WSU Football | Cougars upbeat despite odds

LOS ANGELES -- The Cougars are such underdogs against USC today that WSU tight end Jed Collins said at midweek, "A lot of people are asking why we're even getting on the plane."

But Collins and teammates think they have a chance to pull the biggest upset since Appalachian State dumped Michigan to start the month.

"We've got a lot of playmakers, and our defense is starting to step up," Collins said. "We're confident going into it."

The Cougars are 25-point underdogs for today's 5 o'clock kickoff against the top-ranked Trojans, who have a record 34-game home winning streak against Pac-10 opponents.

Senior quarterback Alex Brink said, "We're going to have to play as close to a mistake-free game as possible. ... No turnovers, no uncharacteristic penalties like personal fouls."

Brink added, "Our offensive mentality is that we need to score points and we know we can."

Coach Bill Doba said "USC is going to have to help us [with turnovers], and we're going to have to protect the football."

Doba has spent the week preaching variations of "The Little Engine that Could" to his team.

"I told our kids it's not always the best team that wins, it's the team that plays the best," he said. "I'm sure on paper Michigan is a lot better-looking football team than [Appalachian State]. But the ball bounces funny in different ways. We're going to go down and try keep it simple, and play and do the things we know how to do best and let the chips fall where they may. Our kids will play hard, I know that."

With Brink at the controls, WSU appears to have the offense to play with the big boys.

However, the Cougars haven't been impressive on defense. They are allowing a league-high 29 points a game after games against then-No. 7 Wisconsin, San Diego State and Idaho.

"We're facing a really good-looking offensive football team, led by Alex Brink," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "This guy is a very, very good player. We're seeing a guy that knows how to run this offense, and it's a very good schematic offense that takes advantage of the field and spreading you out. ... He's hot as a pistol right now."

Brink is completing almost 75 percent of his passes. His two favorite targets -- Michael Bumpus (22 catches) and Brandon Gibson (20) -- are 1-2 in pass receiving in the league.

The Cougars almost upset the Trojans last year in Pullman, losing 28-22 when a Brink pass on the final drive was intercepted at the 4-yard line by O'Dea graduate Taylor Mays. Doba pointed out that the Cougars last year beat the two teams that upset USC -- Oregon State and UCLA.

The Cougars historically are 1-7 against top-ranked teams, with the victory in 1988 over UCLA on the road. WSU quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach and running-backs coach Steve Broussard were on that Cougars team that upset the Bruins.

History aside, the Trojans appear to neutral observers as unbeatable today.

Running through Peterbilt-sized holes, USC backs rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns last week against then-No. 14 Nebraska. Sophomore tailback Stafon Johnson gained a career-best 144 yards on just 11 carries -- 13.1 yards per rush.

The Trojans' passing attack hasn't produced big numbers yet this season, but quarterback John David Booty remains a Heisman candidate.

On defense, USC's starting trio of gifted linebackers Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers is considered the best threesome in the nation.

The Trojans' defensive line can bring heat, and Brink is expected to be throwing from short drops.

Among the likely future pros on the USC defensive line is nose tackle Sedrick Ellis, who made five tackles and deflected two passes against the Cornhuskers.

Ellis weighed turning pro after last season. The Cougars may wish he was playing Sundays and had taken some teammates with him.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com