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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: After denying the importance of the game, WSU denies Eastern much of a chance for another upset

Washington State cornerback Darrien Molton (3) intercepts a pass intended for Eastern Washington  wide receiver Nsimba Webster (5) during the first half  Saturday  at Martin Stadium in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Washington State’s week of denial ended Saturday night with its defense denying Eastern Washington much of a chance to score. And the Cougars showing on the field all of their talk off it during the week was immaterial. This game did matter. Read on.

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• It was sort of laughable. All week, Washington State players continued to say they weren’t looking back, that the game with Eastern Washington wasn’t about the upset loss two years ago. How they were just focused on playing this week’s opponent this week.

Sure.

It was obvious throughout the 60 minutes on the field that this one meant something extra. The Cougars showed how much in the way they played, physically, especially on defense. The showed it in the way they celebrated each success. And they showed it with their talking.

Rarely a play went by without the Pac-12 Networks cameras catching some sort of verbal altercation. You may respond with “it happens every game” and I wouldn’t argue, but this was different in intensity and frequency.

The loudest group seemed to be the Cougar secondary, especially cornerback Darrien Molton. 

Molton, then a sophomore, had been part of a secondary that gave up almost 500 passing yards to Eastern two years ago. He was one of the guys who was burned by Gage Gubrud’s multiple connections with Cooper Kupp. He was also one of the guys this week who tried to deny that this game was about that one.

Of course it was. It always is with competitive athletes. They don’t forget embarrassment. They don’t forget failure. It motivates them to be better, to do better, to erase the stain.

And that’s just what the Cougar defense, and the team as a whole, did last night in Pullman.

• It would be nice to say that after the Cougar/Eagle game was over, that was it for our football watching. But there were other games on that seemed too good to miss. None of them really were, except Arizona State’s controversial loss at San Diego State.

Washington at Utah? A boring comedy of errors. USC at Texas? A rout. Fresno State at UCLA? A rout. Southern Utah at Arizona? A second-half rout by the Wildcats.

Then there was the late game in San Diego. And another piece of evidence in the coffers of those who want to ban replay review. Actually, multiple pieces.

They started with a couple of reviews that seemed innocuous, including the mandated ones for targeting, college football’s hard-to-understand equivalent of the NFL’s “what’s a catch?” 

The targeting rule was put in with the best of intentions. It’s a safety thing. It was toughened with the addition of replay, allowing officials on the field to throw a flag with the confidence if they are mistaken, the eye in the sky will correct an injustice.

But it didn’t work in San Diego. Midway through the second half, San Diego State ran a running play to the left. After it was over, there was a Sun Devil down on the field to the right. No one knew what happened. Replay caught it though. An Aztec receiver had ran up to the ASU player and decked him, leaving his feet to hit the player in the chin with his right shoulder. It was the clearest case of a targeted hit to the head I’ve ever seen. But none of the officials saw it. So why didn’t the replay official, with access to what we were seeing at home, buzz in and alert the referee? I have no idea. According to the rules, he can initiate a targeting call.

I also have no idea why two crucial replay reviews went the way they did as time was winding down either. One was a review of what looked to be a game-clinching Aztec run. But the officials on the field ruled San Diego State had fumbled and ASU had recovered. Replay seemed clear Chase Jasmin was down, but obviously didn’t convince the replay official beyond all doubt, which is the standard the NCAA uses. 

The ruling stood.

Then ASU marched down the field, down seven points. With time running out, the Sun Devils took a shot at the end zone on fourth down. Arizona State receiver Frank Darby went up, caught the ball and then took an illegal shot by Trenton Thompson. It was targeting, a call confirmed on replay. It was also a catch, putting the ball on the 2-yard line with time for one play.

Except, thanks to egregious blow to the head, Darby had bobbled the ball a bit. CBS Sports’ replays showed it come loose, but after watching it over and over again through the magic of the DVR, it was impossible – and I mean impossible – to be sure if the ball hit the ground or if the receiver’s arm and hand stand under it the entire time. 

And yet the replay official overturned the call on the field, saying he was sure beyond all doubt it was incomplete. That also seems impossible, but that’s where we’ve come these days.

Maybe the naysayers are right. Maybe it is time for replay review to go away.

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WSU: I know this sounds like a home-town thing to say, but the coverage of Cougar football in the S-R is as good as college football coverage anywhere on the West Coast, especially if you consider the size of the Review staff. Bigger papers in bigger cities may have more, but that’s to be expected. Pound-for-pound, there is no better coverage around. … Off the soapbox and on to the links. Theo Lawson leads the way today with his game analysis along with the difference makers and a couple of good stories. One is on Peyton Pelleur’s admission he considered transferring to Alabama in the offseason and another on the 100-yard kickoff return. … John Blanchette has his column, which covers not the what WSU has done in nonconference play, but the how. … For Ryan Collingwood’s coverage of the game from Eastern’s point of view, see below. … Tyler Tjomsland was in a sold-out Martin Stadium and has a complete photo report. … I was at home and had my thoughts on the TV coverage. I am still wondering where Cindy Brunson disappeared to in the second half and why we didn’t hear more from her. … The guys in the office put together the highlights package

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, what the heck happened last night? … Washington’s defense is stout and its running game returned. But what’s with the Utah offense? It hasn’t been all that good the past few years and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. … After watching San Jose State play last week, it doesn’t surprise me the Spartans’ defense gave Oregon some trouble. But the Duck defense was less impressive than it should have been. … Oregon State’s road woes continued in Nevada, though the Beavers had a chance to win in the final seconds. That they didn’t just adds to their misery. … Stanford did what it had to do against visiting UC Davis. … California did as well against Idaho State. … Colorado had no problems with New Hampshire. … If I were Clay Helton, I’m not sure I would have gotten off the plane after USC lost 37-14 at Texas last night. Or get off it. He had to be worried Lynn Swann was going to fire him on the tarmac. USC will be without one of its best defensive players for the first half with WSU. … No one is firing Chip Kelly but UCLA’s third consecutive loss to open the season was more about the how than the what. … We covered the Arizona State defeat some above, but we have a few more links concerning the loss to San Diego State. … Hey, Kevin Sumlin won’t be winless at Arizona. The Wildcats rolled in the second half.

Gonzaga: The volleyball team lost in the desert.

EWU: The Eagles had put themselves back into the game last night when a holding call – the right one, as it was obvious on replay – pushed them out of field goal range. From there, Ryan relates, WSU rolled. … Around the Big Sky, Montana State turned to a freshman quarterback and earned a big nonconference win. … Montana went on the road for the first time and ended up with its first loss. … Weber State picked up a big win and it was the defense that led the way. … Northern Colorado couldn’t avoid a 0-3 start. The Bears also lost their quarterback for the season. … Northern Arizona lost in a big way. … Cal Poly is back on the winning track with a rout of Brown. … UC Davis and Idaho State lost at the Bay Area Pac-12 schools. … Portland State earned a win.

Idaho: The Idaho swim and dive team did a good thing. … The volleyball team ended nonconference play with a win.

Whitworth: The Pirates held off Chapman, 31-28 at the Pine Bowl yesterday to finish nonconference play 2-0. Jim Meehan was there and has this game story. … The women’s soccer team began conference play with a win. … The women’s cross country team also won an invitational. 

Chiefs: The last preseason game ended with Spokane on top of Tri-City, 5-1.

Preps: Yes, there was some Saturday action in the prep ranks, with roundups from cross country and soccer.

Seahawks: No Hawks game today (they are in Chicago for Monday’s game with the Bears) but the injury list was released and there will be a depleted defense on the field this week. … Russell Wilson may have to be a superman out there. He is worth his weight in draft gold. … Mychal Kendricks will just be out there for Seattle.

Mariners: The M’s rallied for another win in Anaheim, defeating the Angels 6-5 and ensuring a winning season. … There could have been so much more, however, and here’s why, in a microcosm, there wasn’t. … Could Nelson Cruz end up in Houston? … The M’s may have found their utility player. … Dave Nichols sat down and looked at where the Mariners go from here in our latest Out of Right Field column

Sounders: Nine consecutive wins. Another Cascadia Cup title. It was a good day north of the border for the Sounders.

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• With the Hawks playing Monday night, how will you spend your Sunday? Will you watch one or two games? Spend the day with RedZone? Go for a walk with the kids? Yard work? Laundry? A drunken stupor – or is that reserved for my USC friends? All of the above? Until later …