Highs and lows

High point of the game

The Cougars had cut the UA lead to 20-13 heading into the locker room. When they came out, the offense continued to click, taking the second-half kickoff and driving 80 yards in eight plays to knot the score at 20. The touchdown came on a milestone play: Alex Brink’s 1,119th pass attempt of his WSU career, passing Jason Gesser for the top spot on the WSU career list. It was also his 65th touchdown pass, leaving him five behind Gesser in that category.

Low point of the game

Any time after that. The third and fourth quarters included a fumbled punt snap, two Arizona passes of more than 57 yards, a dropped fourth-down pass, an interception on a fake punt and four Arizona touchdowns.

A pat on the back

Brandon Gibson and Jed Collins did yeoman work against the Wildcats’ veteran defensive backs. The two combined for 21 catches and 216 yards, 127 of those from Gibson. They also had to deal with the punishing blows inflicted by the Arizona secondary, though Michael Bumpus may have made the best catch in that regard, grabbing a third-quarter seam pass and being blasted by Brandon Tatum.

Needs fixing

There are so many obvious deficiencies right now, it makes it impossible to single out one. But, in order of importance for future success, the biggest emphasis has to be on defense, especially now that two of the season’s bright spots, Alfonso Jackson and Kendrick Dunn, were hurt during Saturday’s game. Their availability for offensive-minded Arizona State is up in the air.

Three unanswered questions

• Is the bowl quest Quixotic? There are seven games left, including contests at No. 3 Cal and No. 14 Oregon. The Cougars probably have to win five of the seven.

• Can the defense be fixed? Maybe not. Everything WSU has tried thus far has failed.

• What does the future hold? The last time WSU started 0-2 in Pac-10 play was 2005. The only conference game the Cougars won was the Apple Cup.

Vince Grippi