In the offseason there was a heap of excitement surrounding the Washington State football program when the Cougars introduced Mike Leach as the new head coach, but in one week, a lot of that disappeared.
In their first game of the year, the Cougars lost to BYU 30-6, causing some worry among WSU fans. While that kind of start obviously isn’t what fans were hoping for, they shouldn’t panic. The program is still in good hands, and it will pay off in the long run.
The Cougars had some moments where they looked good against BYU, but for the most part they were outmatched. The Cougars’ run game was dismal, gaining just 19 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Jeff Tuel had a fair game and connected on 30 of 45 attempts, but threw two costly interceptions.
Fans need to remember this was the team’s first time running this system in a game, so some problems are to be expected. Some of these players ran a different system for four years before Leach was hired. They’ve only been running this system for a few months. As the season progresses, the team will begin to click more and more with the new system. This game is not an accurate depiction of where this team will be in the future.
Another reason for fans not to panic after this game is the quality of the opponent. BYU is a good football program. The Cougars of Provo have seven straight bowl appearances and are going for number eight this year while they have an established system under head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
WSU had a difficult task in facing BYU for the first game of the season and the first game in a new system.
The main reason that WSU fans shouldn’t worry is because of whom they have in command. Mike Leach is an established collegiate coach. In his time at Texas Tech he rebuilt the Red Raiders, amassing an 84–43 record while leading them to nine straight bowl appearances. He’s a proven coach and runs a proven system. The Cougars will have success in the future under Leach.
The change won’t happen overnight. Right now Leach’s team consists of players that were recruited by former WSU coach Paul Wulff. That makes running his system even more difficult because they may not by the type of recruits Leach wants to utilize in his system. It’s like not having the right pieces for a puzzle. Some things just won’t fit.
This year fans may not see the instant turnaround they hoped for when Leach took over, but next year, or even the year after that, change will come. When Leach gets his system established and has a roster full of his recruits, the Cougars will be a force to be reckoned with. Cougar fans just need to hang on. Wins are on the horizon.
Kevin Bingaman can be reached at [email protected]