This a big week for the folks who are big fans of the two major schools in the state of Washington. This a game of hope for both teams. Washington State can end a bad season on a good note and Washington needs this victory to not have another mediocre season. We here at No Fair Weather Fans want to give our opinions of this games. This isn’t a post on why our team will win. This is a post on why your team will lose. This is a battle and we want to take down our enemy.
Here is a breakdown of why your favorite of the two schools will lose:
BRAD:
“We’ve only been playing with niiiiine…” – Mike Leach
Let’s face it – the COOGS (as my phone auto corrects it) are on the ropes. The final scores have been speaking for themselves, and outside of a spirited comeback against UCLA, the COOGS have been anything but competitive since they found a way to lose to Colorado.
This game on paper should have trouble written all over it for Washington State.
Travis Long is out.
Tuel is “probably” going to start.
Marquess Wilson (while he was whiner and probably a cancer on the team, was talented) is no longer on the team. Allegations of abuse, whether true or not, loom over a program that hasn’t gotten off to the start that Mike Leach and most WSU fans would have imagined if asked at the beginning of the year.
The terrible losses have been mounting. A game on the day after Thanksgiving, in Pullman at noon doesn’t necessarily let me believe that the Cougar faithful are going to make it out after Black Friday shopping in Moscow. 75% of the students are going to be back in their eastside homes enjoying turkey dinner, far, far away from the confines of Martin Stadium.
Leach is clearly moving guys he doesn’t want out and putting in his system. As a football fan, I believe that Leach is going to get the guys in he needs, and given the time in Pullman he can make it work. He made it work in Lubbock, TX, he can make it work in Pullman, WA.
The talent cupboard wasn’t necessarily bare, as is most of the time when coaching changes happen and one staff is swapped for another. Trust me, as a Husky fan, I can speak to it first hand with the transitions from Gilby (who coincidentally, his son is backing up Tuel at WSU this week) to Tyrone and so forth. This is an attitude thing, and right now – outside of a few seniors, they clearly are empty corpses on the field.
I am actually finding it kinda hard to bash on the Cougs for this game. Not that I was setting out to bash them, but there are so many negatives going into this game, I can’t imagine any coaching staff would be able to get a team out a funk like they are in right now.
The Huskies are getting hot at the right time. It just doesn’t bode well for the Cougs this week. There is always next year.
In other news, Mike Price retired from UTEP today. Maybe give him a call for a pep-talk?
BEN:
Bishop Sankey would be having more fun in Pullman.
The only way I can feel strong about a Coug win is to find holes in the Huskies’ armor. There are a couple for sure. Although, looking at the past four games they are hard to find.
An offensive line that figured to be terrible, the season, has been opening holes for Bishop Sankey, aka The Traitor. Sankey has averaged well over 100 yards per game the last four games. Shutting him down leads to one of the holes in that Husky armor.
The wide receivers are a bunch of no names that haven’t really showed a lot this season. Outside of Kasen Williams and Cody Bruns, I haven’t heard of a single receiver on the team.
I am purposely not mentioning Austin Seferian-Jenkins, it just makes me feel better when I don’t talk about him. Let’s face it, he is one of the best tight ends in the conference and the nation. The Cougs’ linebackers won’t be able to shut him down. Don’t worry though, with the lack of talent UW has at wide receiver, the Cougs can put one of their good safeties on ASJ. Deone Buchanan and Casey Locker have played well all year, this a time for them to play great. What better time than the Apple Cup?
As for attacking the Husky defense, the short passing game has been effective against them. If you look at the last four teams UW has played, none of them were good passing teams. The last team the Huskies played with a decent passing attack was Arizona and they hung 52 points on the Dawgs. This a game where Gabe Marks, the Williams boys (Dominique and Kristoff) and Brett Bartolone need to step up. Three of them are freshman, but are 60 minutes of football away from being sophomores. They have made big plays all year, they just need to find that consistency.
The last factor is you, Cougar Nation. Time to bring the passion you have always shown. Focus that Cougar pride which has flags flying every Saturday behind the dudes from College Game Day and the flags you hold in places all over the world in your Facebook pictures. This is what you wanted, the game to stay in Pullman every other year, not at The Clink. This is your moment, to make that little difference that pushes the Cougs to the win.
