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

Cougars put it all together


Michael Bumpus leaps to catch an Alex Brink pass over the defense of UCLA's Justin Fareed. The Spokesman Review
 (CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON The Spokesman Review / The Spokesman-Review)

What happens when the 2007 edition of the Washington State Cougars puts it all together? A 27-7 win against a team that came to Pullman tied atop the Pac-10 football standings.

Saturday’s upset over UCLA – the Bruins were as a much as a six-point favorite – was by far the Cougars most-complete game of the season.

The offense moved the ball on the ground and through the air against one of the conference’s better defenses, albeit one battling key injuries.

The defense, after one early hiccup, shut down the UCLA running game and pressured a limping Pat Cowan into a sub-par passing day. Plus, the secondary delivered enough big hits to have the Bruin receivers hearing footsteps, leading to more than a half-dozen dropped passes.

And, most importantly, the players on both sides of the play were prepared following a bye week that couldn’t have come at a better time.

The offense took advantage of UCLA’s aggressive nature up front – how many times did Bruin defensive end Bruce Davis break up field only to have Jed Collins or an offensive lineman hit him from an angle, opening a hole for Dwight Tardy or Kevin McCall? – to run for a season-high 274 yards.

“They’re quick, they’re fast up front and they do a lot of stunting and twisting and stuff like that,” said quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach, who calls WSU’s plays. “Size-wise we fit a little better with those guys.

“A lot of teams we play are bigger than us, so that’s how our run game is. We’re not just going to go toe-to-toe with everybody and beat them up. We have to use our angles and make blocks that way.”

The defensive game plan was so well thought out defenders were calling out certain UCLA plays prior to the snap. When you know what’s coming, it’s a heck of lot easier to stop it.

And when you stop a team on third down, it’s a lot easier to control the ball.

WSU, last in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision coming in, yielding first downs on 58.4 percent of the third-down plays, held UCLA to 31 percent (5 of 16).

“Third and 1, third and 5, those are real big for momentum,” WSU nose tackle A’i Ahmu said after the game. “As a drive goes on, it tires us down and that’s when our defense breaks apart.

“Today we did a real good job of getting off the field on third down.”

With that, and the improved running game, WSU held a staggering 16-minute edge in time of possession. Remember, college quarters are 15 minutes long.

So the Cougars (3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Pac-10) were able to leave Martin Stadium with a conference win in their hands, the first time that’s happened since last season’s win over Oregon. And they were able to erase a little of the sting from the Ducks’ rout two weeks ago.

But they know, despite the satisfying nature of Saturday’s triumph, the season is still a long way from over. Up next is a trip to a California team that was ranked as high as second in the nation before an ongoing three-game losing streak.

“We said (after the Oregon loss) these next five games are a new season for us,” quarterback Alex Brink said.