Leach: Dawgs keep reloading on defense

Cougars coach Mike Leach, who rarely flatters his opponents, isn't ready to say this year's Husky defensive secondary is as terrific as last year's.

But he acknowledges the Dawgs' overall defensive consistency of recent years.

Presumably, that means his Air Raid offense faces a big challenge from Washington in the Apple Cup at Seattle on Saturday (5 p.m., FOX) as No. 14 Washington State tries to land a berth in the Pac-12 championship game.

Oddsmakers expect as much.

The Cougars are a spot higher in the AP poll than their intrastate rivals, they sport the same win-loss record (9-2, 6-2), and they have more at stake: the Pac-12 North title. If Washington wins the Apple Cup, the North champion is Stanford.

For all that, the Huskies are favored by nine points.

Recent history is one reason. The Cougs have lost four straight times in the Apple Cup, held to 17 or fewer points in each case. Washington's defensive consistency under fourth-year coach Chris Petersen is a function of its depth, Leach suggested.

"They dump those guys in the league (the NFL), then they reload," he said Monday at his weekly news conference. "Then they'll dump some more."

The phenomenon is especially striking this year in the secondary, where again the Huskies are thriving despite losing three stellar starters from last year. As Leach hinted, however, they haven't faced an opponent quite as pass-minded as the Cougars.

"It seems like they have (reloaded successfully)," Leach said. "They haven't played a lot of teams that are real determined to throw it a lot.

"As a matter of fact, Utah threw it more than they generally throw it," he said of the Dawgs' 33-30 win over the Utes last week at Seattle. "So that's a little difficult to say. But they're real athletic and they run to the ball really well and they're talented guys."

The Cougars are coming off a bye, which will aid them more from a physical standpoint than a tactical one, according to Leach. The extra opportunity for video study isn't necessarily of value.

"If you have a year to prepare, that doesn't really help," Leach said. "It's not like all of a sudden some light bulb comes on - 'Eureka, here we find it.' That never really happens. We've gone 11 straight weeks without a break, so I think our team needed some rest. That part's helpful. The important thing is to stay in rhythm and have a great week of practice."

The coach was complimentary of UW quarterback Jake Browning, noting he's one of a number of Pac-12 standouts at that position.

"Jake's a real smart guy, leads the unit very well," Leach said. "Our conference probably has the best quarterbacks of any conference in the country. That's not entirely unusual. The Pac-12 has probably produced more quarterbacks than any conference in the history of college football. The Pac-12 as a whole is throwing it a little less than usual, but there's definitely some quality quarterbacks, and he's another one."

Leach was also complimentary of Petersen. Here again, though, he declined to haul out hyperbole, disagreeing with a reporter who suggested that Petersen built rather than maintained the successful program at Boise State prior to taking the UW job.

"I don't know what you remember about Boise State," he said. "I have a ton of respect for coach Petersen. Boise State was a loaded gun before coach Petersen got there and he did a great job keeping the momentum going. I do think he certainly elevated Washington. They've gotten better and better since he's been there."

Leach also questioned the notion that Petersen has been disproportionately successful at the trick plays for which he's celebrated.

"I don't know if that's the case," he said. "I think you guys (the media) go and repeat yourself over and over, to the point where you eventually you start to believe it yourself."

Dale Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.