By Howie Stalwick
The Washington State Cougars gave up just six points at Oregon State last Saturday, but WSU defensive coordinator Robb Akey wasn’t satisfied. "Coach Akey tells us a perfect game is 2-0," defensive end Mkristo Bruce explained. A 2-0 game, of course, would mean the only scoring came on a safety produced by the defense. Memo to coach Akey: Your idea of a perfect game is a) boring and b) next to impossible when the explosive California Bears invade Martin Stadium for WSU’s homecoming game at 2 p.m. Saturday. "We better be ready to play," Cougar coach Bill Doba said, "or we could be embarrassed. They’re an excellent football team." Following a season-opening pratfall at Tennessee, the 10th-ranked Bears have gone 5-0. They’ve scored more than 40 points in five straight games — a first in the 124-year history of Cal football — and Nate Longshore has passed for 1,325 yards and 17 touchdowns in the five wins. "This will be the best set of receivers we’ll see all year," WSU secondary coach Ken Greene said. "They’ve got speed, speed and speed. Their running backs are good, their offensive line is good and their quarterback is playing well." Heisman Trophy candidate Marshawn Lynch leads the Pacific-10 Conference with 100.8 rushing yards per game, though he’s been bothered by a sore ankle all year. Lynch sat out the second half of last week’s game with then-No. 11 Oregon, so Justin Forsett ran for 163 yards in a 45-24 romp.
"Forsett sounds a lot like Dorsett, and he runs the same way," said Doba, referring to former Heisman Trophy winner and All-Pro running back Tony Dorsett. Losses to No. 4 Auburn and No. 3 USC leave the Cougars with an 0-7 record against Top 25 teams since beating No. 5 Texas in the 2003 Holiday Bowl. "The next step is improving enough to beat a Top 10 team," quarterback Alex Brink said.
WR Hill Expects to Play Saturday
All-time leading Cougar receiver Jason Hill said he expects to play Saturday, though he did not practice Tuesday. Hill, who smoked Cal for a career-high 240 receiving yards in a 42-38 loss last year, said X-rays show he suffered a sprained right shoulder in the 13-6 win at Oregon State. Tight end Cody Boyd will miss at least a week or two with an ankle injury that may not be as severe as originally thought, Doba said. Jed Collins will start for Boyd.
Extra points
The Bears are 0-10 in Pullman since a 1979 win. ... Wide receiver Michael Bumpus, a junior who considered transferring after he fought to regain his academic eligibility following last season, leads the Pac-10 with a career-high 40 receptions (sixth in I-A). ... WSU has allowed just 60 rushing yards per game over the past five contests.
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