Make Way for the Lobster...

I have to say that despite last week's calamitous outcome I feel good about the Cougs moving forward from here. A kid from my hometown Marshall Lobbestael is now the guy leading the offense and if he can have a solid to good day on the field tomorrow I think we can win. If nothing else we have the USC-OSU debacle to give us Cougs hope that the boys in Crimson can find a way to win against a team with "superior talent." I said last week that this team would win because of the moves Paul Wulff made, and I think that by in large I was right. There are obviously still some kinks to iron out, but this season has gotten a lot more interesting in the last week, and I think that if this is a strong game for us we can actually make a decent run in the Pac-10.

First up, the Offense. This was the most improved group on the field last week. While I realize that there has to be some worries as to the play on the O-Line this group looked much more in sync once they stumbled on to what may very well be the future of the program in Marshall Lobbestael. I won't annoint him the next Jason Gesser or Ryan Leaf or anything, but I think that as our QB's have gone this year he easily looked the most ready to step in and make a difference. Firstly he did the small things right like keep calm in the pocket without going nuts trying to break containment. He also made quick effective reads of the coverage and did not force the ball into double or triple coverage. Admittedly we didn't get to see much of the Lobster, but what we did see spoke volumes about what he brings to the table in terms of intangibles. Most young QBs when in that situation would have gotten a serious case of happy feet just from fear that they'd be taken down. Instead he stood tall in the pocket, made his reads, and delivered. If he can do that against Oregon tomorrow, then I have no doubt that this offense will put the ball in the endzone and do so in rythym. The rythym of the offense when he was in was finally solid, they may not have just been punching the ball boom, boom, boom, but they were running to the line and getting up field in a hurry, especially when you look at anything Lopina or Rogers was able to orchestrate earlier in the game or on the season thus far. This kid can will a team downfield and that is something which has sorely lacked since Gesser left or at least since the end of the Apple Cup last year. That having been said this is his first full start at the collegiate level and he will make some mistakes, but as long as he can be the example of unrestrained effort, this team will pick up on it. This of course would be great as it could be the last little bit of glue needed to get the offensive line to work cohesively as a single strong unit. The fact of the matter is that this team is trying to improve each week, win or lose, and right now Lobbestael injuries to Lopina or Rogers aside looks like the guy who will be the final piece of the equation in sparking this team. Guys who can lead, and who play 100% every down are the guys who inspire a team and elevate them beyond what they think they can do. They are the guys that the team plays off of when they are gassed and bruised in the fourth quarter when they just need one more push. Lobbestael looks like the kind of guy who can do that, he did it back in Oak Harbor when he took them to the State Title and he can and will do it here at WSU.
Aside from Lobbestael there was plenty of other encouraging things going on with the offense last week. The running game looked good and aside from Mitz's fumbles was great in gaining yards and protecting the ball. It was nice to see a few guys get time and all do well. The recieving corps was less improved, but that can also be attributed to some iffy QB play and the defenses ability to key in on Brandon Gibson until Lobbestael came in and started checking down on reads. I hate to just absolutely marginalize what Lopina and Rogers have brought to the table, but the fact is both of them were locking in on recievers, especially Gibson, way too much and just handing the defense the ball as a result. While I'm aware that Lobbestael probably won't make it through this game as cleanly as he did against PSU it has to be acknowledged that he was making things happen from snap 1 last Saturday. Gibson did have a drop or two however that were somewhat concerning as they were throws he got both hands on, even if he was hung out to dry for some mean hits over the middle. More encouraging last week was Jeshua Anderson finally getting some touches and showing why us Coug fans have been so high on him since the end of last year. He's obviously still recovering from his surgery, but his route running skills and speed have improved with each passing week. Finally, it was nice to see Devin Frischnekt get some touches, especially the big one over the middle when he was able to rumble for a TD. The kid has good hands and can take a hit and shed a few too, it will be interesting to see how often the Lobster calls his number as they hooked up a few times against PSU. This week the offense will be fully oriented towards what Lobbestael can do and all eys will be on him. In the end it will come down to just how much protection the maligned O-Line can give him against a nasty Oregon defensive front, and the decisions Lobbestael can make while trying to read bigger, badder, faster, coverage players and schemes.

The defense did not disappoint against PSU. Xavier Hicks as predicted was obviously the fire of the D last week and was leading the charge. He was all over the field and was seemingly in on every hit on a Viking player dumb enough to cross the line of scrimmage. Look for him to be out front again this week. He and Alfonso Jackson will be tasked with having to help plug the middle of the field against a good looking Oregon ground game, but will have to play some coverage too as Oregon is too loaded at the skill positions to just ignore the aerial attack. Either way, believe that whoever is dumb enough to come near either guy will get laid out in no short order. On defense Hicks appears to be the guy that his teammates can key in on when they are gassed. He is loud, hits big, and gets in the other teams face. When this team is in the trenches late he'll be the one the big guys look to for the final stop to seal the deal. That said, the Coug secondary doesn't look to match up well with Oregons recievers as they are all undersized comparitively. Keep an eye though on these guys though as they have already faced larger recievers back against the Cowboys in week 1 and they should be a little more prepared for it this time. What would also work to the advantage of the Cougs would be generating a significant pass rush. Unfortunately, even against PSU the pass rush just was not capable of generating a significant threat, and it is hard to believe that they will start to against a very experienced and sizeable Oregon O-Line. Still, the fact is that Oregon will be starting and rotating in some young QB's who will more than likely make some mistakes, especially if the Cougs come out fired up and hungry. The key this week will be getting the D off of the field and keeping them fresh, if the offense can sustain some drives and get points up on the board then the D should be able to keep Oregon honest enough to pull this one out.

Special teams last week looked fairly good. Reid Forrest is plenty healthy and will more than likely be needed in this one to keep Oregon subdued in the field position battle. We didn't punt much last week, but on kickoffs the guys did a pretty good job of keeping PSU on their side of the field with the exception of a couple of breaks in coverage late. The big question in the kicking game will be whether or not, with so many starters on coverage, the guys can keep up momentum and keep from getting gassed as the game wears on.

This game is going to be everything I thought the Cal game would be. This is going to be a tough battle in the Pac-10 in Martin Stadium that's going to come down to who just plain wants it more. At home, emboldened by a win, and in front of a decent Homecoming crowd I take the Cougs in a close one.

Cougs 27 - Ducks 23

Laters and GO COUGS!!!