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August 29, 2008

OSU, Wazzou will waste no time on offense

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — There won’t be a lot of standing around when Oklahoma State plays Washington State in the season opener for both on Saturday. Each runs a no-huddle offense.

Oklahoma State has been doing it since coach Mike Gundy arrived four years ago. Behind quarterback Zac Robinson, the Cowboys averaged 486 yards and 34 points per game last season.

New Washington State coach Paul Wulff instituted the no-huddle after he was hired in December, and his defense is used to it.

“Our defense goes against that in practice,” Wulff said. “It should help us.”

The opener is at Qwest Field in Seattle, where the Cougars — whose home is in Pullman, 250 miles away — play an annual game to connect with their large alumni base in Western Washington. Washington State is 5-1 at Qwest Field.

Wulff was hired out of Eastern Washington University in December to replace Bill Doba, who resigned after last year’s 5-7 record.

Wulff, a star WSU player in the 1980s, is the first graduate to lead the Cougars since Phil Sarboe left after the 1949 season. He admitted he is excited about being back on the Martin Stadium sidelines.

“I woke up this morning and had about a 3-second flash of excitement in my gut,” Wulff said this week. “We are finally here.”

The Cougars feature the Pacific-10’s leading receiver, Brandon Gibson, and also return their top rusher from last season in Dwight Tardy.

But experience could be an issue. They list five freshmen or sophomores as starters on their offensive depth chart, and senior quarterback Gary Rogers will be making the first start of his career, after barely getting on the field his first three seasons.

The offensive line took a hit when fifth-year senior Dan Rowlands, who started all 12 games last season, quit football this week because of chronic shoulder pain. Brian Danaher will make his first collegiate start at right guard.

While Saturday’s game will likely feature plenty of offense, defense is another matter. Both Washington State and Oklahoma State ranked near the bottom of the FBS last year in total defense.

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