Washington State Football Week 9: This Week the Trend

Oct. 13, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Brett Bartolone (19) and quarterback Jeff Tuel (10) celebrate a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Golden Bears won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

So after a short break in writing, yours truly is back,  and what a week for a comeback!  Week 9 of the college football season is upon us and this is where it gets interesting.  Coveted BCS Standings are being fought over and we still aren’t sure who is the #1,2, 3 or even 4th team in the nation!  There are a lot of questions still to be answered and the #1, #2 and #3 teams will be tested and have a chance to answer some of those questions.

Our very own Cougs will once again be matching up with another top 25 team, the Stanford Cardinal.  The Cougs have had several chances to upset a ranked opponent this year but have come up short time and time again.  Coming off a bye week, if there was ever a week we could use our once a season upset, this is the week.

What Stanford Brings:

They are big, they are tough and they can run the ball all day.  Going up against a weaker defensive line this week is setting the stage, in the minds of the Cardinal faithful, for what could be a 200+ yard rushing day.  They are also solid on defense.  Their cornerbacks are fast, their linebackers are strong and their d-line is big.  Stanford is coming off a dominating effort over their long hated rivals, the Cal Bears, who the week before, shut down the Cougars, whom Stanford now faces.

So What is the Cougar Trend this Week?:

Ball Control.  Over the past few weeks we have continuously turned the ball over… and over and over.  Halliday’s poor judgement and vision were mostly to blame but we can also chalk a lot of those turnovers up to lack of focus.  We need to come off the bus focused on protecting the ball and keeping drives alive.

Defensively same trend.  Ball Control.  Our D has actually done a nice job of getting our offense the ball over the past few weeks, mainly in the form of interceptions.  We need to take advantage of a struggling Nunes and bring pressure from all over to force turnovers.  Our defense has shown improvement but has a big step to take this weekend if we are going to pull the biggest upset in recent program history.

All in all do I believe we can do this?  Heart says yes, Brain says no.  That’s why I’m thankful I listen to my heart in most cases, which is probably why I’m a Coug fan in the first place.  We need to come out and play our best game of the season to get this one done.  We need Bartolone to continue his rise and Marquess to get some of his swagger back.  We need play makers on defense to perform their best and most of all we need a little luck.  Things have not been going our way this season, this is true.  But if we want to get some W’s in the Pac12 before this season ends, we have to change the path this season is on and find an identity.  Lets go get this.  Go Cougs!