GAME NOTES: The Washington State Cougars will attempt to upset the 25th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend in non-conference action, as the two meet at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Not much has gone right for Washington State this season. Since the lone victory, a 30-27 overtime decision over SMU back in September, the Cougars have suffered four consecutive defeats to fall to 1-6 overall. They are coming off a 49-17 loss at California last weekend and have suffered all six losses by no fewer than 13 points. First-year head coach Paul Wulff inherited a program in shambles, and he has a great deal of work to do to right the ship.

As for the Fighting Irish, it has won four of its last five games to move to 5-2 overall. The lone losses have come by four points to Michigan on the road and seven points to USC at home, and both of those contests were still very much up in air in the final minute of play. There is still a chance the Fighting Irish could play their way into a BCS bowl if they can run the table, and they are obviously heavy favorites this weekend.

"We obviously have work to do but I think that we are starting to get some of the stuff figured out, and I think that our best football is still ahead of us," said Fighting Irish head coach Charlie Weis.

Notre Dame won the only previous meeting with Washington State by a 29-26 final in overtime back in 2003.

Washington State is scoring 15.1 ppg this season while generating 293.7 total ypg, numbers that are poor by any standards. The Cougars have failed miserably in their efforts to move the ball on the ground, as they are averaging just 72.6 rushing ypg at a clip of 2.2 yards per carry. They have had much more success passing the ball, which is a bit surprising considering that three different quarterbacks have seen significant time under center. Still, the trio has combined for 10 interceptions with only seven touchdowns.

No player on the WSU roster has more than 186 rushing yards, as Wulff has allowed several different performers to touch the ball. As for the receivers, Jared Karstetter leads the way with 24 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

Opponents are racking up 37.0 ppg and 499.6 total ypg against a Washington State defense that has offered little resistance. The fact that foes are gaining 5.8 yards per rushing attempt is staggering. The Cougars are yielding 215.4 ypg on the ground, and of the 33 touchdowns that they have allowed to opposing offenses, 20 have been of the rushing variety. While it is certainly impressive that WSU has come up with 19 takeaways, the total of seven sacks registered is woeful.

Freshman Jeff Tuel was under center for Washington State against Cal last weekend, and he was tremendous in completing 28-of-42 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Tuel didn't throw a single interception in the contest and continued to hang tough in the pocket despite five sacks. It appears that the Cougars may have found their quarterback of the future. And Carl Winston had a 37-yard run in the clash, so he may have what it takes to emerge as the team's go-to tailback.

"I think he is on a good pace," said Wulff of Tuel. "He needs the help around him. The receivers are young and the O-line is young, but all the parts need to do their job. The other 10 guys need to do their job, and he is only going to get better."

While there were some signs of life from the Washington State offense, the defense appeared dead against Cal. The Cougars were victimized for 559 total yards, including 309 yards on the ground. Six touchdowns were yielded to the Cal offense, and this WSU defense is in need of a complete overhaul.

"They didn't do anything we didn't expect or prepare for," said linebacker Myron Beck of the Cal offense. "We knew what was coming at us. It was just a lack of execution."

It is hard to find a quarterback nationally that has played better than Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen this season. Through seven games, he has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,050 yards and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Those numbers would be even better if Michael Floyd hadn't injured his collarbone in the season's third game, keeping him out of the lineup indefinitely. Golden Tate is the go-to receiver for the UND offense, and he has 52 catches for 847 yards and eight touchdowns. As for the ground attack, Armando Allen leads the way with 514 yards and three scores.

Opponents are scoring 24.1 ppg against Notre Dame, which is allowing 409.4 total ypg. Clearly, there is some room for improvement defensively, especially against the pass. Opposing quarterbacks have been able to rack up 282.4 passing ypg on 13.9 yards per completion. Of the 19 touchdowns surrendered by the defense, 11 have come through the air. The total of 15 takeaways registered by Notre Dame is solid, but the same can't be said for the 12 sacks.

Notre Dame, which is averaging 30.0 ppg on 438.4 total ypg, scored just 20 points in last weekend's four-point victory over Boston College. Clausen and Tate hooked up twice for scores, and the 36-yard pitch-and-catch midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. The Irish finished with a modest total of 352 total yards, and Clausen was 26-of-39 for 246 yards with zero interceptions. Tate made 11 catches for 128 yards.

"To be honest I just heard the catches, it seems like I only had 50 yards if that," said Tate of his stats. "I really don't see it that way. I just go out there and I trust our coaches' game plan."

Three interceptions in the second half were key to the victory over BC, so the Notre Dame defense deserves a ton of credit. The unit limited the Eagles to 349 yards and two touchdowns, and Boston College was only able to post 70 rushing yards on 29 attempts. It is also worth mentioning that the Eagles connected on fewer than half of the passes they attempted.

Expect Notre Dame to jump out to an early lead over Washington State and never look back. Expect big offensive numbers from Clausen, who could become the Heisman frontrunner this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Notre Dame 49, Washington State 10