Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

This Victory Is One Cougs Can Count On

John Blanchette The Spokesman-Re

Now this one counts. Counts big.

It doesn’t matter much how good UCLA is or isn’t, though by the looks of things Montana may have scheduled the wrong Pac-10 team for a payday and an eyes-closed roundhouse at glory a couple of weeks ago.

It matters even less that the Bruins’ idea of a starting quarterback would, at Washington State, be urged to transfer to tight end. Or to PLU.

That’s not the Cougars’ fault.

UCLA is still UCLA ranked 16th in the country, at least until the latest votes are counted this morning, and only 21 months removed from its last Rose Bowl. Of course, the Bruins - off to an 0-2 start in the Pac-10 - are now well removed from their next Rose Bowl.

And that is very much WSU’s fault, the Cougars putting the Bruins through the misery of both a trip to Pullman and a 24-15 spanking Saturday afternoon for the amusement of 33,711 at Martin Stadium and ABC’s regional audience.

Next stop: Lincoln, Neb.

Hey, think big. The Cougars do.

“We’re going to win,” predicted defensive end Dwayne Sanders. “We’re 3-0 against those guys (Nebraska). We’re going to shock some people.

“If we come in and fire off the ball in the first quarter the way we did against UCLA, they can’t handle it. And they feed off their crowd so much that if the crowd isn’t into the game … you see what I’m saying?”

Uh, let’s just say we will see.

What we do see is a football team which - judging from where the Cougars were against Pitt three weeks ago and where they are now - is taking the stairs two at a time. Having Nebraska next is no help, but in some respects that game means little more than Montana and nowhere near as much as this game.

“The longer you stay in the Pac-10 championship race, the more momentum and better attitude a team will have,” WSU coach Mike Price reasoned. “Don James told me that one time.”

Don would know.

“You lose your first couple in the Pac-10, it’s hard to get your players back,” said Price. “For a couple years, that’s what was happening to us. But lately, we’ve been going into the end of the season with a chance to make a difference in the conference.”

The Cougs are never an obvious read. As overwhelming as they were in building a 24-0 halftime lead, they gave UCLA every chance to win after intermission. Most of UCLA’s wounds were self-inflicted - ugly throws, comical drops, dumb fumbles and some curious play-calling down by the goal-line. Until UCLA coach Terry Donahue called timeout a minute into the second half to make a desperate final plea that his team not lay down, this was no contest.

It was probably just coincidence that Cougars running back Frank Madu had just made 9 yards on a sweep, running over cornerback Teddy Lawrence.

The Cougs, as we know from our research, have no running game, and their backs bowl over no one.

Until today.

“I’m sure that upset him,” Madu said, grinning. “And he got in their heads for a while.”

Too late. By then, the Cougars had it in their heads that they could dominate the Bruins - to run first and pass later. Madu rushed for 110 yards - his second straight 100-yard day, and WSU’s first back-to-back 100s in three years - and Derek Sparks added 61. And if neither are in the class of UCLA’s Karim Abdul-Jabbar, they were at least properly inspired by the competition.

And sprung loose by the offensive line.

“We took a shellacking in the papers last year and most of that was due to us,” said tackle Scott Sanderson. “We’re out this year to show we do have an offense, that we can move the ball effectively. We didn’t want to be last in the Pac-10 in total offense again and first in sacks.”

“Our running game has im proved,” said Price. “Last game, we thought it was just (playing) Montana, but this wasn’t Montana we played today. And Madu - every time I looked up, he was running over somebody.”

Before any statues are erected, understand that this UCLA team most of the defensive starters returned - was last by a long shot in the Pac-10 against the run a year ago. And that hotshot middle linebacker Donnie Edwards was out.

Still counts. Counts big.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Blanchette The Spokesman-Review