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Wednesday, October 30
 
Gesser puts 'it' on the line vs. surprising Sun Devils

By Bill Curry
Special to ESPN.com

Jason Gesser must have been born with it. "It" is that indefinable quality that a few unique individuals possess that changes a room when they enter. "It" makes people want to follow, to please, to accommodate. In battle it inspires acts of heroism and selflessness. On a football field it motivates tough guys to be tougher than they thought they could be.

Game Plan: No. 17 Arizona State
Offense:
  • QB Andrew Walter, prepare for variety and pressure.
  • WR Shaun McDonald, meet CB Marcus Trufant. Can you shake him?
  • Walter, the face-to-face play calls will be helpful in this environment.
    Defense:
  • The great hitting of last week must pick up a notch.
  • DE Terrell Suggs, establish yourself as a consistent dominator.
  • The wounded LB corp needs backups Williams, Bates, Banks to excel.
    Special Teams:
  • Foolish penalties must be eliminated.
  • Field goal block team must get one.
  • Second man in knock the ball out on kickoff coverage.
    Players:
  • Unlike last week, 156 yards in penalties will cost you this game.
  • Outside expectations have changed. So must yours.
  • You know how to come from behind, try playing from ahead.
    Coaches:
  • Expectations will weigh heavily on your team. Address and use them
  • Use the Oregon experience to get off to a better start.
  • Keep your poise. The team will reflect you.
  • No words can describe this rarest of attributes, but it is amazing how visible it is, even to the masses. When put on display in contests of courage, it is remembered for eons. John Unitas had it, Walter Payton had it, Bart Starr has it.

    When Jason Gesser takes "It" onto the field this Saturday against Arizona State, he will do so as the most successful quarterback in the history of Washington State University football. With each flourish of his powerful arm, his influence grows and his teammates get stronger.

    Consider that in 108 years of football at Washington State, one player has been elected team captain three times. One player in more than a century: Jason Gesser.

    Gesser's teams at St. Louis High School in Honolulu were 24-0 with him at QB. His Cougar teams are 21-9 with him as a starter, the best mark of any QB in school history. The record for the last 20 games is 17-3, tied with Oregon for third-best in the country.

    He is the school record holder in total offense at 7,829 yards. His 59 touchdown passes tie him with Ryan Leaf for first in that category. He has recorded 18 games with two or more TD passes, another school record. As impressive as all this is, it takes on added luster when one considers that some of the other QBs at this storied program are men like Drew Bledsoe, Mark Rypien, and Jack Thompson.

    What seals the legacy of leaders like Gesser is moments like this. If the Cougars can finish the job in the Pac-10 and get to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl he will be remembered as the best of the best.

    Across the field in Pullman on Saturday, though, will be the most surprising team in the conference this year. Arizona State has its customary allocation of speed and talent on both sides of the ball. On alternating weeks the offense and defense play with alacrity and can dominate. This stage of development is frustrating, but not unusual in the process of learning to win with consistency.

    Game Plan: No. 9 Washington State
    Offense:
  • Red Zone offense-stay focused!
  • QB Gesser, be a great "sneaker" on 4th-and-short. Pads low, legs churning.
  • Time of possession can improve. Dominate with yards-per-play edge!
    Defense:
  • CB Jason David, at least one more interception.
  • Get 22 more hits on Walter and you will win.
  • CB Marcus Trufant: shut down Shaun McDonald.
    Special Teams:
  • Trufant, you need a big punt return!
  • Field goal protection must be secured.
  • Devard Darling, secure the football on kickoff returns!
    Players:
  • DE Fred Shavies, lead the sack crew again.
  • Offense, make a pact to keep the ball. Defense likewise, get off the field!
  • You need more leadership than Gesser. Give him a hand.
    Coaches:
  • Do not be satisfied with your first successive winning seasons.
  • Go after them early. Get them down and keep them down.
  • Address the penalties in a disciplinary fashion. Eliminate them.
  • The Sun Devils can go to Autzen Stadium at Oregon, fall behind 21-0, then prevail 45-42 over the Ducks. The very next week the defense can dominate Washington 27-16, giving up the only two touchdowns in the closing minutes with the backups in the game. Coach Dirk Koetter's tenuous turnaround depends on the whimsical nature of his fast, erratic team.

    His heartfelt desire is to see his young team learn to play a complete game, and he knows full well that it will not prevail in Pullman unless the units coalesce in a hurry.

    The game within the game here will be Washington State's veteran offensive line against the ferocious pass rush of Arizona State, as Gesser's protectors will face more speed off the edges than they have seen this year. Washington's offense was ranked 8th in the country when the Sun Devils sacked Huskies QB Cody Pickett eight times last week.

    The leader of the sack attack is Terrell Suggs who had 12 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a caused interception. Koetter stated that he had never had a player dominate a game in such a fashion. If ASU can get consistent pressure on Gesser, it has a chance in the game.

    Hidden yardage will surely favor Arizona State if the Cougars cannot correct the many errors they committed last week. Devard Darling fumbled a kickoff return for the third time, one field goal was blocked and another missed. Red zone offense is a clear failing for the Cougars, and so directly affects the value of field position for their team.

    ESPN college football analyst Bill Curry coached for 17 years in the college ranks. His Game Plans for marquee matchups appear each week during the college football season.





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