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By Dave Consolazio, October 14, 2009 4:44 am

Washington State Cougars 1-5 Overall (0-4 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Arizona State 27 – Washington State 14

Next Week’s Opponent: BYE


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 6 Notes and Observations: Washington State Cougars'»

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By Sam Saig, August 21, 2009 9:45 am

Statistically speaking, the Washington State secondary actually performed respectably in 2008. The unit ranked 44th in the country against the pass (195.7 yards per game), which was good enough for 6th in the Pac-10. The numbers should come as a pleasant surprise considering the amount of points WSU gave up last year (FBS record 570).

Unfortunately, the pass defense production was greatly influenced by the effortless ease with which opponents ran the ball last season. After all, the Cougars run defense ranked dead last in America, giving up over 247 yards per game (including allowing over 300 yards in seven games).

This season, the Wazzu secondary will look to prove that it can stop the pass even when opponents are throwing the ball 25+ times a game. Co-defensive coordinators Chris Ball and Jody Sears have done a lot of shuffling within the unit (for a variety of reasons), but the defensive backfield does have some promising pieces in place.

While depth will be an issue at cornerback, safety should be one of the strengths of the entire defense (along with linebacker).

Xavier Hicks prepares for the coming season

Continue reading 'Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Secondary – Washington State Cougars'»