. Far from it, in fact, after blowing out Idaho 56-10.
If anything, WSU can now start the season over, with its record sitting at a comfortable 1-1. And Cougar coaches are sure to be getting their players prepped for what lies ahead, because in all likelihood the next two weeks will serve as a true barometer for the season.
In Auburn the Cougars were facing a top-five team that has done nothing thus far to disprove its status in the polls. And in Idaho they saw a team in transition and a team still in the midst of the building process, one not prepared to take on a WSU squad bent on proving its superiority in the local market.
No such chip will be on Cougar shoulders now, however. Instead, playing Baylor in Seattle and then Stanford on the road should just be about proving what’s up and what’s down for WSU this fall.
Baylor will most likely end up being a mid- to lower-level Big XII team, clearly positioned as a squad occupying the middle ground between Idaho and Auburn. Stanford, even after getting off to an 0-2 start, should also serve as a fair test for the Cougars, especially after the Cardinal has come to Pullman and left with a victory in each of the last two seasons.
A 2-0 stretch in the next two weeks before playing USC in Martin Stadium would justifiably have WSU fans optimistic, and in turn an 0-2 stretch would have those same fans in crimson red-faced at the thought of a third consecutive rough season.
The Cougars still haven’t shown that they can play with the big boys, but that is not a problem in the short term. For now, their season is about beating the teams they can reasonably aspire to – and the next two weeks present just that opportunity.