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The memory of an emotional home win with tons of national attention, followed by a flop the following week, hasn't faded away for No. 3 Oregon.
They only need to look back 11 months.
''Last year after (ESPN's College) GameDay came we had a letdown the week after against Stanford,'' Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews said. ''We're looking not to do that again.''
Washington State hardly seems the foe to potential derail the Ducks, especially after their impressive 52-31 win over Stanford that vaulted Oregon past Boise State in the Top 25.
While the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) are saying all the right things this week, reality is this is probably another chance for Oregon to name its score, put up some eye-popping numbers and hang another embarrassing loss on the Cougars.
''That means absolutely nothing in the Pac-10. I've already watched their UCLA game over and over again and they came out and played hard. They had one heck of a game,'' Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Bair said. ''This is a team that we can't blink on.''
The Ducks aren't catching anyone off guard - except maybe in how quickly they are piling up points. Last Saturday's win over Stanford was the third time they've topped 50, and they're leading the country at more than 56 per game, bolstered by the 72 posted on New Mexico to open the season and the 69 hung on Football Championship Subdivision Portland State.
And the Ducks continue to average more than 550 yards of offense - 569 to be exact - also the best in the country.
Now they get a Washington State (1-4, 0-2) defense giving up nearly 43 points per game and unable to stop anyone on the ground. The Cougars' young defense has allowed more than 250 yards rushing in three of the five games, including an embarrassing 437 yards to UCLA last Saturday.
''We knew what we had and the potential that we had with the number of returning starters and the coaching staff and system that we have here,'' offensive lineman Mark Asper said. ''But it's been good to come out and do what we've done so far.''
Last week, the Cougars run defense surrendered 216 yards to UCLA's Johnathan Franklin. Now their task is trying to somehow slow down Oregon's sophomore star, LaMichael James, who gashed Stanford for 257 yards. James is likely to get plenty of carries Saturday, but with how potent Oregon's offense has been, backup Kenjon Barner is sure to get his share of touches.
''It's a lot easier said than done,'' Washington State coach Paul Wulff said. ''You just slip up an inch or two and the player is gone for a touchdowns. It's a challenge. They're going to move the ball on anyone in the country and score a lot of points.''
Wulff could use a strong effort from his team to stem the growing discontent with Cougars fans over the continuing losses and noticeable disparity in skill on the field.
Now in his third season, Wulff is just 4-26 in trying to rebuild the Cougars, but is without a victory over an FBS team since Sept. 19, 2009, against SMU.
There was a bit of hope - at least on offense - after last week's 42-28 loss to UCLA. The Cougars led 28-20 in the third quarter and appeared to take a two touchdown lead on quarterback Jeff Tuel's run. But the TD was overturned on replay, the Cougars failed twice from the UCLA 1 and the Bruins rallied in the fourth quarter.
Tuel threw for 311 yards against the Bruins, and the sophomore has passed for at least 200 in all five of Washington State's games. His favorite target has become freshman Marquess Wilson, who caught five balls for 118 yards last week, becoming just the second freshman in school history to have multiple 100-yard receiving games.
''We've got to continue to take steps of growth,'' Wulff said. ''People are putting measuring sticks on wins and losses and I understand that, but you can't get from A to Z and jump all the other letters.''
