Coug offense gets late lift
PULLMAN – If it’s early, the defense dominates. That’s an axiom built over years and years of college football.
For six possessions Saturday in Washington State University’s first fall scrimmage, it seemed both the Cougars’ offense and defense were hellbent on proving it true.
The offense was, in coach Bill Doba’s eyes, sluggish. The defense was, if not energetic – the 86-degree heat seemed to sap everyone – then at least effective.
“I thought we would start off faster than that,” quarterback Alex Brink said of the offense. “Personally, I missed a couple of throws, we dropped a couple passes, we missed some protections, just kind of little stuff we shouldn’t make.”
That little stuff, which plagued all three offensive units, added up to about 40 yards in total offense the first 20 minutes of the 1-hour, 10-minute scrimmage.
Then Brink got as hot as the Martin Stadium turf, and Brandon Gibson got open.
The duo combined for touchdown receptions of 16, 6 and 9 yards in the No. 1 offense’s next three possessions.
In between those scores, backup quarterback Gary Rogers led the twos to a score – teaming with tight end Trevor Mooney on a 2-yard toss – and Marshall Lobbestael found Jeshua Anderson for a 23-yard freshman-to-freshman touchdown. In all, the offense scored half of the final 10 times it touched the ball.
“We started off a little slow, which isn’t necessarily a good thing this time of the year,” Brink said. “We have to be ready to go right off the bat, especially offensively.
“But, at the same time, I think we showed good determination to finish it out and the last half, three-quarters of the scrimmage was pretty good offensively.
“Late in the scrimmage, that’s about where we should be right now.”
The defense had its moments, even near the end. Safety Christian Bass corralled a tipped pass for an interception in a late 2-minute drill and the scrimmage’s final possession ended on back-to-back sacks of Rogers.
Early on the defense was almost impenetrable, especially on the ground, yielding just 16 yards in the first six possessions. Overall, the offense gained 67 yards on 23 running plays, with Chris Ivory leading the way, pounding out 28 yards on eight carries.
Returning rushing leader Dwight Tardy didn’t play, nursing a hamstring.
“We need to get better everywhere, there is no doubt about that,” Brink said. “I would like to see more consistency offensively, being able to run the football on every down.”
Brink started inconsistently, missing on four of his first six passes. But he finished well and was 14 of 22 overall for 127 yards. Gibson and Michael Bumpus combined for eight catches for 77 yards while Anderson added two more for 33.
Notes
With Kevin Lopina nursing a calf injury, Cole Morgan quarterbacked the No. 3 unit for its first two possessions, completing 1 of 4 passes for 5 yards. Lobbestael took the final two and was 2 of 3 for 23 yards and the score. He also had a 9-yard scramble. … There is a renewed dedication to special teams this year, but there were some problems Saturday, including three muffed punts and a missed extra point. The kickoff coverage was impressive, however, pinning the offense inside the 20 twice.