A favorable trend has developed for Washington State in the past five seasons. Dating back to the year 2000, the Cougars are 5-1 in games following a bye week.
Washington State (3-1 overall, 1-0 Pacific-10 Conference) and second-year head coach Bill Doba needed some rest after an exhausting 20-19 victory in their league-opener at Arizona on Sept. 25. The game was decided in the last minute when quarterback Josh Swogger hit wide receiver Jason Hill with 53 seconds left on the clock. Despite a pair of failed two-point conversion attempts, the Cougars held on.
Doba took over the show in the middle of Washington State’s current conference-best record of 39-9 that spans over the last four seasons. USC has done equally well, and Oregon has the third best record from 2001-2004 at 27-15. Doba is 12-4 as head coach of the Pullman squad.
The Cougars’ offense has stayed consistent this year, averaging 25.5 points and 373 yards per game. Swogger has nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions on the year. Both picks came in the season-opener against New Mexico. He threw six touchdowns in the past two games, and five of those were caught by Hill.
Hill is 12th in the nation in receiving yards with 104.75 per game and leads a Washington State pass offense that averages 283 through the air. The sophomore has team-highs in touchdowns (6) and total yards (419). He has 15 receptions and averages 27.9 yards per catch.
Rushing may be the Cougars’ only weakness. It averages 90 yards per game, and leading rusher Chris Bruhn has carried for 220 yards, but has no touchdowns. The senior running back averages 55 yards per game. Juniors Jerome Harrison and Allen Thompson have each scored two rushing touchdowns, accounting for Washington State’s only scores on the ground. Harrison is also the leading kick-off returner with 93 yards gained.
Swogger passed for 240 yards against New Mexico in his debut as a starter. The sophomore completed 24 of 38 pass attempts, and connected three balls for touchdowns.
Sophomore place kicker Loren Langley has also contributed to a proficient offense. Langley has made all 12 extra points this season. However, he has gone only 2-5 in field-goal attempts. The farthest kick was from 44 yards.
Keep on stoppin’
Washington State has not allowed more than 20 points to an opponent this season. The defense has not been distracted on the road, which has helped the Cougars get their three wins away from home.
Washington State’s pass defense is second in the Pac-10, allowing only 158.75 yards a game. Oregon accumulates an average of 225.75 yards per game through the air.
Junior defensive back Alex Teems already has two interceptions this year. Safety Hamza Abdullah is fourth on the team in tackles and has also recorded a sack this season.
Defensive tackle Ropati Pitoitua has recorded 2.5 sacks for a loss of 20 yards and three tackles for a combined loss of 22 yards. The freshman has started two games and played in three. Washington State has a total of 10 quarterback sacks tallied this season.
No punts about it
Washington State punter Kyle Basler earned his second Pac-10 Player of the Week award for special teams after breaking two school records against Arizona. He was elected as the special teams captain and is also a candidate for the Ray Guy Award.
The junior blasted an 87-yard kick that traveled 77 yards through the air alone. Prior to Balser’s punt, Gavin Hendrick held the previous record with an 83-yarder that came against California in 1975. Basler’s kick is the second-longest in Pac-10 history, behind former California punter Scott Tabor’s 89-yard shot that set the record in 1989.
Balser slipped past Jason Hanson’s 1990 school record of 52-yards per punt by booting seven kicks for an average of 53.4 yards. This season, Balser’s average is 46.1 yards — sixth in the nation — and he has placed seven kicks inside the 20-yard line.
Remember to score
Washington State has not been shut out in 221 consecutive Pac-10 games, the best streak of any team in the conference. The Cougars have scored in 180 consecutive home games at Martin Stadium, dating back to 1956.
This season, the Cougars have outscored opponents 38-10 in the first half and allowed only three points in the first quarter. A similar story was told in 2003. Washington State allowed only 25 points in the first quarter all last year.

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