Hot Cougar Action: The Good, Bad and Ugly of WSU’s third straight loss

Lots of bad. Again.

Dateline – London, where Sunday was the only day this writer will probably see the sun for the next two weeks, so you’ll forgive me if this is rather terse since I spent the day walking around Hyde Park and its surrounding area. Sunday afternoon’s stroll and pub visits were much more enjoyable than the evening I spent watching yet another Washington State Courgars loss, which made it four damn weeks since WSU has won a game.

I give WSU a semblance of credit for this – at least the team showed up and gave a solid effort on Saturday. Hooray? But if you’re the least bit realistic, you knew WSU wasn’t going to win that game, even when it took a 10-3 lead. Oregon was finally going to wake up and realize that all it had to do was plow through WSU on the ground, and the game would be decided. The only way WSU was going to stay alive was if Oregon gave the ball away. That didn’t happen, and WSU trudged back to the locker room with yet another loss at Autzen Stadium. The misery continues.

The Good

• Welcome back, Lincoln Victor. Man, was that guy missed. All he did Saturday was slice and dice the Oregon defense for 16 catches and 161 yards.
• Cam Ward was his early season self, showing the poise that seemed to evade him in the last two games. He trusted his protection (which wasn’t half bad!) a little more, and kept WSU in the game for a while. He needs to push the ball down the field if this offense is going to be successful.
• I really loved the Oregon band playing the fight song as the ref was announcing a holding call against Oregon.
• Andrew Edson: shutdown cover corner? He could probably start at safety!
• Hell of a drive for that first touchdown, as the Cougs went 97 yards in seven plays.
• Kyle Thornton hasn’t done a lot of note this season, but he had a pretty solid game, leading the team in tackles.
• Heck of a kick from 50, Dean. Janikowski came through with a 3/3 day.
• Thought the offensive line did a decent job in pass protection.

The Bad

• Seven games in, still can’t run the ball. If you can’t run, you can’t win.
• More receiver false starts. Amazing.
• As good as Ward looked throwing down the field, the seemingly endless screen calls are just monumentally frustrating.
• There are few things more disappointing than finally getting into the end zone, then letting the opponent go straight down the field for an equalizer.
• There are 100+ plays in every game, and nearly all of them make a difference in the outcome, but one sequence pretty much ended things for WSU Saturday. First, Cooper Mathers drops a pass that would have put WSU in the red zone. Then, facing 4th-and-3, WSU calls timeout, then decides to run an absurd double pass that had less than zero chance of success. Four plays and 61 yards later, Oregon took the lead and the game was over.
• WSU had another trick play drawn up later, but Esa Polé couldn’t resist a false start so, yeah.

The Ugly

• Bo Nix wins a lot of games, but Bo Nix isn’t anything special. That’s why WSU’s fate was sealed when Oregon recalled that all it had to do was hand the ball off. Oregon’s top two backs averaged 8.3 yards per carry, and ran for more than 230. Again, you want to win, you have to run it.
• The referees. Another inept performance.
• 2022: 4-1 start, three-game losing streak. 2023: 4-0 start, three-game losing streak. I’ll give WSU this – at least it’s consistent.

Awards Section

Taylor Taliulu / Darrien Molton “We Really Don’t Have Anyone Better on this Roster?” Award

And the winner is: Sam Lockett, who just can’t play at this level. Bless his heart.

Tyree Toomer “The Internet is Forever” Award

Devin Richardson, come on down!

Same stadium, damn near the same exact spot on the field. Life is weird!

That play reminded me of this.

Sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from crying. Oh well. The pub awaits.

This Week in Parenting

Pretty big weekend for Team Kendall, specifically the 12 year-old. Yep, I wrote 12 year-old. He flipped the calendar again a while back, and we now sit less than a year from having two teenagers in the house. Could use all your Ts and Ps if you don’t mind.

And after several months sans barber, he also decided to get rid of his flowing locks, going from this:

to this, in a matter of seconds!

Rather jarring, having seen that flow day after day.

Mom was gone for a few days last week, which meant dad’s “Lunch will be made the night prior to school” policy was back in effect. The boys are responsible for the sides, and I make the sandwiches. So I asked the 12 year-old what he wanted, and he said a PB&J sandwich.

“Mom says you like wraps more, so why do you keep asking me for sandwiches?”
“Because mom makes them better than you do.”

Well then.

The actual teenager had a big day Friday, as it was homecoming and he was taking part in drill and ceremony prior to the football game. That meant that he had to wear his JROTC uniform to school, even though it was only a half day. As he was heading out to drill practice before school, I said, “Are you taking a change of clothes for school so you don’t have to walk around school in the uniform?” “Oh no. it’s only a half day and I won’t need to change” was the response.

Smash cut to 1 p.m. when the kid runs into the house. I asked what he was doing home. “Gotta change my clothes and go get something to eat,” he said as he hurried to get out of his uniform. Gee, if only somebody had brought this exact situation up before school began. Maybe next time.

Non-Sports