Washington State at Oklahoma State


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Oklahoma and Washington State face off on Saturday, September 4th at 6:10 pm EST at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This match up is sure to be entertaining as Week 1 of the season gets underway, and college football odds show the Cowboys –15 ½ over Washington State with a total set of 49 ½ points.

The Cowboys and Cougars meet for the fourth time and second time in three seasons. Washington State leads the series 2-1, but lost a 39-13 in the 2008 season opener.

Oklahoma State is a program that has traditionally fought to recruit the top athletic prospects to build around, and in spite of receiving their fair share, always falls a little short on the field despite the talent.

True championship teams have moments where they are greater than the sum of their parts, but this program somehow always ends up less than they look on paper. Last season saw them go 9-4, and Gundy will tweak the offense yet again trying to find the magic key. I think this is the season he finds it.

Running back Kendall Hunter had over 1,500 yards and 16 TDs and will lead the ground assault while Josh Cooper and Justin Blackmon will be open for passes, providing for a two-pronged attack.

Five starters are returning to an offensive line that is ready to come into its own, led by freshmen Parker Graham and Brandon Webb. Both have the talent to learn on their job and be above average in their first starting role.

Sophomores Andrae May, Brodrick Brown, and Malcolm Murray form a fast and tenacious secondary, while redshirt freshman LeRon Furr adds to a core that will be terrific once it is up and running. Veteran safeties Markell Martin and junior Johnny Thomas are solid, and with faster men around them, the defense will be better than last season.

Washington State has been sliding to the depths for a few season and finally reached the bottom last season with a 1-11 record. Over the past three campaigns they are 3-22 under Coach Paul Wulff. While it’s obvious a full rebuild of personnel and attitude is needed, there are so many problems one must wonder where to start.

There isn’t much to build around, and Wulff will piece together a team out of 50 returning players, most of which played in at minimum one game last season. To say it’s a haphazard approach is an understatement. Injuries forced many of those players into games showing how overmatched they were.

Quarterback Jeff Tuel and DE Travis Long are the two lone bright spots, and will form a small foundation to rebuild on. Long led the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.

Matt’s Free Prediction: Oklahoma State –15 ½ – Washington States past success was based on a strong QB who looked downfield.  Tuel has shown flashes of that offensive eye, between injuries; having tossed 354 yards and two TDs against Cal in 2009.

On defense, there really isn’t any. Warm bodies amassed only 13 sacks as a team last season and were completely inept against the pass. Kevin Kooyman is big and can potentially pitch in, but has been injury prone missing all but one game last season. For this team to manage just one win this season, they need to stay healthy. WSU has lost 19 times by more than three touchdowns. Needless to say, my money is on Oklahoma. I wouldn’t even consider Washington until a new coach is in place.

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