Gazette-Times reporter

You know times have changed when you’re 30-point underdogs to Oregon State.

That’s the state of the Washington State football program in a nutshell.

Oh, how the Cougars have struggled.

Let’s start with defense. Teams have been gashing the Cougars with the run, piling up 240.8 yards a game. That puts WSU at 116th in the country, just a few spots above the bottom.

It’s been so bad that some teams haven’t really needed to throw. Oregon only bothered to pass 19 times in its 63-14 win on Sept. 27.

The Cougars give up 41.7 points a game, also 116th nationally. That’s counting a 48-9 win over Portland State. Cal rolled up 66 points, Baylor 45 and Oklahoma State 39. Last week the Cougars did hold UCLA to 28.

It doesn’t get much better for the Cougars when they have the ball. They’ve thrown 13 interceptions and lost six fumbles and are tied with Wyoming at the bottom nationally in turnover margin.

Statistics, of course, never tell the whole story.

A rash of injuries have swept through the roster like an ancient plague, forcing inexperienced backups into action.

So far this season, 22 Cougars have made their first career start and 15 players have missed games with injuries, leaving first-year coach Paul Wulff and his staff to sort through the jumble week by week.

The offensive line has gone through changes nearly every week.

At quarterback, the Cougars have gone from Gary Rogers to Kevin Lopina to current starter and redshirt freshman Marshall Lobbestael.

The Cougars have gone so deep on their depth chart that Wulff had to hold a campus-wide tryout for a scout team quarterback.

No wonder the Cougars are 1-5.

Say what you will about Mike Price (and there are a few things to be said), but he worked miracles at Wazzu.

There were ups and downs, but the good times were memorable. There were trips to the Rose Bowl in 1998 and 2003.

There was a 10-2 record and a win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl in 2001.

The Cougars went 10-3 in the 2003 season to follow up their Rose Bowl appearance. Price had left and Bill Doba took his first team to the Holiday Bowl and a 28-20 win over No. 5 Texas.

Doba proceeded to lead the Cougars to 5-6, 4-7, 6-6 and 5-7 seasons and was fired.

Wulff is in, but his task is daunting.

There are some built-in stumbling blocks for the program.

Pullman and the Palouse might have a certain level of charm, but for a top-level football recruit it probably seems closer to Siberia.

Spokane is the closest city of note and it’s a far cry from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle and even Portland.

It’s also a long drive on a frozen highway in the winter.

Are the Cougars doomed to wallow in the bottom of the Pac-10 for the next several decades?

Well, probably not.

Oregon State fans know all about that. Their team was down for what seemed to be an eternity (it was only 29 years).

Times change.

In this age of scholarship limitations, any program can be built into a winner. Or at least be competitive year in and year out.

Wulff’s optimism hasn’t faded. If anything, he’s energized by the thought of succeeding at WSU.

Nevertheless, the climb back to the top is going to take more than enthusiasm.

It will take time, money, lots of work and commitment from the administration.

For now, WSU does seem to be the program that has taken the place of the Beavers as the Pac-10 doormat.

That doesn’t mean the Cougars can be dismissed as so much football fodder on the field. Thirty-point spread or not, the Beavers can’t afford to take WSU lightly.

After all, even during the worst of times in Corvallis, the Beavers usually found a way to win a game or two they weren’t supposed to.

It was a brief flicker of hope in some dark seasons.

Kevin Hampton is a columnist for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.

PAC-10 POWER POLL

1. USC: Trojans are back where they belong after dismissing the Ducks in a 44-10 rout. There’s a long way to go. Will they stub their toes again?

2. CALIFORNIA: The Golden Bears have quietly moved into contention. The win over Arizona State was big, but Cal has to go to Arizona after a bye this week. Road games at USC and OSU loom later.

3. OREGON STATE: A 2-3 team would rarely be ranked this high, but the Beavers can play with anybody. And beat anybody in Reser Stadium.

4. ARIZONA: The Wildcats are 4-1 and the Pac-10’s sleeper team so far. The schedule becomes much tougher after Saturday’s game at Stanford and the Cardinal could pose problems.

5. OREGON: Last week’s question: Can they play with the big boys? This week’s answer: No.

6. STANFORD: Lose 28-21 at Notre Dame and you’re not going to drop too much in this poll.

7. ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils are on the brink of letting a once-promising season slip away. It’s going to be tough to get back with a trip to USC this week.

8. UCLA: The Bruins showed they don’t belong in the conference cellar with a solid win over WSU in the Rose Bowl. They haven’t showed much else.

9. WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars move out of last after showing some spirit in the loss at UCLA. That’s more than can be said about Washington.

10. WASHINGTON: Jake Locker is hurt, Tyrone Willingham is in trouble and even the Apple Cup might bring more grief instead of relief.