Throughout sports history, it’s been said over and over that defense wins championships. When you look at the Cougars’ defense during the past two seasons ... well, enough said. However, as I continue to look forward to the 2010 season, there are three big reasons as to why I think Co-Defensive Coordinators Chris Ball and Jody Sears will have the Pullman faithful back on the bandwagon rather than questioning our staff.

First, the 2009 unit featured a ton of youngsters who gained valuable experience and now will be a year older, stronger and smarter. Second, there will be a huge infusion of speed and talent that was sitting on the sidelines this year in the form of redshirting freshmen. And third, a load of WSU defenders had their 2009 seasons undone in whole or part by injury, and they look to be back at full speed in 2010. The Cougars’ notable losses on defense are safety Xavier Hicks and linebackers Andy Mattingly and Jason Stripling. In addition, returners up front include defensive lineman Travis Long, Kevin Kooyman and Bernard Wolfgramm. Big bodies who will be in uniform this fall who weren’t last season include Brandon Rankin (who I project to start) and a handful of freshmen. Among these newcomers is junior college transfer Al Lapuaho, who just verbally committed to the Cougars earlier this week. Lupauho is listed at 6-foot-three and 295 pounds, and I expect the transfer to make an immediate impacting donning the crimson and gray.

The Cougs will also see plenty of bodies at the linebacker and secondary positions. The big bodies in the middle include Alex Hoffman-Ellis, Louis Bland, Myron Beck, Mike Ledgerwood and Darren Markle. Add incoming freshman C.J. Mizell, who just two years ago was the fifth ranked outside linebacker in the country by Scout.com, and Travis Niekamp’s group has a lot of promise heading into the season.

Meanwhile in the secondary, the safety and corner position has plenty of depth this season, something that hasn’t been the case in the last couple of years. Safeties include senior Chima Nwachukwu, LeAndre Daniels, Tyree Toomer, Jamal Atafou and Jay Matthews. Corners include Daniel Simmons, Nolan Washington, Anthony Carpenter, Aire Justin and Terrance Hayward.

A major boost of speed in the secondary could be in the offing with all the redshirts from last season, who will be cracking pads for real in 2010.

Washington and Carpenter, in particular, figure to bring instant impact. Both showed off top-flight cover skills on the scout team in 2009 and earned practice turns with the first string. Moreover, Toomer, Simmons, Justin, Hayward, Daniels and Nwachukwu — all of whom missed some playing time in 2009 — are athletic gamers who could make waves together if injury free.

The 2009 unit was loaded with youngsters, and they played with a lot of heart throughout the season. They also got a ton of experience, in part because the Cougar offense rarely provided any assistance due to injuries. Bottom line is, the days of 40 point losses are in our rear-view mirror, and this team’s defense will return to competitive form in 2010.

With the Pac-10 continuing to show strong parity, the Cougar defense will again be tested by the vaunted, fast paced offenses that have come to symbolize the conference.

Thanks to strong recruiting and player growth, the defense looks to be ready for the season long exam.