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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Forum Photo Gallery Past Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview October 21, 2006 No. 16 Ducks not taking WSU quarterback Brink lightly By John K. Wiley The Associated Press PULLMAN, Wash. — He was benched briefly and later booed when a fourth-and-5 pass dug a trench in the Martin Stadium turf yards behind the intended receiver late in a 21-3 loss to California. The offense Alex Brink leads is ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference in "red zone" scoring and has only one touchdown to show for the last two games. Yet despite a spate of speculative stories about his status as team leader, the Washington State quarterback appeared calm while answering reporters' questions as the Cougars prepared to host No. 16 Oregon on Saturday. The Cougars (4-3, 2-2 Pacific-10 Conference) are a 31/2-point underdog against the Ducks (5-1, 3-1), which bounced back from a similarly disappointing showing against California to beat UCLA 30-20 last week. Brink, an Oregon native who starred at Eugene's Sheldon High but was not recruited by the Ducks, has been the Cougars' starter since Josh Swogger broke a foot two seasons ago. Swogger's transfer to Montana ended three years of close competition and left Brink the undisputed starter. Despite career yardage and touchdown marks that place him just short of former Cougars' great Drew Bledsoe, and just above Timm Rosenbach, another WSU standout who serves as his position coach, Brink is 10-13 as a starter. Despite a recent lack of scoring, the Cougars rank third in the Pac-10 behind Oregon and No. 11 California in total offense, with 2,838 yards, 19 touchdowns and averaging 405.4 yards per game. Although he is unable to pinpoint a reason for the Cougars' recent dearth of scoring, Brink said it's not because the team lacks confidence. "No. Not at all. We're moving the football. We know we can move it. We know we can score," Brink told reporters this week. "We have the weapons. We just need to keep plugging away, keep pushing and the dam's going to break." Cougars' fans were hoping the breach would happen much earlier. As a sophomore last year, Brink set a WSU record for his class, passing for 2,891 yards in a 4-7 season. This year, he has completed 129 of 218 attempts for 1,561 yards, nine touchdowns and an average of 223 yards per game. Opposing defenses know that Brink can be dangerous, despite his team's losses this season to teams ranked in the top 10. "He's the heart and soul of that offense," Oregon defensive end Matt Toeina said this week. "I guess they haven't been as productive as they thought they were going to be in the preseason, but we're not underestimating Alex Brink and his capabilities at all." Cougars' coaches took some heat from students after pulling Brink and replacing him for two series with backup Gary Rogers to start the second half against Cal. Rogers threw an interception two plays after spraining his non-throwing left shoulder. Brink appeared angry after the game and refused to answer questions about being pulled. "I'm the starting quarterback and that's what it's about," Brink said later. "I was upset we lost after the game, not so much that deal." The loss of last season's Pac-10 rushing champion Jerome Harrison to the NFL draft has taken a big chunk from the Cougars' offense. "Obviously, not having Jerome, that's a huge difference. As far as not putting up points, it's hard to pinpoint," Brink said. "It's an execution thing as far as making the plays work and doing our job to make those plays work." The fact that the Cougars' three losses have been to teams ranked in the top 10 has had WSU facing some tough defenses, as well. "Defenses as a whole in this league are playing pretty well," Brink noted. Part of the problem is the Cougars' inexperienced offensive line, which has been beset by injuries this season. Freshman center Kenny Alfred is playing in place of injured senior Josh Duin and only senior right tackle Charles Harris has played the same position all season. While starting quarterbacks have gone down to injuries at Stanford, UCLA and Washington, Brink has proven durable. "Don't even talk about it," WSU coach Bill Doba said. "He's a pretty durable, wiry guy. A little bit of it is luck." Brink gave credit to his linemen, who have allowed only 14 sacks in seven games against some of the best defenses in the country. A victory over the Ducks would give the former Oregon high school player of the year an opportunity to sweep teams from his home state. And while Brink said he went to a lot of Ducks' games while growing up in Eugene, payback takes a back seat to other concerns. "Considering the point we're at in our season, it really is another Pac-10 game," he said. "It's important for us to get to a bowl game and finish well this last part of the season." Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.