College Football
Pac-10 preview: No. 8 Washington State Cougars

JIM BATES / THE TIMES Senior Chris Bruhn has some big shoes to fill at running back.

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2003: 10-3 (6-2 in Pac-10).

Coach: Bill Doba (second year, 10-3).

What's to like: Nucleus of OL is in place, led by OTs Calvin Armstrong and Sam Lightbody, TE combo of Troy Bienemann and Cody Boyd is top-notch, LB Will Derting is a beast, and CB Karl Paymah is solid.

Up in the air: QB Josh Swogger must come along quickly, WRs are relatively inexperienced, and pass rush must be developed. Derting's wrist injury could affect defense.

Impact newcomer: WR Michael Bumpus (6-0, 190) will bid for playing time as a freshman.

Key performer: RB Chris Bruhn must prove to be a capable replacement for departed Jonathan Smith, who ran for 961 yards last year.

Stud student: Bienemann was a 2003 Pac-10 all-academic pick with a 3.76 GPA.

Bottom line: Cougars believe the up-and-down years of yore are a thing of the past, and three straight 10-victory seasons argue persuasively. But they have so many spots unproven under fire, it's hard to see them as a first-division team.

Offense
Pos.	Player	Yr.	Comment
SE	Jason Hill	So.	Lettered as a freshman
LT	Calvin Armstrong	Sr.	All-Pac-10 as sophomore
LG	Patrick Afif	Sr.	In battle with Bobby Byrd
C	Nick Mihlhauser	Jr.	One of team's best players
RG	Norvell Holmes	Jr.	Past includes back ailment
RT	Sam Lightbody	Sr.	Hardly light — weighs 320
TE	Troy Bienemann	Jr.	Top returning receiver
SB	Marty Martin	Jr.	Made his move in the spring
QB	Josh Swogger	So.	First start will be vs. New Mexico
RB	Chris Bruhn	Sr.	A 220-pound load to bring down
FL	Chris Jordan	So.	Caught two TD passes at Stanford
K	Graham Siderius	Jr.	In battle with frosh Loren Langley
Defense
Pos.	Player	Yr.	Comment
DE	Mkristo Bruce	So.	Could be sack leader this year
LT	Steve Cook	Sr.	Graybeard of the D-line
RT	Ropati Pitoitua	Fr.	Arrived in January, starts in September
DE	Adam Braidwood	Jr.	Canadian never has redshirted
WLB	Scott Davis	So.	Playmaker from Kennewick
MLB	Will Derting	Jr.	All-America candidate has injured wrist
SLB	Steve Dildine	So.	Ex-BMX racer can chase folks down
LCB	Karl Paymah	Sr.	Only returning starter in secondary
SS	Jeremy Bohannon	Sr.	Finally starts — 38 games as sub
FS	Hamza Abdullah	Sr.	Elected co-captain with Derting
RCB	Alex Teems	Jr.	Special-teams contributor last year
P	Kyle Basler	Jr.	Defensive MVP of Holiday Bowl

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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