Wulff says players must forget losses

PULLMAN, Wash.- Washington State coach Paul Wulff said one of his jobs is making sure young players forget certain things. Such as tough losses.

With so many freshmen playing key roles, Wulff has to be careful they don't dwell so much on past mistakes that they fail to prepare for the next game.

"They are not a mature enough group to know how to prepare properly every week," Wulff said of his team, which is heavy with freshmen and sophomores. "You have to flush the game, win or lose, and prepare for next week."

The Cougars (1-5, 0-4 Pac-10) had two weeks to flush the memory of their 27-14 loss at home to Arizona State. After a bye week, they play at California (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday. It would also be best to flush the memory of last season's 66-3 Cal win in Pullman. It was one of the worst games of a lousy season.

The Cougars are in the midst of a long break from games in Pullman. After Saturday's game, they travel to San Antonio for a neutral site contest against Notre Dame. Then they play at Arizona. Their next home game is Nov. 14 against UCLA.

Cal has been an enigma this season. They were ranked in the Top 10 after opening with wins against Maryland, Eastern Washington and Minnesota. But then they were pounded 42-3 by Oregon and 30-3 by Southern Cal before rebounding to beat UCLA 45-26 last week.

"When they were forced into passing they didn't respond well," Wulff said of the ground-oriented Bears.

The WSU defense, which ranks 118th among the 120 major college teams, can be a tonic for what ails any offense. Starting defensive back Daniel Simmons broke his leg against ASU and will be replaced in the lineup by 17-year-old Terrance Hayward on Saturday. Hayward had nine tackles against ASU.

"We haven't had any luck in the injury department," Wulff said.

But the WSU offense might be a tad stronger this weekend, as several injured offensive linemen are expected to return to action. That could give freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel a little more time to throw.

"The more experience he gets, the better he is going to be moving forward," Wulff said. "He's done a good job."

SERIES: Cal holds a 40-25-5 edge in the series with WSU, and has a four-game winning streak.

INJURIES: The Cougs have missed 46 player games because of injuries or illness in the first half of the season. On the offensive line, five starters have missed a total of 12 games

THE NUMBERS: Of the 120 major college teams, the Cougars rank 119th in total offense and pass defense; 118th in total defense; 116th in rushing; 116th in scoring and 110th in points allowed. Their best performance, 25th, is in punting, thanks to Reid Forrest's indefatigable leg. The Cougars average 75 rushing yards per game. Cal's Jahvid Best averages 102 yards per game himself.