After further review, this loss looks just as bad as it did yesterday
A GRIP ON SPORTS • My father used to tell me, when I was disgruntled or disgusted, to sleep on it. Things will look better in the morning. Sorry, pops, when it comes to Cougar football, you were wrong. Read on.
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• I tried to invoke that lesson yesterday after the Cougars’ stunning – and stumbling – loss to Portland State in the rain at Martin Stadium. I felt within about two degrees of "Animal House" Kevin Bacon, playing the role of the rent-a-cop standing on the sidewalk, holding my hands up and saying, “all is well.” At least that phrase never left my lips. All isn’t well in Pullman, and it wasn’t Saturday. A 24-17 loss to an expected Big Sky also-ran – Portland State for goodness sakes – illustrates that point. Overreacting has never done anybody any good, but, after about 18 hours of reflection, it’s obvious the loss is a turning point. The Cougars had not lost to a (the addition of the word current is to clarify the statement; I thought that was evident but it was not, so my bad) current Big Sky school, period, since 1947. (Correction: an earlier version used a statistic from the game notes put out by WSU. The Cougars lost to current Big Sky member Montana at home in 1947, when they were in the same conference, so the note about this being the first loss to a current Big Sky school at home was incorrect.) And they lost yesterday despite having, what was commonly believed, the most talented team in Mike Leach’s four years on the Palouse. But I hate to break it to you, talent doesn’t always win. That was a lesson the Cougars used to teach others back in the day. Used to. Not anymore. Or at least not lately. Two years, ago, sure. The win over USC in the Coliseum that helped propel WSU to a bowl game in 2013? That seems like an eon ago. Or it did about 3 p.m. yesterday. Now, in the light of Sunday morning, it seems like another of those turning points. It was for USC. It was the beginning of the end of the Lane Kiffin experiment. It was for WSU. It was the beginning of the best season in a decade, one that, ultimately, though, ended up in frustration. Which is what Cougar fans are feeling right now. Frustration. This was supposed to be, if not a bowl year (5-7 seemed the best-case scenario considering the schedule WSU was facing), at least a foundation-building season. A season in which the Cougars had the talent to stand toe-to-toe with most everyone on the schedule. Not win all the time, sure, but not embarrass themselves, either. Then they embarrassed themselves on the first Saturday in September. And now next Saturday’s game at Rutgers seems somewhat of a fulcrum. Which way will this season go? Does yesterday’s loss herald the end of hope, the beginning of the end of Leach’s tenure? Or is it a blip on a season that will end up being passable, a foundation for future success? You and I don’t know. We have our assumptions, but the only people who have any inkling are the 40 or so Cougars who play key roles in their football fortunes. And even they can’t be sure. But they surely have a choice. They can pack it in or they can tough it out. Portland State taught them a harsh lesson yesterday. Talent doesn’t always win. The Cougars can teach that same lesson to the Scarlet Knights next week. If they don’t, there could be 10 more ugly – and disappointing – games in a season that began with so much hope.
• The scapegoat after the game seemed to be the Cougar defense, and it didn’t play well – in the second half. But that’s misguided. No, I’m not saying the defense played well after halftime. It didn’t. Portland made adjustments in its attack and WSU’s corresponding adjustments didn’t stem the tide. There was a lack of discipline and execution, especially up front, and it resulted in three drives of at least 10 plays, all ending in scores. The only time the Cougars got a stop after halftime, a poor decision led to a muffed punt inside the 10-yard-line and another Portland score. But the biggest disappointment Saturday came from the offense. It scored 17 points against a school that yielded more than 50 twice last season, including 59 to WSU. This isn’t last year, of course, and this isn’t last year’s offense in Pullman. The big-play potential of Vince Mayle, Isiah Myers and, most importantly, Connor Halliday, is gone. Quarterback Luke Falk made his fourth career start and played like it. Despite better than decent protection from the experienced offensive line, Falk left a lot of plays on the field. The Cougars rolled up 411 yards – 104 of them on the ground – but failed to get in the endzone on two key early opportunities. For example, the first possession seemed unstoppable, until WSU stopped inside the 10 and settled for a 21-yard field goal. The second possession was even better – and longer – with WSU starting at its 2, marching into Portland State territory and then pulling itself back into its own via penalty. No matter. Falk covered 56 yards in two passes to Dom Williams and the Cougars were down at the 3 again. But Falk locked into Williams at the goal line, didn’t see open receivers in the middle of the field and the drive stopped. A bad snap resulted in a blocked field goal and, despite 164 yards of total offense, WSU had just three points. No one knew it then, but that was the difference in the game. Get it into the endzone both times early and we would be discussing the Cougars tough-fought and well-earned win. Instead Cougar fans are left wondering where the season is headed – and imagining the worst. Falk was hurt at the end of the game – it looked to be a problem with his throwing shoulder, though the way he left the field it might not have been all that serious. The defense has a week to shore up its assignments and execution. The special teams, a problem for two years, has a few things to fix, though kick coverage was better – PSU had no punt returns and negligible kickoff-return yardage – than in the past. And instead of cleaning this up with a team coming off an expected win, Leach and his staff have to do it while salving some deep mental wounds. It’s a challenge. A big challenge.
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• WSU: There is a bunch of coverage, of course, and Jacob Thorpe has a plethora of links in his morning post. But as is our usual M.O., we cover them as well. We start with Jacob’s game story, then move to Sean Kramer’s sidebar on Malik Roberson, the former Cougar defensive line coach who is part of Portland State's somewhat-interim staff (everyone is working on 1-year contracts, including the head coach Bruce Barnum). Jacob and Sean also combined for a notebook. ... Here is the scoring summary as well. ... Tyler Tjomsland has a big picture gallery from the game. ... Jacob posted the final stats and notes on the blog last night, along with video interviews of Leach, Gabe Marks, Jeremiah Allison and Gerard Wicks. ... The Oregonian has a short story on the PSU win and ESPN.com’s Pac-12 blog does as well. ... The Times has game coverage, which Jacob linked, as well as this story on Klay Thompson’s appearance with the NBA championship trophy. ... WSU's volleyball team swept its way to the title in Idaho's tournament.
• EWU: Eastern lost as well yesterday, but no one would say the Eagles embarrassed themselves. Quite the contrary. Other than the uncalled for hit on former Eastern quarterback Vernon Adams, the Eagles acquitted themselves well in Autzen. Jim Allen was in the press box for the opener and has this game story. John Blanchette was there as well and has a column. ... Adams had his usual game, though John Canzano wonders if he can stay healthy for the season. ... The Register-Guard also has an Eastern sidebar, focusing on the late hit. ... It was a good day for the Big Sky, what with PSU’s win in Pullman and Northern Arizona’s 34-28 road win at Stephen F. Austin. ... A week after a season-defining win, Montana may have suffered a season-defining loss to Cal Poly. ... Idaho State began the season with a rout. So did Sacramento State.
• Chiefs: Spokane is getting off to a slow start in the preseason.
• Indians: In the season’s penultimate game, Spokane lost once more, this one 8-2 at Tri-Cities.
• Preps: There were a few prep football games yesterday and we have a roundup.
• Seahawks: Sure, the Hawks announced their cuts and the 53-man roster yesterday, but other moves are expected. In fact, there will have to be other moves. ... The biggest question mark now is the status of Kam Chancellor. ... It's time for the young guys to step up.
• Mariners: Another game, another win. Ho-hum. The Mariners made it four consecutive wins yesterday as Felix Hernandez picked up No. 16 in an 8-3 decision over Oakland. ... Who are the M’s looking at in their search fir a new general manager? ... September is the time for debuts, even if your last name starts with the last letter of the alphabet.
• Sounders: When the Sounders have Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins on the field at the same time, they are pretty good. They were pretty good last night, with Dempsey scoring late to lift them to a 2-1 win over visiting Toronto. ... Sigi Schmid had some sort of health issue and did not coach. ... The Sounders were happy with the victory and the much-needed three points while Toronto was not all that disappointed in its effort. ... San Jose stumbled and lost to Philadelphia.
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• This is the final Sunday without the NFL. Enjoy your free time. Re-landscape the yard or something. Or something. Until later ...
