Out Of Bounds, Out Of Luck Faithful WSU Rallies, Falls In Ot

Out of defensive tackles, out of answers for Corey Dillon and all but out of the 89th Apple Cup, Washington State never ran out of faith.

In the end, it was that faith - the Cougars’ refusal to quit despite a 24-point, second-half deficit - that made their 31-24 overtime loss to Washington so difficult to accept Saturday night.

“It was a real emotional game,” said defensive tackle Leon Bender, who didn’t know whether to cry or smile, so he settled on a little of both. “I think this was our best game overall this season - we really came together.”

Tying the game after trailing 24-0 in the third quarter will have that effect.

After the Cougars forced overtime with three highly improbable touchdowns in the final 9 minutes, Washington went ahead 31-24 on the first possession of the extra period on Brock Huard’s 3-yard pass to Jerome Pathon.

Undeterred, WSU was on the verge of tying it again. But a holding penalty wiped out Michael Black’s run to the Washington 1-yard line, and receiver Chad Carpenter came down just out of bounds while hauling in a would-be 23-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.

Just like that, the 12th-ranked Huskies had survived, barely winning a game they had thoroughly dominated through 3-1/2 quarters.

“This Apple Cup is even more special,” Washington coach Jim Lambright said. “It carries a lot more with it when you win it this way.”

He would know, having lived through a similar scare last season, when the Huskies escaped with a 33-30 victory in the final 1:02.

This Apple Cup seemed destined for no such finish, as a quick glance at the halftime stats indicates. Through two quarters, the Huskies held telling leads in first downs (12-1), rushing yards (166-16), passing yards (59-0) and time of possession (22:51 to 8:09).

And while the scoreboard read just 10-0 at the half, Washington’s lead would soon grow.

Dillon, who carried 26 times for 96 yards in the first half, made it 24-0 with a pair of short TD runs in the first 8 minutes of the third quarter.

With Bender in the lineup only as much his sprained ankle would allow, and with a bad back having forced fellow tackle Gary Holmes to the sideline, it looked as if Dillon was headed for his second 200-yard performance in as many weeks.

Then a strange thing happened. Several, actually.

WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf suddenly had time to throw. His receivers suddenly remembered how to catch. His linemen were suddenly opening holes for Black.

Perhaps more importantly, leg cramps forced Dillon to leave the game early in the fourth quarter. The Huskies led 24-3 at the time, but would get just four more first downs in regulation.

“The biggest turning point was when Dillon got hurt,” WSU defensive coordinator Bill Doba stated flatly.

Five plays after Dillon left, UW place-kicker John Wales missed a 37-yard field-goal try.

The Cougars took over with 11:05 remaining, but seemed doomed when two plays lost 9 yards. But on third-and-19 from the 11, Leaf connected with Shawn Tims for 47 yards. Two plays later, he found Kevin McKenzie for 38 more, all the way to Washington’s 2.

Leaf pulled the Cougars within 24-10 with a 2-yard run, and the momentum was beginning to turn.

The Huskies went three-and-out on their next series as WSU stopped Dillon’s replacement, Terry Hollimon, on three consecutive carries.

Leaf directed another scoring drive on the Cougars’ next possession, finding Tims for a 33-yard score that made it 24-17 with 3:46 remaining in regulation.

Sensing the urgency, Dillon returned on Washington’s next series, but limped off for good after netting just 2 yards on first down. It would be his school-record 38th and final carry, and his game-high 155 yards seemed inconsequential as the Huskies lined up to punt with less than 3 minutes remaining.

A high snap contributed to a short punt - regular long-snapper Jerry Jensen had left with an injury - and the Cougars took over at the 40.

Two Leaf completions put WSU at the 13 with 1:55 left. Black picked up 4 yards on third-and-3, then tied it on a 10-yard run at the 1:18 mark.

Washington had a chance to win it with 3 seconds left in regulation, but Wales barely missed a 41-yard try.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos

MEMO: Changed in Spokane edition.