Washington State at California Preview

By J.E.  |   Friday, October 21, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Washington State Cougars (3-3) head to Berkeley to face the No. 25 California Golden Bears (5-2) in a Pac-10 matchup. Kickoff will be at 10:15pm ET at Memorial Stadium.

Washington State is coming off a heartbreaking 44-41 OT loss to UCLA last week. Although the Cougars have dropped three straight games, they are playing better ball than their 3-3 record would indicate.

The Cougars' offense is led by senior running back Jerome Harrison. Harrison rushed for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bruins, and is one of those backs that has game-breaking abilities. In fact, Harrison has recorded runs of 80, 69, and 57 yards so far this season. He has also scored 11 touchdowns, and hasn't fumbled in the Cougars' six games. There's no question that the Cal defense will have to shut down Harrison in order to win the game.

Sophomore Alex Brink is the Cougars' starting quarterback. Brink has thrown for 1,555 yards and 13 TDs this season, along with 8 INTs. Brink will be looking to get the ball downfield to receivers Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus. Hill has 36 catches on the year for 586 yards and 8 TDs, while Bumpus has 28 receptions for 324 yards and 2 TDs.

After starting the season 5-0, the California Golden Bears have lost their last 2 games and have fallen to No.25 in the polls. They are coming off a 23-20 loss against Oregon State last week and are hoping to turn things around with a win over the Cougars.

QB Joe Ayoob will be looking to break out of a two-game slump during which he is a combined 31-of-74 for 434 yards. He also has 3 TDs and 3 INTs in that span.

The Golden Bears' running back duo of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett also had their problems in last week's loss. In fact, Lynch was benched during the second half of the game because of his poor performance. He gained just 58 yards on 14 carries, and coughed the ball up twice. Forsett was held to just 18 yards on 9 carries in that game. Both of these guys will have to step it up for California to end their losing streak.
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