For many college football coaches, the last time they used the word “culture” was in describing a high school science experiment.
Paul Wulff is different. The Washington State coach often refers to the changing culture surrounding WSU football when he discusses the progress made by the Cougars since his staff began rebuilding the program in 2008.
“I like where this team is, where its culture is,” Wulff said as the Cougars prepared for tonight’s game with Oregon State at CenturyLink Field.
“We have all the right things in terms of our work ethic, our commitment, our understanding what it takes to do well,” Wulff continued. “We may not do it all the time consistently, but the ingredients for rapid growth and long-term culture expectations within the program have definitely changed.
“This group has changed that. They’re bound and determined to keep growing our program.”
Tonight’s game might be seen as a “must win” for the 3-3 Cougars. The Beavers are 1-5 and struggling with a glut of injuries and poor execution on both sides of the ball.
Three Top 25 teams are left in the remaining six games on WSU’s schedule, so every win is crucial to the Cougars’ bowl aspirations. A crowd of 50,000-plus is expected to ignore the predicted rain to give the Cougars their largest “home” crowd in years.
WSU quarterback Jeff Tuel, overwhelmed (along with most of his teammates) by rugged and talented Stanford last week, makes his second start since recovering from a broken collarbone. Tuel’s passing and running were crucial in last year’s 31-14 win at Oregon State.
“The quarterback running killed us,” Beavers coach Mike Riley said.
“I just feel much more comfortable (this week),” Tuel said.
The Beavers have relied heavily on promising but mistake-prone quarterback Sean Mannion, a redshirt freshman. Riley said he plans to make better use of running back Malcolm Agnew tonight. The true freshman ran for 223 yards against Sacramento State in the season opener, then was sidelined with a balky hamstring before gaining 49 yards on 10 carries against Brigham Young last week.
“He’s all right,” WSU middle linebacker C.J. Mizell said. “A little elusive character.”
“He’s quick, has good strength,” Wulff said. “He’s going to be a good football player.”
EXTRA POINTS
Asked to pick a most valuable player on offense and defense for the first half of the season, Wulff listed running back Carl Winston, wide receiver Marquess Wilson, outside linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis and defensive end Travis Long. … Longtime football magazine guru Phil Steele named Wilson and Long to his midseason All-Pac-12 first team. Hoffman-Ellis, safety Deone Bucannon, offensive guard B.J. Guerra and kicker Andrew Furney made the second team. Isiah Barton, who leads the Pac-12 with 27.6 yards per kickoff return, made the third team as a kick returner. … The Cougars are 5-3 with two straight losses at CenturyLink (formerly Seahawks Stadium and Qwest Field). … WSU recruited Mannion, who replaced junior Ryan Katz as Oregon State’s starting quarterback in the third game.
COUGARS GAMEDAY
OREGON STATE (1-5, 1-2 PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE) VS. WASHINGTON STATE (3-3, 1-2)
7:41 p.m., CenturyLink Field, Seattle
TV: Root Sports. Radio: 770-AM, 1240-AM, 104.3-FM.
THE SERIES: Washington State leads, 48-44-3. WSU won, 31-14, last year in Corvallis, Ore.
WHAT TO WATCH: The Beavers are wary of Jeff Tuel’s scrambling abilty – a major factor in WSU’s win last year in Corvallis – but the Cougars might be hesitant to let Tuel loose one week after he returned to action from a broken collarbone. The Beavers are averaging 45 passes per game, so a good pass rush and strong play by the secondary could be crucial for the Cougars. WSU’s well-respected receivers, including ever-reliable senior Jared Karstetter, have dropped a number of passes the past two weeks.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Cougars, determined to play in a bowl game for the first time since 2003, can ill afford to lose to the banged-up Beavers. Oregon State’s defense is struggling against the run, and the Beavers will be without three defensive starters injured last week – linebackers Feti Unga (the team’s leading tackler) and Cameron Collins and tackle Castro Masaniai. One year after beating Oregon State as 231/2-point underdogs, the Cougars are favored by 3 points. Most of the Beavers’ team statistics are underwhelming, but OSU started the week ranked sixth in the nation in punt returns (18.1 yards per).
THE PICK: Washington State 43, Oregon State 31.
PRIME NUMBERS
OREGON STATE
With roster number, name, height/weight, year in school and position in parentheses:
4 Sean Mannion (QB), 6-5/218, Freshman
Passed for 1,588 yards, 5 TDs, 9 ints. in 6 starts.
2 Markus Wheaton (SE), 6-0/178, Junior
Has 46 receptions (3rd in Pac-12) but no TDs.
95 Scott Crichton (DE), 6-3/258, Freshman Foss High grad tied for Pac-12 lead with 8 tackles for loss.
14 Jordan Poyer (CB), 6-0/190, Junior
Has 3 ints, avg. 23.5 yds. per kickoff return, 17.0 per punt return.
WASHINGTON STATE
10 Jeff Tuel (QB), 6-3/223, Junior
Passed for 157 yards, ran for 79 last year vs. OSU.
86 Marquess Wilson (WR), 6-4/183, Sophomore
Has 4 TD catches of 50-plus yards this season.
81 Isiah Barton (WR), 6-1/187, Senior
Has caught 33 passes, leads Pac-12 with 27.6 yards-per-kickoff return.
17 Alex Hoffman-Ellis (OLB), 6-1/231, Senior
Eighth in Pac-12 with 7.0 tackles per game.
Howie Stalwick, contributing writer
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