Isaac Dotson will play against USC

The WSU secondary is going to be tested against USC on Saturday and the Cougars may be relying on a pair of true freshman. We knew freshman corner Daquawn Brown was going to play -- and probably start -- against USC, but we learned safety Isaac Dotson will also see time.

Dotson may not see a lot of time on defense, but Mike Breske said he will play some. Via Christian Caple:

"He's just got to learn. He's getting better each day," Breske said. "He's going to help us on special teams, he's going to help us on defense. He's going to play on Saturday under the big lights of the Coliseum. So he's going to help us."

Dotson started fall camp at quarterback before moving to safety after a few practices. While he's still learning the position, Dotson measures up well athletically. Taylor Taliulu is still likely to see the majority of time at safety next to Deone Bucannon but there is a chance WSU could have a pair of true freshman in the secondary on the field at the same time.

With Nolan Washington and Anthony Carpenter sitting out practice all week, there really isn't much of a choice. If Damante Horton misses any snaps freshman Charleston White could also see time.

Football:

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After the Friday walk-through, that is. But Washington State's week of real, official practices is over, and the team will board a plane for Los Angeles tomorrow as it prepares to face USC on Saturday. We have a few notes from today's practice.

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PULLMAN – How rare is a Washington State victory over Southern California?

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Washington State (plus 15) at USC — Notwithstanding its strong effort last week at Auburn, this one comes with some danger signs for WSU. The Trojans’ defense is better than Auburn’s, and surely SC’s passing game is superior to the Tigers’, too. This makes two straight long trips for the Cougars, who are undeniably better than last year. USC 33, Washington State 16.

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There were plenty of good takeaways from Washington State's visit to Auburn last weekend. For one, the Cougars outgained the Tigers 464 yards to 394. They looked every bit the Tigers' physical match, playing on the road against the 2010 national champions.

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On the surface, when looking at last week’s opener, it may look like the Washington State Cougars have improved over last year’s 3-9 campaign or improved over their 12-49 record over the last five years.

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