Defensive end Travis Long is WSU's rock on defense

Travis Long is one tough hombre.

Long proved as much when he started every game at defensive end for Washington State as an undersized true freshman and led the Cougars in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks in 2009.

Last year, Long improved his numbers in both categories to again lead the team. And he did so with a badly torn labrum that required postseason surgery after he played the entire season with a brace on his left shoulder.

“His shoulder was popping out all the time,” WSU defensive coordinator Chris Ball said. “He played through it. He basically played with one arm most of the season.”

“Last year was so, so miserable,” Long said. “This year, it’s so much better.”

That can’t be good news for WSU’s opponents. Ball said Long played in “tons” of pain in 2010, but he still registered 51 tackles, 101/2 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Long earned honorable mention to the All-Pacific-10 Conference team both seasons despite WSU’s defense ranking among the nation’s worst.

“His speed, his strength, his agility; he’s a really great player,” WSU offensive tackle Wade Jacobson said.

“He’s a very, very hard worker,” Ball said. “He plays extremely hard, and he’s smart. He’s a really good athlete.”

Todd Howard, a former NFL player and assistant coach, is in his first year as Washington State’s defensive line coach and has been impressed with what he’s seen in Long.

“Travis is a good athlete,” Howard said. “He has good football awareness … He gets it.”

What Long loves to “get” most is opposing quarterbacks. The 6-foot-4, 256-pound junior from Spokane has excellent quickness, and he was recently moved from left end to right end to give him a better shot at a quarterback’s blind side.

“Coach Howard, he’s been able to help me out a lot on my pass rush,” Long said. “I definitely think it’s a realistic goal to get double-digit sacks.”

For Long to accomplish his goal, he’ll need more help from his teammates on the defensive side of the ball so that teams can’t focus on stopping on him. He says help is on the way for a unit that gave up an average of 35.8 points and 467 yards per game in 2010.

“We’ve got some playmakers out there right now,” Long said. “Our linebackers can all run, all three of (the starters) can. They can all come downhill and fill the gaps.

“I think our D-line is getting a lot better at being where they’re supposed to be with their gap responsibilities. Some of those (problems in the past) were technique. We’re having a lot better technique with maintaining our gap integrity.”

Long said an improved defense is just one reason why the Cougars should play in a bowl game this season for the first time since 2003.

“We’ve got a lot of experience, and we’re all meshing really well together,” Long said. “I mean, it’s just a completely different atmosphere in the locker room.

“We’re a lot closer. We don’t have as many bad seeds in there. That kind of affected the chemistry of the team.

“A lot of those guys are gone. That’s what Coach (Paul) Wulff has been working on.”

Long knew the Cougars were in a rebuilding mode when he phoned Ball on Christmas Day in 2008 to inform him that he was going to Washington State. Among the suitors Long turned down was national powerhouse Boise State.

“Just hanging out with the guys that were there (at BSU), I just didn’t feel the same connection as when I came here,” Long said. “Just the whole atmosphere here.”

Ball said Long has helped improve the atmosphere surrounding WSU football.

“He’s not a big talker,” Ball said. “He leads by example.

“But when he does talk – when he talks to the team and he does raise his voice and gets on the guys – people listen, because he’s got a lot of respect. They really, really respect him.”

• IN DEPTH: A closer look at each position.

COUGARS OPPONENT THIS WEEK

IDAHO STATE (0-0 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG SKY CONFERENCE)

2 p.m., Martin Stadium, Pullman, No TV, 1240-AM, 770-AM, 104.3-FM

Coach: Mike Kramer (0-0, first year)

Against the Cougars: First meeting.

Washington connections: Kramer, a former head coach at Stadium High School and Eastern Washington, served as WSU’s assistant director of football operations last year. Offensive line coach Derrick Roche played at WSU. Backup defensive tackle Austin Graves redshirted at WSU as a walk-on last year. More than a dozen Bengals played high school ball in Washington, including starting cornerback Kelvin Miller, a senior from Lakes. Wide receiver Anthony Boyles and defensive lineman Kimo Makaula, transfers from Washington, are listed as reserves.

Scouting report: The Bengals finished 1-10 last season, and they’re picked to again finish last in the Big Sky Conference. WSU is favored by 271/2 points. The Bengals have three seniors who earned first-team All-America honors in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) last year. Middle linebacker A.J. Storms led the FCS with 13.3 tackles per game. David Harrington was first in punting with an average of 44.4 yards per punt. Tavoy Moore was second in punt returns with an aveage return of 18.8 yards.

Did you know: Roche, a Kentridge High graduate, was a first-team All-American offensive guard on Washington State’s last Rose Bowl team during the 2002 regular season.