HIghs & lows: WSU vs. OSU

High point

Jason Hill’s 20-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter wasn’t too memorable a play in and of itself – Hill’s caught so many TDs already they begin to blend together – but that catch gave WSU a 30-13 lead. At the time, that lead looked insurmountable – not because the WSU defense had dug in but because it was the offense’s fourth score in four possessions, its fifth in the team’s first six possessions.

Low point

Ah, pick a turnover, any turnover. With four minutes and 25 seconds left, Alex Brink threw interception No. 3 looking for tight end Troy Bienemann over the middle. The scene would repeat itself a minute-and-a-half later, but this one seemed especially crushing because WSU still had a semblance of offensive momentum at the time. Bienemann remained on the field for a time, brooding on bended knee, in a scene that wrapped things up nicely for WSU in the second half.

Play of the game

Will Derting came oh so close to getting his first sack of the season as Oregon State quarterback Matt Moore slipped from his grasp. That was bad, but what happened next was much worse. Receiver Mike Hass got behind the defense, Moore let fly and Hass coasted into the end zone for a 37-33 Oregon State lead.

Player of the game

WSU completely changed its defensive game plan to limit Hass and while it worked for the most part, the idea was to prevent him from making the big play. He did just that despite WSU dropping eight into coverage, and receives accolades here for it.

Stat of the game

WSU’s run game went into hiding late in the game – the best example being a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the fourth quarter where the Cougars threw three incompletions and had to kick a field goal. In the final 15 minutes, WSU threw the ball 28 times and ran it five times, one of which was a quarterback sack.

Glenn Kasses, staff writer