The opening two weeks of the season did not result in a start the WSU football team had hoped for.

After two straight losses to open the year, one to a Boise State team that is currently ranked 15th in the nation and the other to FCS Eastern Washington, prospects were not bright for the Cougars (3-2, 2-0).

But the Cougars have overcome a rocky start to become an unsung force in the Pac-12 North division.

“We needed to get back to practicing right,” redshirt senior wide receiver Gabe Marks said in Monday’s news conference. “We practiced hard but we did not have the right mentality.”

Since the early losses, WSU has torn through its last three opponents. After steamrolling the University of Idaho 56-6 in its final nonconference game, the Cougars took down two perennial Pac-12 powers in University of Oregon and No. 15 Stanford University by a combined score of 93-49.

The season has seemingly transformed from a disappointment to an underdog story. WSU was arguably the laughingstock of the country following a week one loss to an FCS opponent. Now the team finds itself tied atop the Pac-12 with rival University of Washington.

“It’s like in baseball,” Marks said. “Sometimes you just need to wait to get your swing back.”

The team credits a change in mentality as a big factor in its turnaround.

“Everyone is focusing on doing their job and taking it one game at a time,” said sophomore cornerback Darrien Molton.

Keeping focus is a big part of its improved performance on the field, but that is not the only change in mentality the team has made.

Finishing games is something that WSU has battled in the past. In 2015, WSU played in eight one-possession games and continued the trend early in 2016 with both losses coming by three points.

Beginning with the game against Idaho, the Cougars have played far more aggressively, scoring 42 or more points in all three victories.

“You need to keep playing, the game is never over,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Eduardo Middleton said. “Every game is different, but whether you’re up 40 or down 10 you need to keep playing.”

WSU is firing on all cylinders in every phase of the game at the moment, but it is the defense that has taken the biggest steps in progression.

Saturday night, the Cougar defense successfully shut down Stanford’s premier player and preseason Heisman hopeful junior running back Christian McCaffrey. The defense held McCaffrey to just 35 yards rushing, with the bulk of them coming on one 23-yard carry.

A good deal of credit for the recent improvement goes to the defensive line. After racking up four sacks against Stanford, Head Coach Mike Leach said he is happy with the progression of the defensive front.

“I think our whole team has (improved),” Leach said. “I would say, though, that this last game (the d-line has) shown the most improvement.”

After two weeks of impressive performances by the defensive line, they will once again be in the spotlight. UCLA (3-3, 1-2) comes to town this weekend and had issues defending against the blitz last weekend against Arizona State in its 23-20 loss and failed to capitalize on offense against of the worst passing defenses in the Pac-12.

“(Defensive pressure) is huge,” Molton said. “It allows you to make more plays, it gives you time in coverage and it throws the quarterback off.”

If the WSU front applies pressure on the quarterback, the secondary will maintain an advantage against a Bruins offense that was made one-dimensional last weekend.

The Cougars will kick off against the UCLA Bruins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN or ESPN2.