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September 4, 2010 in Sports
Oklahoma State drubs WSU
Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter breaks away for a 66-yard run during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State in Stillwater, Okla.. Saturday, Sept. 04, 2010.
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STILLWATER, Okla. – The first play was a simple run designed to go around right end, a way to ease into the season.
But running back James Montgomery and quarterback Jeff Tuel couldn’t make connections. The ball came free. And Oklahoma State’s Ugo Chimasa pounced on it at Washington State University’s 15-yard line.
Two plays later Kendall Hunter scored.
It went downhill from there.
The Cougars opened the 2010 season the same way they ended 11 games in 2009 and 11 more in 2008, falling behind early, giving up yards in huge chunks and ultimately losing, this one 65-17 before 48,962 at Boone Pickens Stadium and a nationwide cable television audience.
“We both come to the sideline and went ‘what happened,’” Tuel said. “I put it into his gut like I have a million times, and felt like I hit his arm and he said he might have been a little early on trapping down in it. So it just kind of popped up.”
It was just a little exchange thing, and in any exchange I put it on me,” said Montgomery, the senior playing for the first time since a drastic leg injury ended his 2009 season. “I either drifted or clamped too fast. It happens, you get a little excited.”
And so does your opponent.
Oklahoma State, rebuilding after back-to-back nine win seasons, took advantage of every WSU mistake, whether it be turnovers – both fumbles and a blocked punt resulted in scores – or defensive lapses.
The Cowboys rode Hunter repeatedly, giving the senior 21 carries. He rewarded the faith with a career-high 257 yards and four touchdowns, also a career best.
“You don’t have to be in this business very long to see that he’s excited about playing football,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said, noting Hunter missed a lot of last season with injuries.
Why not? The Cowboys’ rebuilt offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, not allowing Washington State’s front to get off blocks or make tackles. Five of Hunters’ runs went for more than 18 yards, including sprints of 66 and 39, the latter for his final score.
“We knew they were going to give him the ball a lot,” said linebacker Myron Beck. “He’s their best player on offense.”
But not their only one. At least not Saturday. The Cowboys finished with 544 yards in total offense against a WSU defense that seemed to have taken big strides in the offseason.
Thanks to an offensive line with four new starters, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, the 26-year-old former minor league pitcher making his first career start, was able to play catch with six wide-outs, often as leisurely as a guy throwing a bullpen.
He found Justin Blackmon eight times for 125 yards and three touchdowns – Blackmon scored a fourth late on a blocked punt – and Josh Cooper five times.
“Those guys played tremendous tonight,” he said of the offensive line after completing 22 of 30 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. “They kept guys off me. It’s nice not being on the ground very much.”
But it was one of WSU’s two sacks that seemed to give the Cougars life.
After Hunter and OSU had built a 17-0 first-quarter lead – WSU has not scored a first-quarter touchdown since November 2008 – Nico Grasu broke the ice with a career-long 56-yard field goal.
That was followed on OSU’s next possession with a big hit by safety Tyree Toomer on a Hunter screen pass and an Alex Hoffman-Ellis third-down sack.
The Cougars perked up, then exploded a minute later when Tuel, who was 14 of 29 for 212 yards, found freshman Marquess Wilson down the left sideline for 48 yards and a score. It was the first career score for Wilson, who finished with 108 yards on four catches, but didn’t make a huge impression.
“It happened so fast, I hardly remember it,” he said.
Sort of like WSU’s momentum.
Four plays later Weeden found Blackmon on a go-route down the left sideline and the sophomore gathered it in for a 42-yard score.
“We’re fragile enough and young enough that we get in spells, when things go against us, we don’t respond very well,” Wulff said.
One of those spells hit then. Instead of Grasu attempting a 54-yard field goal, the Cougars tried a fake on fourth-and-5. The senior placekicker took a pitch from holder Reid Forrest but came up a yard short of a first down.
Hunter responded with his 66-yard run around left end, the Cowboys scored on five straight possessions and WSU had started 0-1 for the fifth consecutive season.
“We were in the game and then they made a big play, then they made another big play and then we kind of, I don’t want to say give up, but it’s like a snowball effect,” senior defensive end Kevin Kooyman said.
“It’s frustrating to see all the hard work we had put in, all the confidence we had, and it got stripped away from us real fast.”
© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Teams play odds 
Pat O'Leary on September 04 at 8:17 p.m.
This may be the death knell for the Wulff debacle at WSU.
ECoug01 on September 04 at 8:26 p.m.
That was embarrassing…. wulff is gone if he doesnt pummmell MSU.. 65-17.. jesus..Galvin.. great burn of redshirt got hurt after 10 yards.. Staden had 30 yards in 2 carries.. That was embarrassing for coug football if we dont beat MSU by 17 points Wulff shoud be fired on the spot…. we wer in tha crap/…. Wow
kaduce on September 04 at 8:49 p.m.
Galvin still can and will redshirt.
Spokane_Citizen on September 04 at 9:00 p.m.
Why does this even appear to matter to anybody with half a functioning brain cell? I swear, you people are ‘tribal’ for people you’ve only seen on TV, or from the seats in a stadium… they could care less about whether you lived, or died.
ericdx on September 04 at 9:55 p.m.
Why the hell did Staden only get 3 carries? At least he was moving the ball, and then Wulff goes away from him in favor of the #1 RB who is recovering from a severe leg injury and coughs the ball up the first time he gets it? Also, where was this “Improved defense?!?!” Giving up 257 yards or running is NOT an improvement. Losing by 48 points is NOT a improvement. I am a proud Cougar fan, but Wulff needs to get it together or go away.
againshabazz on September 04 at 10:38 p.m.
Hey, this is so familiar of last year’s opening football season for
WSU. Rumour has it that their is a dark cloud hanging over the Cougars because of a certain high ranking party’s total lack of respect to a close kin.
Someone from heaven is watching the scenario. Ask around about who this might be that’s causing a jinx to the Cougars.
stryker1 on September 05 at 7:21 a.m.
I was hoping for improvement, did not see anything that would resemble that. I think Wulff has to get this thing righted or he should take an extensively long vacation. They seem to be running a high school offense and the defense needs to play a lot tougher than this. People were wide open on pass plays because the corners were way off the receivers and the sideline routes were wide open, and the running back was terrorizing the Cougs. Are we really that slow, or am I dreaming?
WSURocks on September 05 at 9:57 a.m.
This is why I cancelled my season tickets, after many years. This coaching staff is totally out of their depth and have zero clue how to compete in the Pac 10. Zero defense and more error holes than Swiss cheese. As a former athlete and Coug graduate, I am embarrassed and ashamed. By the way, where is Bill Doba now? The architect of this current disaster.
gocougs73 on September 05 at 4:51 p.m.
Amen to that WSURocks. Doba was a nice guy, but he killed this program. I suspect “recruiting trips” were actually excuses to go fishing. Keeping Doba and letting Akey go to Idaho was a mistake that will haunt this program for years to come.