WSU recap

High point of the game

The Cougars’ win over Baylor was a sloppy one, so WSU couldn’t really call itself comfortable until Loren Langley booted the game-winning field goal with nine seconds left. Even though it was just a 17-yarder, the Cougars had to feel good that they had emerged victorious from a close fourth quarter.

Low point of the game

Minutes before the Langley kick, things looked dire when wideout Michael Bumpus fumbled and Baylor’s Anthony Arline ran 40 yards with the ball to give the Bears a 15-14 lead. It was all too reminiscent of WSU struggles from a year ago, and it easily could have deflated the Cougar sideline for good.

A pat on the back

WSU’s offense responded to that fumble with a nice, methodical drive that led to the winning points. WSU hadn’t really done much of anything consistently on the day, but in the final minutes Alex Brink led the offense calmly down the field while running more than five minutes off the clock. Though punching the ball in the end zone would have been nice, the Cougar offense essentially put its field-goal unit in can’t-miss position for the win.

Needs fixing

WSU’s wide receivers are supposed to be the strength of the team, but that won’t be the case for the rest of the season if they drop passes as they did Saturday. On four occasions — including two potential touchdowns — the ball hit the ground after hitting Cougar wideouts in the hands. It’s probably an anomaly for one game, but WSU can’t afford to have this become a nagging problem.

Three unanswered questions

“What will happen on the offensive line, and if changes are necessary there will that affect WSU in the short term?

“Why is it that WSU continues to go into a prolonged funk somewhere in the middle of almost every game?

“Can the defensive line continue to get a sustained pass rush as it did in the second half?

Glenn Kasses