When the Washington State offense takes the field Saturday t Autzen Stadium, one fact will be obvious: These aren’t Jason Gesser’s Cougars anymore.
After finishing his career at Washington State and signing as an undrafted free agent with Tennessee, the Cougars’ all-time leading passer has been replaced by senior Matt Kegel. The 6-foot-5-inch, 235-pound Havre, Mont., native sat behind Gesser for four years and is now looking to leave his own mark on the Cougar offense.
Throwing for 1,038 yards in four games, Kegel has taken over an offense that led the Cougars to a Rose Bowl bid last season. Meanwhile, he’s led the No. 21 Cougars to a 3-1 record and has gained the respect of opposing coaches.
“(The Cougars) have a great quarterback who is playing at a high level,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “They spread you out, and they won’t wait until they’re 21 points down to throw the ball. They come out wheelin’ and dealin’.”
First-year head coach Bill Doba said the Cougars have been able to utilize Kegel”s talents by forcing him to stay in the pocket. Kegel’s passing yards per game have increased each week, including a 346-yard effort against New Mexico.
“(Kegel) has improved little by little each week and gained more and more confidence,” Doba said of the former high school All-American. “We’ve got him to stay in the pocket. He’s taken some hits right in the mouth as he’s let the ball go, and that”s what he has to do.”
One problem the Cougar offense has had lately is scoring touchdowns in the red zone. But when the Cougar offense hasn’t been able to punch the ball into the end zone, senior placekicker Drew Dunning has been close to automatic. Dunning has connected on 13-of-14 field goal attempts, including 5-of-5 last week against New Mexico.
“He was very, very accurate for us last year,” Doba said of Dunning, who was 22 of 33 on field goal attempts last year. “He’s a seasoned veteran and he’s kicked under pressure.”
The Cougars also had some major losses on the defensive side of the ball, losing cornerback Marcus Trufant and defensive tackle Rien Long to the National Football League draft. Trufant, a shut-down corner who was rarely tested, was taken in the first round by Seattle. Long, the 2003 Outland Trophy winner, was selected by the Titans in the fourth round.
Despite the loss of Trufant and Long, the defense has allowed only one rushing touchdown and leading the Pacific-10 Conference with 16 sacks.
Senior Jason David and junior Karl Paymah have held down the corner positions. David returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown against Colorado, helping the Cougars to a 47-26 win that put Washington State back into the top 25.
Doba said the Cougars have been able to handle the loss of Long because of tremendous depth at tackle, including seniors Jeremey Williams and Tai Tupai, who have anchored the defensive line. Doba added that the Cougars will need freshman tackle Odell Howard to fill in for junior Steve Cook, who is out four to six weeks with a broken foot.
With players stepping up on both sides of the ball, the Cougars look to win their first game at Autzen Stadium since 1997. Doba said if the Cougars stand a chance against the Ducks, they need to jump out to a quick start and keep the crowd out of the game.
“I don’t think you can silence that crowd, period,” Doba said. “Hopefully we can slow them down a little bit or get them a little bit quiet.”