The Cougars figure out a whole bunch of new ways to come up empty
A GRIP ON SPORTS • One of these Sundays, Washington State football fans are going to get out of bed, stretch and realize they don’t have to bemoan one or two or seven little things going wrong and costing their Cougars a football game. Today isn’t that Sunday, however. Read on.
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• Over the past decade or so, Washington State football games have fallen into three categories: Upset wins; losses so bad they were over before halftime; and close losses that turned on one or two key plays. Yesterday’s 34-28 defeat at California was in its own special category: A loss that could have been an easy win if one of, I don’t know, about nine things went differently. And we’re not just talking plays here, though there were a couple of those that turned the tide – and once again, we’re looking at you special teams. No, it was more than that. It was anything from fumbles that seemed to defy time and space, replay pronouncements that seemed out of touch with reality, an inexplicable inability to stay in bounds, a couple of clock resets that contradicted each other, and, of course, a play or two that will hurt for a while.
• Everyone will focus on an early third-quarter fake punt call at midfield (a call even Mike Leach admitted was not the right one to make) that, instead of allowing the Cougars to build on a 21-13 lead, allowed Cal to score. Zach Charme has evolved into a decent punter, especially for a true freshman, but no one is going to confuse the 6-foot-1, 192- pounder for Gerard Wicks. In fact, he runs more like Loren Langley. But there he was, tiptoeing toward the line on a fourth-and-1 early in the second half. Predictably, he didn’t get the first down. But, not so predictably, he was also blasted, the ball came loose and Stefan McClure scooped and scored. That was as big a single play as any – especially when you consider the final margin – but it didn’t decide the game. There were a couple of plays Dom Williams didn’t make, one a pass in the end zone he couldn’t climb the ladder to haul in with a fallen defender unable to doing anything about it, and another a long pass that probably should have been six, except Williams couldn’t stay inbounds after clearing the Cal defense. There was an onside kick by California in which the Cougar front looked shocked – and lost. Still, it was impossible to tell on replay if the Bears controlled the ball inbounds. Yet, when the announcement was made, it was “confirmed,” which means the replay official saw definitive proof it was the right call. Really? We weren’t shown that replay. Nor were we privy to a replay on a touchdown catch that was all that definitive, yet that play was term “confirmed” not “stands,” the usual explanation in such instances. And, if we’re going to list unusual game administration, then I guess we have to mention an early block in the back call on WSU’s No. 16, who didn’t happen to be on the field for the play, or the time referee Chris Coyte asked Cal’s Sonny Dykes whether he wanted to accept an offsides call on his Bears. Another official had to get Coyte turned in the right direction and ask the right coach.
• Those pale in comparison to two clock incidents I still don’t understand. With 4 minutes, 15 seconds left before half, WSU ran the ball down by the Cal goalline. The Cougars were stuffed and Keith Harrington was slightly hurt. He had to limp off and the clock looked to be stopped for a few seconds to get Harrington off the field. The play clock was reset to 25 seconds, which I believe is the correct thing to do after a clock stoppage for an injury. Except it continued to run as Harrington limped off the field. At 3:52 left in the half, WSU had to use a timeout because the play clock had expired. It was not a big deal because the Cougars scored on the drive anyway, but it did help the Bears a little in that there was more time left on the clock when they got the ball back. They used it well and scored with 34 second before intermission. Now let’s fast forward to the end of the game. With 1:12 remaining, the Bears’ Khalifani Muhammad ran right on third and 8, only to be pulled down. He stayed down however, grabbing his leg. He was hurt. Coyte recognized this and stopped the clock for the injured player, even though Muhammad pulled himself up and hobbled off (you could hear Coyte announce the reason for the stoppage on the radio broadcast). Meanwhile, WSU’s Jeremiah Allison was hurt as well. When the field was cleared, the play clock was reset to 40 seconds and began when the ball was spotted for play. Cal ran the time and punted. So which instance was correct, the first half 25-second play clock or the second half 40? It sure seems both can’t be. Again, the interesting occurrences didn’t decide the game. They were only one or two of about nine things that did – how about the Cougars giving up a 42-yard run on a third-and-36 deep in Cal territory or, just prior to that, watching Jared Goff’s fumble sit on the grass for three or four seconds before a Bear fell on it? And if any of those oh, nine things, had flipped? The Cougars, and their fans, may just be doing hand-flips today.
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• WSU: Jacob Thorpe was in Berkeley and he has his usual report, including a game story, a couple keys, a notebook and statistics and scoring. There are also video interviews on the blog, with appearances from Leach, Peyton Pelluer, Darryl Paulo, Luke Falk and Gabe Marks. There are postgame notes from WSU and, this morning, Jacob’s post with links. ... Since I finished writing, jacob has added another blog post to the daily mix. ... There is coverage of the game from the Chronicle and Mercury-News as well. ... Oregon won at Colorado late last night – I couldn’t stay up for the ending – but the Ducks’ quarterback rotation with Vernon Adams injured seems odd.
• EWU: The Eagles football team was off yesterday but the volleyball team swept Idaho. ... In Big Sky football action, Montana picked up an important road win at UC Davis and North Dakota upset Portland State.
• Idaho: The Vandals didn’t have their usual starting quarterback and they lost to Arkansas State, 49-35. Sean Kramer has a blog post on the road defeat.
• Whitworth: The Pirates hosted George Fox and kept their record perfect with a 37-14 victory. Tom Clouse has the game story.
• Chiefs: An overtime goal in Kennewick lifted Spokane to a 2-0 record. ... Portland lost to Everett last night.
• Preps: West Valley-Yakima won the Linda Sheridan Volleyball Classic yesterday. That leads our prep roundup for the day.
• Seahawks: Though the Hawks have a great Monday Night record, they usually have Marshawn Lynch to help. They may not this week. ... Thomas Rawls may just be the guy. ... The Lions will test a Seahawk secondary that has yet to intercept a pass this season.
• Mariners: At least Danny Farquhar didn’t blow this one. It was Tom Wilhelmsen’s turn. His blown save allowed the A’s to tie it in the ninth and win it 7-5 in 13 innings. ... Jerry Dipoto opened up to Larry Stone about what he needs to do as general manager. ... John McGrath says a centerfielder is the top priority. ... When the season ends, players all have different plans.
• Sounders: The L.A. Galaxy has some margin of error heading into tonight’s match at CenturyLink. The Sounders, however, don’t have that luxury. They need a win. ... Yesterday, a couple of Sounder folks were inducted into the Hall of Fame. ... Clint Dempsey and Brad Evans will be in Los Angeles next weekend for a key national match against Mexico. ... Portland’s playoff hopes were dealt a blow by a 1-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City. ... Real Salt Lake needs a win in the worst way in a key match today at Colorado.
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• That’s it today. We’ll be back tomorrow. You’ve been warned. Until later ...