They lost more than half their starters from a Pacific 10 Conference Championship team a year ago. They lost their coach of 12 years.

But the Washington State Cougars haven't missed a beat.

Wazzu (4-1, 1-0 Pac-10) made a jump to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll this week after disposing of then-No. 10 Oregon, 55-16 last Saturday in Eugene.

A big reason for Washington State remaining among the nation's elite teams is first-year head coach Bill Doba.

"He's done a great job," said interim head coach Mike Hankwitz. "He's added his own personal stamp to (the Cougars)."

Doba took over for former Washington State head coach Mike Price, who left for Alabama following the Cougars' Rose Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

Doba had been an assistant in Pullman for 14 years before getting his first crack at head-coaching duties.

He's made the most of his opportunity so far.

After suffering his only defeat at South Bend against then-ranked Notre Dame ÷ the Irish needed a furious fourth-quarter rally to defeat Wazzu in overtime ÷ Doba has led his Cougars to three straight victories.

Washington State's offense has been the key to the team's early season success. Behind senior quarterback Matt Kegel, the Cougars are averaging over 35 points and 370 yards a contest.

A daunting task for the Arizona defense will be deciding on which part of Washington State's offense to focus its attention.

"I've been very impressed with their offense. They look like a veteran, well-oiled offense," Hankwitz said.

The Cougars have four receivers with more than 12 catches, and three running backs that get a significant amount of carries.

Junior receiver Devard Darling leads the Cougar attack with 22 catches for 345 yards, followed by senior receiver Sammy Moore, who has 15 catches, four for touchdowns.

"They have a wealth of receivers to go to, and the quarterback has done a great job of getting the ball to the right people," Hankwitz said. "They are a very challenging offense to defend."

The Cougars defense should also give the Wildcats a tough challenge.

Washington State is allowing less than 17 points a game, while forcing 22 turnovers and accruing a conference-high 20 sacks this season.

"On the other side of the ball, they are playing extremely well right now," Hankwitz said. "They are much more aggressive this year as a defense."

WSU's "D" is led by sophomore Will Derting, who has a team-high 31 tackles, including six for losses and 3.5 sacks.