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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Cougars vs. Baylor, Halftime

If there wasn't a quarterback controversy brewing in Pullman, Gary Rogers came within one poor throw of starting one.

After Rogers relieved Alex Brink and led the Cougs to their only score - finding Jason Hill alone in the end zone - some fans at Qwest Field started chanting "Rogers, Rogers," prior to the Cougs' next possession.

They didn't need to chant, Rogers was already set to return. Alex Brink didn't even take his baseball cap or the headphones off. But the chanters got their wish, and probably told their buddies they were responsible for Rogers being in the game.

Then Rogers tossed an end-of-the quarter interception, giving Baylor a chance to expand its two-point lead just before intermission.

My guess is Brink will return to start the third, despite a plethora of high first-half throws. But the Cougar receivers dropped a handful of good tosses as well, and no one was chanting for Benny Ward or Scott Selby.

And Rogers will play as well, I suspect. The Cougar offense just seemed to be a little crisper when he was on the field.

The defense, meanwhile, seemed to get a handle on Baylor's offense. The biggest adjustment was a 3-4 set, with Aaron Johnson on the sidelines and linebacker Cory Evans getting a lot of time. The quicker look actually added pressure on BU quarterback Shawn Bell, mostly because he seemed to struggle to determine where the fourth rusher was coming from.

It also closed some of the gaping first-quarter gaps in the secondary, though the Baylor receivers did their part, dropping a couple of easy, big gainers.

Maybe it has something to do with the facility. Dropped passes may come with the territory.



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