Come Saturday, the Oregon football team will be faced with a few big questions:
Will its opponent have a blistering offense? Will that offense be based on long pass plays? If the blitz is used, will the quarterback be able to escape and hit an open receiver?
The answers to those questions depend on Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser, who the No. 7 Ducks (7-1 overall, 5-0 Pacific-10 Conference) must stop if they are to beat the Cougars (3-5, 1-4) in Pullman, Wash., Saturday at 2 p.m.
“Obviously Jason Gesser — and I’ve said this all along — has tremendous escape ability and the ability to create on the run,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “That’s exactly what got us into trouble against [Arizona State quarterback] Jeff Krohn.”
The game is yet another must-win situation for Oregon, which needs to take care of business on the road before returning next weekend for its final home game of the season against California.
Both the Ducks and Cougars are coming off exhausting weekends of football. Hours before Oregon State drubbed Washington State, 38-9, in Corvallis last Saturday, Oregon ran itself ragged in an offensive shooting match with Arizona State.
“I’m tired. I’ll admit it, I’m tired,” Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington said. “It took a lot out of us; it was a very draining game. But we have a lot of time to rest this week and get some good work in, and we’ll be ready to go by Saturday.”
Several Oregon players were injured while battling the Sun Devils. On the D-line, defensive tackle Zack Freiter will replace Jason Nikolao, who injured his right knee in the first quarter of the Arizona State game.
Everyone else, despite bumps and bruises, should be able to play Saturday.
“The loss of [Nikolao’s] presence hurts a lot,” defensive end Saul Patu said. “Obviously he’s been a good player for us. Seth and Niko, Boice and me have been able to defend well. Just knowing that Niko is on that side of the line builds confidence. I felt confident that I could defend my side of the field.”
Gesser and the Washington State passing attack have made the Cougars a force to be reckoned with. The Cougs played five straight games, winning two and losing three, which were decided by seven points or fewer.
Only the Beavers have been able to find a way to stop Washington State’s high-flying offense. Most opponents have found themselves guessing how to contain Gesser.
Judging by the quarterback’s stats, many opponents have guessed wrong.
Gesser’s 241.5 passing yards per game leads the conference in aerial offense. His quarterback rating, 136.9, leads the Pac-10 and is good for No. 23 nationally.
But more recent statistics indicate that Gesser may be stopping himself. Before throwing a fourth-quarter interception against the Wildcats Oct. 14, Gesser’s quarterback rating was 153.76, a mark that was top in the conference and sixth in the nation. Since the pick, he has completed just 29 of 70 passes.
Regardless of which Gesser shows up Saturday, Oregon’s defense seems ready to take his best shot.
“He likes to scramble,” cornerback Rashad Bauman said. “He’s a good scrambler; that’s where he does best. We just have to make sure to control the pocket and we’ll have a good chance.”
Washington State also poses a potentially potent ground attack in tailbacks Deon Burnett and Dave Minnich. Burnett, a sophomore, has rushed for 1,313 career yards and is 426 yards short of a spot on Washington State’s top-10 list. Minnich, a former Marine, has rushed for 445 yards and two scores in eight games this season.
Burnett and Minnich may seem like small potatoes when compared with a Ken Simonton or a DeShaun Foster. Last Saturday, Arizona State walk-on tailback Tom Pace also seemed like small potatoes ­ until he rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Oregon defensive line coach Steve Greatwood isn’t sure why the Ducks’ rushing defense broke down at Sun Devil Stadium, but said he doesn’t think it will happen again.
“For whatever reason, we just didn’t play with the same tempo that we played in previous games last Saturday,” Greatwood said. “Assignments were okay and things like that, but we just didn’t play with the same fire and emotion. We have to realize that we’re going to get everyone’s best shot from here on out.”
In the event that Oregon’s defense has another bad day, statistics indicate that the offense should once again flourish. Washington State has the seventh-best pass defense in the Pac-10 and is last in rushing defense, allowing 174.5 yards per game on the ground.