WSU Football
Fullbacks add needed zip to WSU rush attack

By Austin Burton
Special to the Times

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PULLMAN — One of them is undersized. The other is playing out of position. Both of them are relatively unknown. But together, they have introduced a new wrinkle to the Washington State offense that helped pave the way for a season-best 286 rushing yards against Idaho last Saturday.

Brandon Asuega-Stark is 5 feet 10 and weighs 213 pounds. As a fullback, the redshirt junior is smaller than some of the tailbacks he is blocking for, a rarity at any level of football.

The other fullback is freshman Jed Collins, who has the size (6-2, 241) but until last week was a linebacker and special-teams performer.

Both got their first significant playing time in WSU's 49-8 win over the Vandals when the Cougars unveiled a new two-back formation to complement their normal one-back, three-receiver sets.

The team began working on the two-back set before the Idaho game, and coaches say they plan to continue to use it.

"We had to find a way to get the running game going — this was a way," said running backs coach Kelly Skipper. "We wanted to get an extra blocker in there, and it was very effective."

Saturday WSU @ Arizona, 12:30 p.m., Ch. 4

The Cougars entered the Idaho game ranked dead last in NCAA rushing yardage with only 46 yards (including yards lost on sacks).

Asuega-Stark, a transfer from Eastern Washington and a graduate of Sammamish High School, jumped at the opportunity to play fullback as soon as the two-back plan was proposed. It was a way to improve his fifth-string status.

"I was really excited when they came to me. I'm just ready to play," he said.

Despite being one of the smaller players in the conference at his position — University of Washington fullback Zach Tuiasosopo weighs 245 pounds and Arizona's Pedro Limon weighs 250 — Asuega-Stark is a solid blocker who isn't worried about the size of his opponents.

"I'm a pretty good blocker, but my thing is, I don't care about anybody," he said. "I'll go heads up with anyone."

"Brandon is a tough guy, which is why we got him," Skipper said.

Collins, who caught a 27-yard pass out of the two-back formation last week, is also excited to play. Normally a linebacker (he also had four tackles against Idaho), he sees this as another chance to play.

"The coaches are giving me opportunities, and I'm just in there to help out however I can," Collins said.

On his double-duty defender, WSU defensive coordinator Robb Akey said, "We call him 'Slash' now."

Since Collins is already familiar with WSU's defense, he is spending most of his time learning the offense.

Skipper said he got the idea of plugging Collins in as a fullback after watching him block on special teams.

"We tried to find a guy with a fullback-type body, and he's got that," Skipper said. "He's been a good fit."

Running back Allen Thompson, who gained 71 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns against Idaho, likes having a fullback in the offense.

"It's easier when you have someone leading you through the hole," Thompson said. "Reading off of the fullback is better than reading off the linemen."

Notes

• Quarterbacks Josh Swogger and Alex Brink took an equal share of snaps with the first-team offense, and coaches remained noncommital on which one will start at Arizona. Swogger, who injured his right knee against Idaho, has been wearing what coach Bill Doba called a generic knee brace. A specialized brace has been ordered but didn't arrive yesterday.

• Both offensive guard positions appear to be open again. Yesterday, Patrick Afif spent most of the time at right guard, while Bobby Byrd was at left guard.

• Backup defensive end Reyshawn Bobo stopped practicing and had a knee iced after getting tangled up with tight end Cody Boyd on a running play.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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