KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman cornerback Darrell Brooks will have his hands full tomorrow when the Wildcats take on Washington State's potent passing attack, led by Heisman hopeful Jason Gesser. Brooks held Stanford's Teyo Johnson to one catch last week.

If there were ever a time for John Mackovic to prove his coaching mettle, it would be tomorrow in Arizona Stadium.

A win against the No. 9 Cougars (6-1, 3-0 Pacific 10 Conference) this weekend would be the most improbable victory of Mackovic's tenure, if not longer.

For the second time this season, the Wildcats (3-4, 0-3 Pac-10) have to take on a top 10 team coming off a bye week. The first time, against Oregon, Arizona lost 31-14.

"This is a big game for us," Arizona senior quarterback Jason Johnson said. "We knew that October was the key month of our season if we had aspirations of a bowl season. It hasn't quite gone the way we had planned."

While the team is slightly better off on the injury front than it was against the Ducks, there's still a good number of starters who will be watching from the sidelines. And that doesn't bode well against the team picked to win the conference in the preseason.

If you go ... What: Washington State at Arizona Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. Where: Arizona Stadium TV: Fox Sports Net Radio: Live on KNST Tickets: Student tickets can be purchased for $7; Individual start at $10 Players to watch: Arizona ÷ cornerback Darrell Brooks and wide receiver Bobby Wade? Washington State ÷ wide receiver Devard Darling and defensive back Marcus Trufant

"(The injuries are) difficult because you don't have a set lineup every week. Every time you go into something like this, it seems like it's always different," Mackovic said.

To make matters worse for the Wildcats, two of the biggest injuries are in the secondary, where free safety Jarvie Worcester (broken arm) and cornerback Michael Jolivette (sprained knee ligaments) are out. It's the secondary that Mackovic will need to come through the most if Arizona wants to stay in the game.

The reason for that would be one Jason Gesser, WSU's quarterback and the leading Heisman hopeful on the West Coast. Gesser is capping off perhaps the greatest career ever for a Cougars quarterback with another prolific season, averaging over 270 passing yards per game and boasting the second-best quarterback rating in the conference.

"Gesser is the guy who makes the team go. If they continue to roll, anything can happen," Mackovic said. "He clearly would be the best (Heisman) candidate coming out of the West at this point. It is going to have to be a good story, but he is as much a candidate today as just about anybody."

It's well within the realm of possibility that Gesser could break two of the most important records in school history against the Wildcats, as he only needs 140 yards of total offense and 503 passing yards to take the records in both categor-ies. Neither accomplishment is a small feat, considering Gesser's predecessors un-der center at WSU have been Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf, among others.

The Arizona secondary was buoyed last week by the return of freshman cornerback Darrell Brooks from an ankle injury, but the unit will still face an uphill battle. Four of WSU's wide receivers have amassed over 300 yards receiving on the season, led by Devard Darling's 438. Arizona will have to contest that with a patchwork defensive backfield of Brooks, David Hinton and Gary Love, a converted wide receiver.

The secondary can expect little help from an almost equally hobbled defensive front, which is lining up against the best pass protection in the conference. The Cougars' offensive line has surrendered only 10 sacks, the lowest total in the Pac-10.

The offense for the Wildcats ÷ the beacon of hope so far this season ÷ is coming off its worst performance of the year against one of the worst defenses in the conference, with only 266 yards of total offense against Stanford.

Most alarming about the performance were the three interceptions thrown by Johnson, who had only three coming into the game.

Should Johnson continue being errant, it's a safe bet that WSU corner Jason David will capitalize. The junior currently leads the conference with five picks, anchoring a secondary that has 10 interceptions on the season.

If so, the Wildcats could be in for a long night.

"We have to rally these guys and let them know we have a chance to finish strong," Senior wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "It would mean the world to our team and our fans and our coaches to be able to face the adversity we have had with a win on Saturday."