Cougs find latest drubbing distasteful

CORVALLIS, Ore. – If there ever was a football game that illustrates a cliché, Washington State’s 66-13 steamrolling by Oregon State on Saturday before 45,289 at Reser Stadium was it.

After losing three starters to injuries in little more than three quarters, the Cougars watched OSU add the insult of a 39-yard scoring pass with 7 minutes, 35 seconds left.

WSU coach Paul Wulff’s only response when asked about the final touchdown was a long pause followed by, “No comment.”

But his players had their thoughts.

“It really shows how Oregon State has no class, in my opinion,” sophomore cornerback Romeo Pellum said in a Gill Coliseum hallway following WSU’s third consecutive defeat. “In that big of a win, usually teams run the ball and obviously (OSU) Coach (Mike) Riley showed that he didn’t have no class.

“That’s just a thought for us to remember for the next time we play Oregon State, have that nasty taste in your stomach.”

The nasty taste should already have been there, seeing the Cougars (1-6 overall) not only were en route to their fourth Pac-10 loss in four tries – they’ve been outscored 223-33 in those contests – but they lost another quarterback as well.

Freshman Marshall Lobbestael, who has been playing since WSU lost upperclassmen Kevin Lopina and Gary Rodgers to spine injuries in the 48-9 victory over Portland State, left the game early in the fourth quarter. Rolled into by Slade Norris, he suffered a MCL sprain in his left knee and is lost for two to four weeks.

Without Lobbestael, who, despite being sacked five times and hit numerous others, was 7 of 17 for 79 yards, WSU turned to fifth-string quarterback Dan Wagner, a redshirt freshman from Jesuit High in Portland.

“We just decided Kevin Lopina was here (in street clothes), and we felt he would be back this next week, so we just decided to try and hold off on J.T. (Levenseller),” Wulff said.

Levenseller, listed as the backup, is a true freshman and a redshirt candidate, if WSU can get through the rest of the season without needing him. The Cougars, trailing 45-13 when Lobbestael went down, decided they didn’t.

They might have, if they could have sustained their second-quarter play.

After a typically slow start that saw WSU give up 96 yards on the Beavers’ first four plays from scrimmage, it rallied back.

Trailing 21-0 and having yielded 206 yards in total offense in the first 14 minutes, WSU turned up the heat on OSU quarterback Lyle Moevao. Using a combination of blitzes and base coverage, WSU came up with three interceptions in the quarter.

“Kids started believing and made some plays,” Wulff said of the stretch. “It’s something we’ve tried to get them to do all year, just make some plays, whether it’s on offense or defense. If you make some plays, you build momentum and build confidence.

“It just shows you when any team can make a play or two for the team, it builds confidence. That’s how this game works.”

Myron Beck came up with the quarter’s first pick, returning it to the OSU 36. Five plays later, Chantz Staden’s 1-yard run put WSU on the scoreboard.

Even though Nico Grasu’s extra point failed, the Cougars kept the momentum – and built on it.

The Beavers’ running game was working – Jacquizz Rodgers, the freshman running back, hacked through the Cougars for 168 yards on 23 carries, despite leaving in the third quarter – yet they still decided to throw.

Moevao, who finished 12 of 24 for 186 yards and two touchdowns, tried to find Rodgers on a screen pass on a third-and-4 from the OSU 23. With WSU in a Black blitz, outside linebacker Louis Bland had responsibility for Rodgers in the flat.

“I just kind of baited the quarterback a little bit, and, when he threw the ball, I was right there to make a play,” Bland said. … “(My) first thought was, ‘Catch it.’ Catch it and take it to the house. Once I saw the running back stop chasing me – he took a couple steps and just stopped – after that, I knew I had to get into the end zone.”

But, after cutting the OSU lead to 21-13, the Cougars squandered Xavier Hicks’ interception on the next possession – his second of the game – when Staden fumbled deep in WSU territory. The Beavers (3-2, 2-1) turned that into a Justin Kahut field goal just before half to take a 24-13 lead.

“We came in at half thinking we had a chance,” defensive tackle A’i Ahmu said.

But that evaporated quickly, as the kickoff went out of bounds, the Cougars were called for a personal foul despite the lack of a play and OSU started at WSU’s 45.

“Pretty close – we’re not very smart some times,” Wulff answered when asked if that was the worst way his team could have started the half. “Got a lot of educating to go yet.”

Two possessions later the Beavers had taught them they had no chance, scoring on two quick drives. It was 38-13 and the Cougars seemed to have nothing left.