Forget USC — Next game is the big one for Cougs

With the lopsided loss to USC in their rear-view mirror, the Cougars now begin preparing for what is likely the most pivotal game of the year.

Washington State (2-2, 0-1) plays at Arizona (1-3, 0-1) Saturday night in a game that has "must-win" written all over it.

The Wildcats are 1 ½-point favorites.

To snap their three-year streak of no bowls, the Cougars need to win at least six and probably seven games this season. Their next four opponents after Arizona — Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA and California — are a collective 15-1. That means wins won't come easily.

After Cal, the Cougars play Stanford, Oregon State and Washington — teams now at a combined 5-6.

Cougar wide receiver Charles Dillon told one writer after Saturday night's 47-14 loss at the Coliseum that the Arizona encounter "is probably going to be the biggest game of the season for us."

California beat Arizona 45-27 Saturday. Pass-happy Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama completed 42 of 61 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted twice.

Sixty-one pass attempts in a game would rank second on the all-time list at WSU, which has a reputation as a throwing school.

Arizona's lone victory this season was 45-25 over Northern Arizona in Game 2. Losses before Saturday's defeat at Cal were to Brigham Young 20-7 and to New Mexico 29-27.

The Cougars rank 101st of 119 Division I-A teams in pass defense, allowing an average of 274 yards a game. They rank 93rd in scoring defense, allowing 33.5 points an outing.

Last year, the Cougars were 6-3 and ranked 25th when Arizona visited. The Wildcats (then 3-5) upset WSU in Pullman 27-17 on Nov. 4, which started the November 0-3 slide that kept WSU out of a bowl. Cougar receivers Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus were injured in the game and Hill didn't play the rest of the season.

NOTES

• With three catches against USC, Bumpus moved into second place on the WSU career list with 150. He trails Hugh Campbell, who caught 176 from 1960-62. Bumpus caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Alex Brink, and it marked the first time he has had back-to-back games with a TD catch.

• Brink has thrown touchdown passes in nine consecutive games. It is the second-longest streak of his career. He threw TD passes in 12 consecutive games spanning the final five games of his freshman year and the first seven of his sophomore year.

• Sophomore defensive end Kevin Kooyman got a sack Saturday night while going against USC All-American candidate Sam Baker. Kooyman, from Tahoma High School, started Saturday. He leads the Cougars with three sacks this season.

• USC has scored at least 40 points against Washington State in four of the past five games. The only game in the span that was close was the 28-22 Trojans victory in Pullman last year.

• Wide receiver Dillon on USC: "I've never seen so many big guys lined up. Their second and third string could be first string. They have six tailbacks who are all top picks and could get scholarships anywhere."

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