Washington State: Experience will help in the close ones

The Cougars were neither boring nor uncompetitive in 2000. They just were the Cougs ... and once again not in a bowl game.

Ah, but their 4-7 record was so close to success, with three overtime losses making all the difference, and therein lies a big dollop of optimism for 2001.

Thirty players at coach Mike Price's disposal have started at some point -- 16 of them more than half the time last season. Throw in the return of career interception leader Lamont Thompson -- who had to sit out the 2000 season with a neck injury -- and it's clear the Cougars can no longer trot out the alibi of inexperience.

Cougars at a glance

SportsLine.com rank: 53

2000: 4-7 overall, 2-6 Pac-10 (8th)

Coach: Mike Price -- 63-73 in 12 seasons at Washington State; 109-117 in 20 years as a head coach

Players to watch:
QB Jason Gesser, 6-1, 200, Jr.
RB David Minnich, 6-0, 220, Sr.
OG Derrick Roche, 6-6, 280, Jr.
LB Raonall Smith, 6-2, 243, Sr.
CB Marcus Trufant, 6-0, 183, Jr.
SS Billy Newman, 5-10, 204, Sr.
FS Lamont Thompson, 6-2, 213, Sr.

Primary strengths: A veteran linebacking and secondary corps, great depth on the defensive line, a rapidly developing offensive line.

Potential problems: Depth in key areas, including running back, and lack of an established go-to receiver in a passing offense.

Overview: The Cougars -- and coach Mike Price -- are due after three grim years. They have the potential to be a bowl team if they can keep QB Jason Gesser in one piece, develop some targets for him and make a statistical jump on defense commensurate with their abilities.

New offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller will be trying to will quarterback Jason Gesser through a season injury-free for the first time. Gesser was the Pac-10's most efficient passer statistically in 2000, until a broken leg left the offense in the hands of backup Matt Kegel, who performed admirably in his own right.

Yet, while the quarterbacks appear ready for winning performances, the concern is who'll catch it -- and whether the Cougs have enough at running back to keep defenses honest. David Minnich gained 754 tough-running yards last year, but there is no backup who generates much enthusiasm.

No returning receiver had more than 14 catches, so Levenseller is determined to make better use of tight ends Russell Mizin and Mark Baldwin.

Protection should be less of an issue, even though there's only one senior -- guard Joey Hollenbeck -- on the line. The other guard, Derrick Roche, earned Pac-10 honorable mention, and sophomore tackles Josh Parrish and Billy Knotts have the potential to be sensational.

The most dramatic improvement will have to come in the kicking game, which buried the Cougs in all three OT losses. Price took no chances, signing two big legs in the spring -- JC kickoff boomer Adam Holiday and prep sensation Graham Siderius, who made 11 of 14 field goals his senior year, including four beyond 50 yards.

Strong safety Billy Newman and Thompson rank among WSU's best safety combinations ever, and CB Marcus Trufant is one of the Pac-10's top cover men. Primary linebackers James Price and Melvin Simmons help to prompt Price to say the back seven will be the best in WSU history.

Up front, it's still a committee -- Rien Long, Tomasi Kongaika, Fred Shavies and Tupo Tuupo start -- but there are lots of interchangeable parts.

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