Wulff not ready to say who will start at QB for WSU

Published 11:36 pm Tuesday, September 9, 2008

SPOKANE — Washington State football coach Paul Wulff says it will likely be a game-day decision on whether Gary Rogers or Kevin Lopina starts at quarterback at Baylor on Saturday.

Rogers has been ineffective in two starts this season, but Lopina also failed to impress in the second half of a 66-3 loss to California last Saturday that was the worst defeat in team history.

“We are going to go through the week giving as many equal reps as we can and make it a game-time decision, unless something changes,” Wulff said Tuesday. “We want to push it as late as possible.”

It’s likely both quarterbacks will play, he said.

Wulff emphasized that quarterback is not the only position where the Cougars (0-2) are ailing.

“This is not a one-person issue,” Wulff said. “Quarterback is not the only position we are evaluating.”

Without elaborating, Wulff said his coaching staff wants to ensure that the best players are starting at each position, and not just the players who practice the best.

Since he was only hired in December, Wulff said he is still getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of his team.

Offense is definitely a weakness.

The 16 points scored in the first two games is WSU’s worst since the 1959 team scored 16 in a 20-6 loss to Cal and a 10-6 win over San Jose State.

WSU ranks last in the nation in passing efficiency (62.64), yards per pass attempt (3.49) and third-down conversions (11.5 percent). The Cougars’ average of 181 yards per game is ahead of only Florida International.

This is odd ground for a pass-happy school that in the past two decades has produced quarterbacks Timm Rosenbach, Mark Rypien, Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf, Jason Gesser and Alex Brink, who all got a shot at the NFL.

Defense is not much better. The 105 points the Cougars have allowed place them last in the nation at 52.5 points per game.

Wulff wants WSU fans to keep the situation in perspective. His team is young and lacks experience, is adjusting to new coaches and schemes, and its first two games were against veteran teams that won bowl games last season.

“This is going to be a work in progress throughout the year,” he said.

Next up is a road game at Baylor, which has posted 12 consecutive losing records. Baylor is 1-1 after snapping a nine-game losing streak Saturday with a 51-6 win over Northwestern State, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.

The teams last played in 2006 at Qwest Field in Seattle, with WSU winning 17-15.

The game against Baylor marks the 39th meeting between WSU and a school currently in the Big 12, and none of those games have been played in WSU’s home stadium in Pullman. The Cougars have hosted seven games in Seattle, Tacoma or Spokane, and played at neutral sites in San Antonio, Pasadena and San Diego. But 27 of the games have been played at the opponents’ stadiums.

The Cougars did get some good news Saturday. Receiver Jeshua Anderson returned from hernia surgery and caught a pass. Punter Reid Forrest came back from a broke ankle and averaged 41.2 yards on eight attempts.