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2009 Washington State NCAA Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

washington st 7309 2008 was a season to forget for the Washington State Cougars, who finished the year just 2-11 and 1-8 in Pac-10 play. The Cougars were blown out by double digits in all 11 of their losses. The one positive was an overtime win over in-state and conference rival Washington for bragging rights. Head coach Paul Wulff expects improvement in his second year as he and his players now have a better understanding of each other. But will that improvement be noticeable enough to keep Cougars out of the Pac-10 basement? Get my take in this 2009 college football betting preview. Our readers are eligible to take advantage of a special $500 match bonus at BetUS.

Offense – The Cougars ranked 118th in the nation in scoring offense last season (next to last), averaging only 12.7 points per game, and 118th in total offense, averaging just 241.1 yards per game. And it could be another dismal offensive season if Marshall Lobbestael isn’t able to fully recover from last season’s knee injury. He’s the team’s best quarterback as Kevin Lopina, who threw for 841 yards and no touchdowns last season, represents a noticeable drop off. The Cougars lost their best player, wide receiver Brandon Gibson to the NFL. That leaves Jeshua Anderson, who is a world-class hurdler, as the new No. 1 target. He had 33 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns last season. He has the speed to get behind the defense if the line can protect and if the quarterbacks can deliver the football in stride. The running game, which ranked 110th nationally last season (95.1 yards per game), should be improved with three players all battling for carries. Dwight Tardy is the team’s top returning ball carrier, rushing for 481 yards and three scores last season, but we could see Cal transfer James Montgomery emerge as the best back by season’s end. Montgomery played in all 13 games for Cal in 2007 and is a former high school All-American. Center Kenny Alfred and tackle Micah Hannam lead the offensive line.

Defense – The Washington State defense was as bad as I can ever remember seeing at the top collegiate level. The Cougars allowed an average of 49.8 points per game in their 11 defeats, losing those games by an average of 40.6 points. The unit finished the season ranked 118th nationally in scoring defense (43.9 points per game allowed) and dead last against the run (247.6 yards per game allowed). There’s a lot of pressure on the defensive line to win the battle of the trenches more often. Coach Wulff is expecting a lot out of defensive end Kevin Kooyman, juco transfer tackle Bernard Wolfgramm, and tackle Toby Turpin, who is the team’s leading returning sack man. The program is big on redshirt freshman defensive end Jesse Feagin as well now that he’s bulked up in the offseason. The linebacker corps features a pair of relentless players in Andy Mattingly and Louis Brand and the secondary returns both safety Xavier Hicks and Chima Nwachukwu.

Prediction: 10th Pac-10 Conference – I do expect to see improvement on both sides of the football in Paul Wulff’s second season at the controls but not enough to escape the cellar. The team should have a shot to beat rival Washington again, but that game is in Seattle this season. Washington State is listed at +10,000 to win the Pac-10.

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