John Blanchette: Win shouldn’t alter decision on Doba

SEATTLE – Despair meets delirium at the end of every Apple Cup, and so it was when Washington quarterback Jake Locker made his way through a clot of cameras to shake the hand of the winning coach.

Bill Doba tried to lighten the moment.

“I think you should give it up, all right?” Doba joked, feigning concern for the neck injury the freshman sensation suffered two weeks ago – but mostly for Washington State’s chances in future Apple Cups with Locker in the lineup.

Give it up?

Funny – Doba’s been hearing same thing all season. But not from anyone who was joking.

And now the question remains: Will he hear it Monday from the only voices who count – those of Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk and president Elson Floyd?

And will the Cougars’ remarkable 42-35 victory Saturday evening in the 100th – and, just as remarkably, perhaps the most theatrically entertaining – Apple Cup wind up being evidence for the defense or for the persecution?

Er, prosecution.

Only this much is clear:

“I’m not going to resign,” Doba said. “I sure as hell hope I’m back.”

A few moments later, he sounded more hopeful.

“I think we’re going to be here,” he said. “I feel confident.”

More important is if Doba’s continued presence makes Sterk and Floyd feel confident – as well as the returning players, future Cougars and all those who have given their hearts, souls and sweat to Washington State football. Anyone, in fact, who has an investment in the program.

Yes, even the anonymous yahoos of the airwaves and cyberspace. Dismissed as irrelevant and generally reviled as the great evil of 21st century sports by 20th century minds, they’re the same yahoos who are solicited to care and fill the seats and donate.

Of course, they’re about as collectively successful at those endeavors as Doba’s Cougars have been on the field the past four seasons – a fact they routinely ignore.

And, reading between the well-spaced lines of Sterk’s remarks Saturday, they’re probably going to be disappointed.

While insisting that no decision had been made on Doba’s future – whether to let him coach out a contract that runs through 2009 – and would happen only after he meets with the coach Sunday or Monday, Sterk sounded like a boss laying the foundation for the status quo.

“Apple Cup wins last nine months,” he said. “Those are big momentum builders and that’s positive for the program. Obviously the kids haven’t given up and certainly the coaches are still coaching them up, too. I think that’s very positive.

“This is a great way to finish and we’ll take that into consideration next week as we make a decision.”

Good idea. But by all means, don’t take it out of the context of the Cougars’ season.

The Cougars’ effort in winning their third Apple Cup in four years was nothing short of astounding, coming as it did after the absolute nadir of both Doba’s and quarterback Alex Brink’s tenures – last Saturday’s 52-17 debacle in Pullman at the hands of Oregon State.

Brink was unflappable and unbowed. Unlikely heroes emerged, like third-string tight end Devin Frischknecht and running back Chris Ivory. They pulled themselves off the deck after a game-opening kickoff return, a momentum-swinging penalty and after a touchdown lead turned into a touchdown deficit. The defense, gashed for huge gains by Locker, stood firm to make three fourth-quarter stops – forcing a fumble, knocking down a pass and finally intercepting the last Hail Mary to the end zone.

“They’re so resilient,” Doba said. “This group of seniors – all four years they’ve gotten clobbered one week and battled back the next. We got beat 52-17 last week and 90 percent of the teams in the country would have quit.”

Doba noted that “one coach called me two years ago and asked me, ‘How do you get them back up every week.’ It’s not me. It’s the moms and dads and the character they have.”

OK, but about that getting clobbered one week …

On four occasions this season, the Cougars have been tattooed by four or more touchdowns – or exactly as many as occurred in the previous three seasons combined. That’s a team with a record-setting senior quarterback, gifted receivers, a veteran defensive line – although with half as many senior starters as the Huskies.

Consistency, player development, game approach – something seems to be lacking here. It shouldn’t take a humiliation every other week to bring out the best in a football team.

Something needs to change – though Doba again maintained it’s not the staff.

“No, I don’t have to make changes,” he said. “It’s recruiting – you give those guys the talent that USC has, we’re going to be pretty good, too. That’s the thing. We’re making strides there.”

Sterk is of a similar mind.

“It’s had its ups and downs,” he said, when asked about how the football program is positioned. “Bill over the years has gone through some adversity. I think there’s an uptick, if you will, on the recruiting class last year and the players involved in the program.

“I think you want to take the full body of work before you make a decision like this. It’s why you go up and down with wins and losses. You have to sit back afterward and hopefully make the right decision for the program.”

But in truth, a decision should already have been made. One game shouldn’t change the big picture.

Just as the Cougars can’t go on with the Apple Cup being their “bowl game” every year.