Highs and lows
High point of the game
Put into a 4-yard deep hole by a turnover, the defense dug its way out one play at a time. And did it with pressure, first coming with a run pressure from Cory Evans and Husain Abdullah, then blitzing and forcing two quick passes from Tavita Pritchard. Both were intended for 6-foot-7 receiver Evan Moore. The first could have been picked by B.J. Williams or Xavier Hicks, the second by Abdullah. Still, Stanford had to settle for a field goal and trailed 13-10 instead of taking a momentum-inducing lead.
Low point of the game
The play that put the defense in the hole. When Charles Dillon couldn’t handle the kickoff midway through the third quarter, he tried to pick it up and run at the same time. And, when it squirted away, Dillon couldn’t get planted and go get it, possibly due to his knee injury. Whatever the circumstances, the senior should have just fallen on the ball and kept possession.
A pat on the back
For weeks the WSU defensive scheme has caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks as linebacker Andy Mattingly continually came free for sacks. But a big reason Mattingly was making plays was due to fellow linebacker Greg Trent clearing a path, almost fullback-like, to the quarterback. Saturday the Cardinal made a decision. “We were just coming off the edge with both of our linebackers and they had to pick one or the other and this time they were picking the other, so Greg came clean. … They have to pick and choose their poison,” defensive tackle A’i Ahmu said. Trent finished with two sacks, seven tackles and a couple of teeth-rattling hits on Pritchard. Mattingly and Kendrick Dunn each added a sack and combined for 21 tackles.
Needs fixing
The crimson zone – inside the 30 – wasn’t kind to the crimson and gray against the Cardinal. Six times in the first half WSU marched down inside the 25. Four times the Cougs came up empty. The 10-point Stanford-hope-inducing lead could have instead been a game-clinching margin. Against the Beavers and the Huskies, WSU needs to finish drives in the end zone if they want to go bowling.
Three unanswered questions
“Will the Pac-10 suspend three Beavers? There’s no rule that says the conference has to, but OSU had three players – cornerbacks Bryan Payton and Brandon Hughes and safety James Dockery – ejected from Saturday night’s game. If they have to sit another, it would wound the Beavers’ defense. A decision should be made today.
“How many students will stick around Saturday? The Cougars are off next week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so if too many of the students head home early, Martin Stadium won’t have the same teeth for the Beavers on Saturday. In a radio interview after the game, Doba asked the students to stick around.
“Will UCLA or Arizona win again? If neither does, and both have two games against top 11 teams remaining, then all the Cougars have to do is win out and a bowl is guaranteed.
Vince Grippi