Wulff eager for his first test as Cougars' coach

After nine months of preparation, a new era is set to begin at WSU

By Howie Stalwick | For The Olympian • Published August 27, 2008

• Comments (0)

PULLMAN - Paul Wulff is a head football coach in one of the most prestigious conferences in the nation, so he knows that an endless list of media interviews, booster functions and other off-field distractions come with the job.

What Wulff prizes most about his job, however, is game day. On Saturday, less than nine months after he landed his dream job at his alma mater, Wulff leads the Washington State Cougars into battle for the first time when WSU takes on Oklahoma State at Qwest Field in Seattle (12:30 p.m., FSN).

“I actually woke up this morning and had about a 3-second flash of excitement in my gut that definitely stood out,” Wulff said Tuesday. “All right; we’re finally here.”

Well, yes. The question that remains to be answered is: Do the Cougars have enough talented and healthy players “here” to be successful this season?

“It feels like we’re getting to believe in ourselves as a team, that we can really do something, we can really make a change,” senior defensive tackle A’i Ahmu said.

If the Cougars fail, it won’t be for lack of trying — or running. WSU players suffered countless leg injuries in fall camp, which Wulff blamed largely on harder, longer practices that drastically increased the amount of running required of players.

“If anything, we’ll be the best-conditioned team out there, win or lose,” junior running back Dwight Tardy said.

Tardy’s remarkably seamless recovery from a major knee operation that ended his 2007 season prematurely is one of the few blurbs of good news that emerged from fall camp in regard to health issues.

Sophomore receiver Jeshua Anderson, the team’s best deep threat, will miss early season games due to hernia surgery. Both projected starters at offensive tackle, seniors Vaughn Lesuma and Dan Rowlands, are expected to miss at least the season opener.

Lesuma has a balky back, and Rowlands announced Tuesday that he is giving up football due to a recurring shoulder problem that acted up last week.

Punter Reid Forrest won’t be ready in the early going due to ankle surgery. Tardy and top backup running backs Chris Ivory and Marcus Richmond have all been banged up at times this summer, but all practiced Tuesday.