The Cougars have made a few changes on defense ahead of today’s matchup against the Oregon Ducks. Middle linebacker Mike Ledgerwood and safety Chima Nwachukwu are both out with injuries. In their place, a few youth get a chance to shine against the deadly Oregon offense.

At safety, freshman Deone Bucannon, a bright spot early-on, and redshirt freshman Anthony Carpenter, a safety turned cornerback turned safety again, will split time in place of Nwachukwu. At middle linebacker, freshman C.J. Mizell gets his chance at the starting job. Mizell had a problem “bringing it” in practice for most of the season but now appears to “get it”.

Even with the changes, WSU should struggle with Oregon’s high-powered spread offense. Whether it’s LaMichael James, Darron Thomas or any of the Ducks other weapons, Oregon is incredibly hard to contain.