TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State went 63 days between victories, ending the drought with a 39-19 win over winless Washington last week.
“After as many weeks as we went through, it’s a good feeling,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said this week.
The Sun Devils (3-6, 2-4 Pac-10) probably won’t have to wait as long for their next victory. Next up is a visit from Washington State, one of the worst teams in Pac-10 history.
The Cougars (1-9, 0-7) have set the conference record for points allowed (502) with three games remaining. They rank last nationally in scoring defense, giving up 50.2 points per game, and next-to-last nationally in scoring offense, putting up 13.9 points per game.
Washington State, whose only victory came against Portland State, has lost six straight games and conceded 58 or more points five times in that stretch.
The Cougars showed signs of life in a 59-28 loss to Arizona last week in Pullman. They had been shut out in 10 straight quarters but jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, their first lead in a conference game this season.
Arizona responded by scoring 42 of the next 49 points to blow the game open. But the Cougars finished with their best offensive showing of the season against a major-college opponent, and they hope to carry momentum into Sun Devil Stadium.
“They had more fun out there playing football, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to get accomplished here right now, is to have some fun, continue to play better and improve, and keep building on our performance, and hopefully we can build off this last one,” first-year coach Paul Wulff said.
Washington State has had numerous injuries on the offensive line, which has started six different lineups. The Cougars have also started three different quarterbacks — they’ve played five altogether — and four running backs.
Wulff was Erickson’s starting center at Washington State in 1987 and 1988. Erickson said Wulff’s tenacity is serving him well during difficult times in the Palouse.
“He was a great player at center and a great Cougar, a very resilient guy,” Erickson said. “They’ve had injuries; they’ve had things go on, they’ve just had a lot of things go bad.
“You watch them play at times and they play well,” Erickson said. “They play hard all the time but they’ve lost all their quarterbacks. It’s been trying for them, but knowing him, they battle every week. Knowing him they’re going to come in here and battle and play like heck against us.”
Arizona State, meanwhile, is looking to build on its long-awaited win at Washington.
Ranked 15th to start the season, the Sun Devils have been reduced to chasing a minor bowl berth. They need to sweep their remaining three games — against Washington State and UCLA at home and at Arizona.
The Sun Devils won’t take Washington State lightly. They can remember what happened when they looked past UNLV to the next week’s game against Georgia; the lightly regarded Rebels scored a 23-20 overtime victory, and that started a six-game losing streak, which tied a school record.
“I think we learned that anybody can beat anybody, so you have to be careful,” Erickson said.
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