Defense will be better in Schmedding's second year and with 9 starters back.
BIG ? at o-line. Aaron Best is a great position coach and has a knack for re-loading. It will be interesting to see how Taylor tweaks the offense and perhaps takes some pressure off the line with tempo.
http://www.scout.com/college/washington ... f-intrigueGranted, I’m a little biased in my anticipation of this one. I’m a proud Coug, long-time CF.C columnist and former WSU color man, and this season I’ll be entering my 14th as EWU’s radio color analyst.
Dual homerism aside, this is no casual FBS vs. FCS match up.
For two reasons, the proverbial “don’t look past them” refrain rings loud.
For one, EWU is a perennial FCS power who plays Pac-12 teams really tough; they’ve gone 1-4 in their last five games against Pac-12 foe but the average score of those games was a high-octane 44-38.
For two, as WSU’s opener last season against Portland State showed, a good team with lesser talent can beat a team with superior talent if the superior squad just goes through the motions.
On paper, I’d say the Cougs should beat EWU by three TDs.
That’s on paper. If the Eagles play a near-perfect game and the Cougs lack energy, this could be a whole bunch of fun in the fourth quarter.
While EWU is coming off its worst season in forever (6-5/5-3) and missed the FCS playoffs for just the second time in seven years, I expect a rebound in 2015. That's because they have experience, with 54 returning lettermen and 17 of them returning starters. That group includes all-world receiver/return man Cooper Kupp, the reigning winner of FCS’ version of the Heisman Trophy (the Walter Payton Award) and one of the top projected receivers in next year’s NFL draft.
The national magazines are picking EWU to be in or near the national FCS top 10 this season. That’s a place Eagles coaches, players and fans expect to be every year and a clue to why they play Pac-12 school so tough: they know they're good and fear no one.
