6-0, And Out Of Reach Quick-Strike Cougars Dismantle Bears

Even Tom Holmoe, the California coach and unrelenting optimist, had to make at least one major concession Saturday after enduring one of the most dominating spans in the history of Washington State football.

The first 40 minutes of WSU’s 63-37 victory were that persuasive.

“Obviously, there’s quite a bit of difference between Washington State and Cal right now,” Holmoe said.

The difference was 56-6 at one point, although the Bears got within a few furlongs of respectability by taking full advantage of WSU’s accommodating second unit.

Still, WSU coach Mike Price wasn’t complaining, not after his 13th-ranked Cougars improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Pacific-10 Conference.

“That’s as good a 40 minutes of Cougar football that we’ve seen in this stadium, so I’m very pleased with that,” Price said. “You can spend all your time talking about the last 20 minutes, but I really did like the first 40.”

WSU receiver Chris Jackson, who caught two of Ryan Leaf’s career-high five touchdown passes, couldn’t recall participating in a more dominating performance.

“Not at the Pac-10 level,” Jackson said. “This reminds me of playing back at the JC, but it felt good to come out here, especially against Cal, and hook up twice with Ryan in the first half.”

Leaf completed 13 of 21 passes for 332 yards without an interception, and at least three of his incompletions resulted from dropped passes.

Tailbacks Michael Black and DeJuan Gilmore ran for 89 and 84 yards, respectively. Black had touchdown runs of 24 and 28 yards, while Gilmore had a 54-yarder - all in the first half.

“It was just better athletes against lesser athletes,” said Cal defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich.

Early in the third quarter, with WSU already leading 42-6, Black added a 55-yard catch-and-run that brought most of the 35,759 spectators out of their Martin Stadium seats.

The play started with Leaf freeing himself from the grasp of Cal defensive tackle Brandon Whiting. Leaf scrambled to his right, then found Black uncovered at Cal’s 40.

Black side-stepped right cornerback Derrick Gardner and immediately turned upfield. He put a vicious juke on Peter Destefano, sending the free safety helplessly to the turf, before diving into the end zone past cornerback Kato Serwanga.

“That was all coaching,” Price cracked.

Black was a no-show for postgame interviews, but right guard Cory Withrow picked up the slack.

“I was hoping he would slow down so I could catch up and throw another block for him,” Withrow said. “That’s one of the two best plays I’ve ever seen, right up there with Kevin McKenzie’s catch (to beat USC).”

McKenzie had another TD catch against Cal, but Jackson led the Fab Five with five receptions for 111 yards.

Jackson’s TD catches went for 72 and 14 yards, coming during a 4-minute span that saw WSU’s lead grow to 28-6. Black’s 28-yard run came next, followed by Leaf’s third touchdown pass, a 57-yarder to McKenzie.

The onslaught, which saw WSU score 56 straight points, was dizzying even for McKenzie.

“It was like that against Boise State,” McKenzie said, recalling the Cougars’ 58-0 victory last month.

Afterward, Leaf was one of the few Cougars not to savor the victory.

“The way we won this game really puts a damper on it for me,” said Leaf, who joined Jack Thompson, Timm Rosenbach and Drew Bledsoe on the short list of WSU quarterbacks who have thrown five TDs in a game. “It’s 56-6 when we get pulled and ends up 63 to something.

“I’m not going to savor this victory at all. I’m probably going to sit down and watch Arizona film tonight.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo