SPOKANE, Wash. -- For the third time this season, Washington State is preparing to meet a top 10 team. The Cougars (4-2, 1-1 Pacific-10 Conference) host No. 10 California in Pullman's Martin Stadium on Saturday. The Cougars losses have come against No. 3 Southern California and then-No. 4 Auburn. WSU coach Bill Doba isn't exactly jumping up and down at the thought of playing the Golden Bears (5-1, 3-0). Asked what he can take from Cal's 45-24 rout of Oregon at home last week, Doba offered a quick quip. "We can take a lot of nervousness, I guess, apprehension," Doba said. "They really played well. It was a very physical game on both sides. We better be ready to play, or be embarrassed." The Bears have not won in Pullman since 1979, but they are a 71/2 point favorite.
Last year in Berkeley, Cal scored quickly and jumped to a 28-10 halftime lead. WSU quarterback Alex Brink threw three third-quarter TD passes to Jason Hill to take a 38-28 lead. California's Joe Ayoob led two late TD drives as Cal came from behind to win 42-28 in a wild game that had 1,148 yards of offense. In that game, Hill had six receptions for 240 yards and three TDs before leaving with an injury. This year, Hill suffered a left shoulder sprain in WSU's 13-6 victory over Oregon State on Saturday and may not play, Doba said. Brink said Cal's offense gets all the attention, while its defense just gets better. "They have most of their defense back. They're a year older and experienced. They're a year better," he said. "We have to take into account that, and the confidence they've been playing with this year is not the caliber they played with last year." While Washington State is 0-2 against ranked opponents, the games have been beneficial, Doba said.
"Well, I think it's great to play good competition. I think we didn't have a choice on (scheduling) two of those top tens. Auburn was our choice," he said of the made-for-TV season opener in Alabama. "I think it helped us to prepare," he said. "We played better against Idaho and Baylor because we had that experience going down there." They'll need all the experience they can muster against California, which boasts the top scorers in the conference in sophomore wide receiver DeSean Jackson and junior tailback Marshawn Lynch. Jackson has 10 TD receptions and Lynch has seven, while Lynch leads the Pac-10 with 100.8 yards per game rushing. Cal cornerback Daymeion Hughes leads the conference with five interceptions, while quarterback Nate Longshore is the most efficient passer, completing more than 65 percent of his passes for 1,410 yards, 17 TDs and five interceptions. "These guys we're playing are pretty good. Jackson is one of the fastest kids we've seen," Doba said. "The scariest thing of all is just their speed. Break a tackle and they're gone. They have both phases on offense with the running game and passing game," he said. California leads the conference in scoring offense, with 32 TDs, averaging 39.5 points per game; passing offense, with 18 TDs and 280 yards per game; punting, with 38.3 yards per kick; and is tied with UCLA for turnover margin with plus-6. "There's a reason they're ranked 10th," Doba said.
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