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You'll notice something right away in the highlight package from Washington State's win over Colorado: There's a lot of defense here. And for good reason: The defense ruled the day last night, holding Colorado to three points and generally frustrating the Buffaloes. Even Mike Leach had to admit the defense had a pretty good second half.
That's one reason for optimism, too. As we all watch the defense continue to improve each week, there's always the fear of a major letdown. Except play-to-play, game-to-game that hasn't happened. Give up a big play? Fine, just stop them on the next. Back against the wall in the red zone? Pop the ball out; bow up and make a stop; limit the damage.
The Washington State defense is playing at a very high level and, simply, just doing its job. They'll give up yards, but they'll also force turnovers (in addition to the interceptions, they again continued the habit of popping the ball out against Colorado, even though the recoveries didn't come). It's exciting the watch the defense play, except in a good way now.
So enjoy watching the defense go to work in the highlight video. Also note that Peyton Bender made some incredibly nice throws, including the touchdown pass to Gabe Marks -- he read man coverage and took his chances on Marks, and did so with a beautiful throw. The kid has a cannon.