SPOKANE, Wash. — At least Washington State coach Paul Wulff has kept his sense of humor.

Asked if he had used film of last year’s 58-0 loss at Stanford to prepare his team for this Saturday’s season opener against the Cardinal, Wulff said that was not possible.
“We burned all our film from last year, so we can’t show anything,” Wulff joked during the Pac-10 coaches conference call Tuesday.
There were precious few highlights to record from a 2-11 inaugural season for Wulff that was among the worst in WSU history. But this is a new season and hopes for improvement will be tested when the teams play at Martin Stadium in Pullman at 3 p.m.
“This is a new year,” Wulff said. “We are focusing on what we face on Saturday.”
Junior Kevin Lopina will start at quarterback, but sophomore Marshall Lobbestael is likely to get a look, Wulff said. The team has not yet settled on a starter for the year.
“We want a feel for what decisions they are making in a live situation,” Wulff said. “We want to allow someone to try and separate themselves a little bit in game time.”
“Nothing is set in stone,” Wulff said.
The Stanford game was the ninth game last season, after the Cougars had been repeatedly pounded by other teams and were wracked with injuries. It was Stanford’s second-largest victory margin since World War II, and their first shutout victory over a Pac-10 opponent since 1974.
“I think we’ve improved a lot,” Wulff said. “We’ve come a long ways.”
The Cougars are confident in their running attack, which features Dwight Tardy, transfer James Montgomery and Logwone Mitz.
They also are getting good play from receivers, including freshman Gino Simone, he said. Simone and fellow freshman Travis Long, a defensive end, are both listed as starters on the depth chart.
After a season of turmoil and change, the entire team is more comfortable under Wulff’s demanding system. And the coaching staff is more familiar with the players, he said.
“We’ve been on the same page since the end of last season,” Wulff said.
The Cougars are picked to finish last in the Pac-10 this year, while Stanford is tabbed for sixth.
Stanford was 5-7 last year, their seventh straight losing season. Freshman Andrew Luck will start at quarterback. Their leading rusher is Toby Gerhart, who averaged nearly 100 yards per game last season, and scored four touchdowns versus the Cougars.
This is the first conference game to serve as a season opener in nine years at WSU. But this is the fourth straight season Stanford has started with a league game.
Stanford leads the all-time series 33-25-1. WSU, which plays Hawaii Sept. 12, is 75-33-3 in home openers.