Runaway trains
STANFORD, Calif. – The Cougars planned all week on running the ball early and often against Stanford, and that they did. The Cardinal sported the worst run defense in Division I-A, last by 76 yards a game before the weekend after allowing 1,008 yards rushing through three contests.
WSU didn’t break any long runs, but did use the ground game to methodically move down the field on possession after possession. In all, the Cougars had 240 rushing yards on 49 attempts, good for nearly 5 yards a carry.
“It worked out exactly as we practiced it,” said running back Dwight Tardy, who led the way with 17 carries and 97 yards. “The game plan was to run the ball and that’s what we did. We knew we were capable of running the ball.”
Tardy got the start instead of DeMaundray Woolridge, who missed most of the week’s practices with a sore quadriceps. Woolridge had 11 carries for 71 yards off the bench, and Derrell Hutsona added 12 more rushes and 53 yards as well.
The running game had much to do with the lopsided first quarter, where the WSU offense was on the field for 13 minutes and 21 seconds, leaving the defense on the sideline for all but three plays.
“Our offense was out there the whole time,” defensive end Mkristo Bruce said. “It was kind of hard on us because we were sitting down for so long. You’d go warm up and then go sit down. I credit our offense a lot for keeping us off the field, but then we were like, ‘Man, we want to play too.’ “
Block’s back
Wide receiver Jason Hill played on special teams as a true freshman in 2003, establishing himself quickly as the team’s top ace on punt blocks and coverage.
Since then, Hill’s turned into a star wideout and the Cougars haven’t put him on special teams at all because of it – until Saturday.
Hill has been practicing with a punt block team this season and he stepped onto the field for the first time since his freshman year to take part in it against Stanford – and blocked a second-quarter punt.
“(The) NFL, they’ve been wanting to know if he can play special teams, too,” head coach Bill Doba said. “So he can.”
Hill can play a little bit of wideout as well, although Stanford kept him in check for much of the game. Even still, the Cougars’ top offensive threat caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Cody Boyd led WSU with five catches for a career-best 72 yards.
No road woes
Doba told his counterpart, Stanford coach Walt Harris, what would happen during Saturday’s game when the two met beforehand.
“I told Walt before the game, it’s our turn,” Doba said. “He didn’t agree with me, but I said it’s our turn to get one.”
The Cougars coach had a reason to talk – the road team has now won seven games in a row in this series, dating back to the 2000 season.
WSU had been favored to win in each of the last two years, but Stanford came to Martin Stadium and delivered crushing losses to the home team. This time, WSU was all too happy to return the favor, although Stanford was again an underdog.
“It’s a nice change,” safety Eric Frampton said. “I could tell they were a little bit frustrated.”
Notes
The completely rebuilt Stanford Stadium was comically empty for the early-season Pac-10 tilt. Although the paid attendance was 37,498, there weren’t more than 15,000 in the stands for the opening kickoff and that number was probably less than 10,000 by the start of the third quarter. … In a surprise, Sean O’Connor started at left tackle for the Cougs, while Kenny Alfred slid into O’Connor’s normal left guard spot. With Bobby Byrd injured, Derek Hunter was expected to start at the tackle position. Hunter did play in some series, and when he did O’Connor moved back to guard and Alfred took Josh Duin’s place at center. Duin suffered an MCL sprain late in the game. Its severity is unknown. … WSU defensive tackle Feveae’i Ahmu started and played more than expected in his first game this season after breaking a foot in fall camp. … This was the second consecutive week where the first score in a Cougars game has come on a safety. Last week against Baylor, a bad punt snap resulted in a 2-0 lead for the Bears. … Backup quarterback Gary Rogers didn’t play until the closing minutes, missing his usual series in the second or third quarter. Doba said the sophomore had been ill and spent part of Friday at a hospital. … WSU tight end Jed Collins scored the first touchdown of his career on a 2-yard toss from Alex Brink in the second quarter. … This was the fifth year in a row that the Cougars have opened conference play on the road.