MIKE LEACH

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM SAYS fans shouldn’t overreact to the season’s first game. Sure. Try telling that to Cougar fans who have watched Washington State lose the last two season openers to FCS teams. But maybe the conventional wisdom is spot on.



After all, how many predicted after 0-1 starts WSU would still put together 9- and 8-win seasons. Raise your hand if after the last two season-opening losses you said, sure, WSU will tie with USC for the second-most most Pac-12 wins the last two years.



The Cougs figure to get Montana State’s best shot on Saturday. Gone are the days when FCS teams came into FBS stadiums tentative and intimidated. EWU invaded Pullman last year believing they could win and played that way from the jump. Portland State started slow but once WSU failed to punch the Vikings in the mouth, they began to believe too.



“I think we struggled as far as adjusting to being on the field for the first time in some cases … all of a sudden eyes got wide and you try to do too much. But then I think we assembled ourselves pretty good as a team as we played together some more,” said Leach at Pac-12 media days.



Washington State looked especially sluggish on defense last year in the opener (and the next week too). I don’t see that happening this time around -- in large part because of the WSU d-line. One of Alex Grinch’s top goals this August has been was to generate more pressure up front and with more of an attack mindset should come more energy.



I’m also a big believer in new defensive line coach Jeff Phelps. The proof will come over the course of the season, but based on spring ball and fall camp I believe we’ll see 1. better fundamentals up front and 2. less of the d-line running hot and cold.



WSU has shifted its recruiting to go lighter and quicker on its d-line under Leach and Grinch. But any fan concerns about facing a monster o-line will have to wait until after the opener. Portland State’s offensive line averages 6-5, 288 pounds and doesn’t have a 300-pounder among (only one 300-pounder is in the two deeps).



Two other items of note: Scrimmages this year were held under the lights in Martin Stadium, giving the younger Cougs some familiarity for a night game. WSU also started its prep work with the scout teams for Montana State earlier than in years past.



• KICKOFF: Saturday, 7:30 pm Pacific

• TV: FS-1

• THE LINE: None posted due to FCS opponent (OddsShark predicts 22-point win by WSU, score of 38-16).

• ESPN matchup predictor: WSU 98.8 percent chance of winning

• 2016 RECORDS: Cougs 8-5/7-2; Bobcats 4-7/2-6 Big Sky

• THE SERIES: WSU leads 8-0

• THE RANKINGS: Cougs No. 24 in AP poll, MSU unranked in FCS



ABOUT MONTANA STATE: As is often the case after a coaching change, the turnover has been pronounced between the first and second years. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 26 underclassmen on the roster at season’s end last December are no longer around and also, the first fall practice featured 37 newcomers (36 percent of the roster).



PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Chris Murray. The Big Sky Freshman of the Year beat out former Coug QB Tyler Bruggman (who has since transferred to Texas A&M) and rushed for 860 yards on 138 attempts including sacks (6.23 ypc). Murray and MSU didn’t rely much on the passing game last season, he completed 47 of 105 throws (45 percent) for 778 yards with 6 TDs against 8 INTs. Murray might be forced to run even more than normal. MSU’s top two running backs last year graduated and the guy many expected to take the reins, Nick LeSane, (35 carries, 263 yards, 7.5 ypc) has been suspended the first four games after a pair of offseason arrests.



LAST SEASON: In Jeff Choate’s first year the Bobcats went 4-7 but they weren’t far away from 8-3. MSU dropped four games by six points or less. MSU ended on a high note, knocking off rival Montana in the season finale.



THE COACHES: Choate is in his second year while Mike Leach enters Year Six at WSU. Leach is 20-25 in Pac-12 play and 29-34 overall at Washington State. His record as a head coach overall is 113-77 in 16 seasons.



FAMILIAR FACES: Choate was Leach’s linebackers coach in 2012, Leach’s first season in Pullman. MSU d-line coach Byron Hout was a defensive GA for Washington State in 2012. (Fans may remember as a player at Boise State, Hout was on the receiving end of a punch thrown by Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount in 2009). MSU special teams intern Ryan Saparto was a walk on long snapper at Washington State from 2011-13, and a student assistant for WSU from 2013-15. Ty Gregorak, MSU's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, is from Spokane.



Four Evergreen State products are on the MSU roster: Safety Brian Campbell out of Covington; center Alex Neal out of Duvall; OL Brody McKnight out of Sammamish and WR Willie Patterson from Tacoma. In addition to Bruggman, two recent departures from MSU with ongoing legal troubles http://www.ktvq.com/story/36211385/drug-distribution-charge-for-second-man-in-connection-with-former-msu-football-players are former Husky cornerbacks Darren Gardenhire (a one-time WSU verbal commit) and Naijiel Hale.



STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Montana State will run all day long if allowed. It ranked No. 17 in the FCS last season in rushing offense (212 ypg) while the passing offense ranked 107th out of 122 FCS teams (155.9 ypg). On defense, MSU was in the middle of the FCS pack, ranking 58th in total defense and 68th in scoring defense.



In the win over Montana last year, the Bobcats rushed 62 times. QB Chris Murray had 26 of those carries (142 yards, 2 TDs). Murray completed 2 of 9 passes in the win.



Washington State has had its troubles against running QBs over the years. But with the Cougs emphasizing speed, speed, speed in recruiting on defense, it will be instructive to see how well Wazzu’s stop corps covers both sideline to sideline and when the QB looks to take off inside the tackles.



RELATED: 3 WSU true freshmen on the official depth chart



