Rogers’ opportunity ends early

PULLMAN – After Alex Brink finished talking to the media following Saturday’s 21-3 loss to California, the junior quarterback pitched an empty Gatorade bottle toward a trash can in the corner of the room.

The bottle bounced off of the back edge of the bin, and, instead of rattling in, kicked off the front edge and then out.

It was that kind of day for Brink and the Cougars offense.

Brink, in particular, seemed to be unsettled by the loss after watching backup Gary Rogers start the second half and play a pair of series.

WSU’s starting quarterback fared decently in the first half, going 13 of 20 for 163 yards. But, in a sign that playing decently may no longer be enough, the Cougars coaching staff decided to give Rogers a chance to play when WSU got the ball on the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

“He wasn’t playing poorly at all. But we had three points,” quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach said. “So the bottom line is, we’ve got to get in the end zone.”

Rogers didn’t do much in his two possessions and threw an interception on the second. But, in a dramatic shift from past instances in which Rogers has played briefly this season in a planned midgame switch, this time Rosenbach indicated that Rogers might have had a chance to stay on the field longer.

The sophomore backup had on his helmet on the sidelines after the interception while Brink remained in a baseball cap, usually a sign that Rogers would be going back in.

But, on Rogers’ third-to-last play, he separated his non-throwing shoulder and after warming up with Brink on the sidelines, the two suddenly switched headgear and Brink returned for the rest of the game.

Rosenbach said no decision was made, but talked about the possibility of giving the younger quarterback another chance.

“It never got to that point,” Rosenbach said. “We can be full of speculation and look at it every different way. Maybe we would have let him try to fight his way out of it a little bit.”

The severity of Rogers’ injury is unknown.

After the game, Brink twice swatted away questions about the situation, first with a “no comment” and later with an “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

He finished the game a respectable 19 of 35 for 227 yards with one first-half interception, but he missed badly on two late fourth-down throws.

“It’s hard,” Brink said. “It’s kind of similar to Oregon State, but we lost this one. … The defense came and played really well and we weren’t playing up to our level.”