Bumpus gets a good bounce, sets record
RENO, Nev. – The swirling winds of Mackay Stadium had given Michael Bumpus trouble all night. Even after two first-half punt returns that put the Cougars in Nevada territory and set up scoring drives, Bumpus figured he needed a change of strategy.
“I figured I was going to try to take this one on the bounce,” the sophomore said.
Good idea. Bumpus waited for a third-quarter Nevada punt to skip his way and broke loose for an 87-yard return to pay dirt.
“I caught it on the bounce, caught a few blocks – I saw Alex Teems laid a big one for me that kind of sprung me,” he said. “I got to the sideline, then it’s get to the end zone and celebrate with your teammates.”
Bumpus’ punt return was the longest in WSU history, and his 157 punt-return yards on the night was second-best in school history, trailing only Shawn Tims’ 167 from a game in 1997.
The touchdown was his third after running two back in 2004, and that ties him for the WSU career record with Mark Williams, who it would seem is destined to be second on that list in the not-too-distant future.
The Cougars could have put Bumpus in for one more return, but with the score already 55-21, head coach Bill Doba decided to put Lorenzo Bursey on the field.
“Bump’s been doing that all the time. We were going to put him in for one more,” Doba said. “He was 11 from (setting) the school record. You know what? He’s got two more years. Records are made to be broken, and we didn’t need to do any more.”
Parachutist injured
Three Green Beret parachutists dropped onto the Mackay Stadium field about 15 minutes before kickoff delivering the game ball.
The first and third landed without incident in the windy conditions, but the second, Ret. Chief Warrant Officer Dave Larson, slammed hard onto the turf around the 44-yard line when it appeared his parachute lost wind and slid about 15 yards from one hash mark to the other on his side after the impact.
The parachutist from Hurst, Texas, was immediately attended to by medical staff and more than 10 people – including training staffs from both teams – who eventually came to his aide.
Larson, who recently returned from Iraq, was immobilized and taken off the field on a cart with a broken hip and a broken arm. He’s expected to spend the next two days in the hospital.
Where has Flowers gone?
Nevada wide receiver Nichiren Flowers, perhaps the Wolf Pack’s best player, sat out the entire first half, an apparent benching by head coach Chris Ault.
Flowers caught 91 passes for 1,126 yards and six touchdowns in 2004, but he spent the first half standing on the sidelines, first with his helmet on and ready to go, but later looking less than pleased with helmet in hand.
The Nevada receivers on the field made Flowers’ absence all the more obvious by dropping four passes in the first half, one of which turned into Eric Frampton’s interception return for a touchdown.
Flowers started the second half and caught his first ball with 9:30 left in the third quarter and finished with two receptions for 20 yards.
“He doesn’t have a sense of urgency. He needs to practice better,” Ault said. “This guy’s a senior. He let this whole team down.”
Notes
Cougar fans had a strong showing at Mackay Stadium, filling three sections and making their presence known on Virginia Street, the main drag in Reno. … The game was the first in Ault’s 20-plus seasons against a Pac-10 team. … Husain Abdullah, who was at best questionable to play because of a high ankle sprain, didn’t start at safety but did play for the first time this season. … Three Cougars collected the first sack of their careers: senior Bryan Olson, sophomore Matt Mullenix and freshman Fevaea’i Ahmu. … A questionable non-fumble by Jerome Harrison deep in Nevada territory in the second quarter was not reviewed because the WAC is one of two conferences without instant replay.
“Nevada’s first touchdown, a 21-yarder from Jeff Rowe to Caleb Spencer, was also the Wolf Pack’s first third-down conversion. Nevada was 0 for 6 in the first half. … Cornerback Ryan Kensok from Gonzaga Prep was on the 64-man travel team. … Former Seahawks quarterback Kelly Stouffer was ESPN’s color commentator for the game. … This was the first time since 1988 that WSU played non-conference games against teams from the same conference in back-to-back weeks. (Idaho and Nevada are both WAC schools.) Then, the Cougars defeated Illinois and Minnesota of the Big Ten.