Cougars limp into bye week
Can it get any worse? Sure. Will it? Possibly.
Washington State’s first-half meltdown in Eugene on Saturday had one saving grace: It wasn’t televised. Cougar fans not in Autzen Stadium had to rely on Bob Robertson’s words for their bad news.
And the news certainly hasn’t been good.
Their high-powered offense hasn’t had much power lately, averaging just 15.3 points a game in conference. Even more glaring, the Cougars have four turnovers in the past two games, leading directly to 24 points.
The defense, so impressive against Arizona State at home just nine days ago, couldn’t handle Oregon’s spread offense, neither slowing the Ducks’ running game nor stymieing the Dennis Dixon-led passing attack in the 53-7 defeat. The Cougars are ninth in Pac-10 total defense and 10th in scoring defense.
It all adds up to a 2-5 overall record and a 0-4 (last place) Pac-10 mark. The Cougars have also lost seven consecutive conference games dating back to last season.
When does it stop? There’s a pause this week with a bye, something the Cougar players were split about. Some, including middle linebacker Greg Trent, think the Cougars could use the time to rest and recuperate.
Others, like senior tight end Jed Collins, think it is bad news. “After a loss like this, where there is nothing good to look at, all you want to do is get back out on the field and go again,” he said Saturday.
But after the bye, UCLA, undefeated in conference, comes to Pullman, followed by a trip to Berkeley to face a California team that had a chance to be No. 1 in the nation until Oregon State upset the Bears on Saturday.
“We’ve been on a four-game losing skid,” Bumpus said. “What can we do but try hard? We have nothing to lose. Nobody expects us to win another game.”
The Cougars have been in this position before, as recently as two years ago when they opened conference with seven consecutive losses before salving the wounds with an Apple Cup win over Washington.
Bumpus was there, and he knows what this team has to do to avoid another one-win conference season.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” the senior said. “This game is over with, the games we lost are over with, we just have to move forward. We can’t let egos get in the way, we just have to understand what we have to do to win.
“I’ve been through this before, and staying positive is hard. But our experience will show the next few weeks.”
“We have a good core of seniors who have fought through adversity and come back from it,” Collins said. “We’ve had a couple down weeks, but next week all we have to do is go 1-0. That’s all we’re going to be focused on.”
Notes
The news about offensive tackle Micah Hannam was positive Sunday because the X-rays on his lower right leg were negative. Hannam’s injury is now being classified as a bruise, not a break. … The news about safety Alfonso Jackson wasn’t as good, as the junior has suffered another concussion. His status is up in the air. … The shoulder injury of cornerback Devin Giles, who was in street clothes at the end of the game, isn’t serious and he should practice later this week. … The Cougars’ 3-4 defensive alignment allowed linebackers Andy Mattingly and Kendrick Dunn to play at the same time. The duo combined for 27 tackles (Dunn had 10 solo stops), including four for loss and two sacks, both by Mattingly. … With the bye week, the Cougars are taking practice off until Thursday, though they’ll continue to condition.