Cougs crack the top 25; become bowl eligible

Redshirt+senior+nose+tackle+Robert+Barber+%2892%29+lines+up+against+UCLA+on+Oct.+15.

Redshirt senior nose tackle Robert Barber (92) lines up against UCLA on Oct. 15.

The 25th ranked Cougars (6-2, 5-0) not only earned a spot in the AP top 25, but clinched their second consecutive postseason berth. This is the first time WSU has been to back-to-back bowl games since the 2002 and 2003 seasons and just the second time since the beginning of the program.

Despite their success so far this season, the Cougars have struggled to close out games for the most part. In multiple games they fell behind early, as they did last week at Oregon State, or let undermanned teams hang around late in the game.

Coaches and players agree that the team will need to start much stronger if they want to keep winning.

“We’ve got to come out on fire,” senior receiver Robert Lewis said. “We can’t think too much or be tight, we just have to do our jobs.”

The Cougars lead the conference in rushing defense and passing offense, yet have still found themselves in precarious situations late in games. The last six games WSU played have all finished within a margin of one score.

The Cougars will face stiff competition and will need to take advantage of early scoring if they are to remain unbeaten in conference. Two of WSU’s final four opponents rank in the top 25, including No. 21 University of Colorado and No. 4 University of Washington.

Football Head Coach Mike Leach acknowledged the success of the last two season, but prefers to focus on the game this week rather than what could be if they win the next three or four games.

“(Going to back-to-back bowl games) is fine, but we are mostly interested in winning this next game,” Leach said. “We get one game a week, so we need to make the most out of this game.”

Despite a winless conference season, the University of Arizona proves to be a dangerous team. Early on in the season, the Wildcats offered the highly ranked Huskies their first real test of the season, taking them to overtime in Tucson, Arizona.

WSU coaches and players noted that the Pac-12 never guarantees anything. Any game can be a win or a loss and any team can ruin a Rose Bowl dream.

The Cougars will look to keep their Rose Bowl dream alive when Arizona comes to town. Kickoff is Saturday at 1 p.m. in Martin Stadium and the game will air on the Pac-12 Network.