Harrison carries Cougs
PULLMAN – Need to know how much the Cougars are relying on running back Jerome Harrison these days? With 61 seconds to play, one timeout left, down by a field goal and on its own 14-yard line, Washington State handed the ball to Harrison. Twice.
With an Alex Brink incomplete pass sandwiched between them, Harrison got the ball even as precious seconds were ticking away. And it worked, too, as Harrison picked up 13 then 11 yards to bring the Cougars closer to midfield while also getting the clock stopped with first downs.
“The guy’s tremendous,” Stanford coach Walt Harris said. “I’ve never been in a game where in the 2-minute drill they run it twice and he gets so many yards and gets the ball out of bounds. It’s better than a pass.”
Those two runs also pushed the senior rusher over the 200-yard plateau for the second time in his two-year WSU career. Harrison’s 218 yards on 29 carries accounted for better than half of the Cougars’ total yards – and were good enough to tie him for fourth on the school’s single-game rushing list.
His numbers are even more amazing considering that WSU had just 11 possessions in the entire game, severely limiting the Cougars’ ability to get into an offensive rhythm.
“Large holes,” Harrison said. “I realize their offense was keeping us off the field, and I tip my hat to their coordinator. That was very smart of them. You can’t score points if you’re not on the field.”
Saturday’s contest marked Harrison’s eighth consecutive game going over 100 yards. And with 130 at halftime against the Cardinal, Harrison has passed the century mark in the first two quarters against all but one opponent in 2005.
Harrison is also climbing the WSU list for touchdowns. His 18th career score tied him for seventh all-time.
Turner struggles
Junior cornerback and University High graduate Don Turner had a career day a week ago at Oregon State, collecting a one-handed interception.
But the Cougar defensive back didn’t have a repeat performance against Stanford, getting burned by quarterback Trent Edwards on Stanford’s first two touchdowns.
First, wideout Mark Bradford beat him to the pylon on an out route for a 17-yard score in the first quarter. Then, Justin McCullum opened the second-half scoring on a 19-yard post pattern into the end zone with Turner in man coverage.
“I’m embarrassed for myself and my teammates,” Turner said. “I came out here and gave up two touchdowns. We could have solved our problems without those two touchdowns. I pretty much came out and let down my teammates. I feel like I was pretty much one of the worst players on the field.”
Hot start, then shut down
Defensive end Mkristo Bruce dominated Stanford left tackle Jeff Edwards early, sacking Edwards twice and pressuring him on a number of other occasions.
Bruce’s early success led Stanford to install backup Allen Smith, who proceeded to quiet Bruce for the rest of the afternoon.
“If you had told us last spring he would have started against Washington State and we would have won the game,” Harris said of Smith, “I’d have said that was really something.”
Notes
The Martin Stadium crowd, announced as 33,442, was mouse-quiet for most of the game. … Greg Prator‘s touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, perhaps the best play made by a WSU wideout all game, was the second of his career. … Fellow wideout Michael Bumpus was kept quiet, catching two passes for 25 yards. Bumpus also erred in the punt return game, calling for a fair catch and reeling in a punt inside his own 1-yard line. The Cougars went three-and-out, one of four such drives on the day. … Stanford was 9 for 16 on third downs, something head coach Bill Doba highlighted as a major reason for the Cardinal’s clock control. … Doba, who usually sits for his postgame interview for home games, looked noticeably anxious and stood for the session.