Pflugrad takes his shot

EUGENE, Ore. – For those Pullman High fans who traveled to Autzen Stadium, the guy wearing No. 89 in green and yellow looked familiar.

It was Aaron Pflugrad, and if that name sounds familiar, it should.

First of all, his dad, Robin, was a Cougars assistant for four years, and, as recruiting coordinator, had a hand in recruiting many of the players who were wearing crimson and gray Saturday.

But Aaron will also be remembered around Pullman High for his game-winning catch and run with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left in the Greyhounds’ 28-24 title win over Archbishop Murphy in the 2005 State 2A tournament.

The next season Robin moved to Oregon as the wide receivers coach and Aaron transferred to Eugene’s Sheldon High, the alma mater of WSU’s Alex Brink. Although the Cougars tried to lure him back to Pullman, the 5-foot-10, 172-pound wideout was committed to playing for his dad.

Injuries to Brian Paysinger (four weeks ago) and to Cameron Colvin (in the first quarter Saturday) thinned the Ducks’ receiving corps and gave Pflugrad, a true freshman, a shot.

He took it.

Pflugrad had four catches for 47 yards; a 22-yard scoring pass from Dennis Dixon to build the lead to 47-0; and a 22-yard kickoff return.

“It was almost perfect,” Pflugrad said of his TD catch, his first in college. “I saw the ball in the air and knew I beat my guy, so I just focused on making the catch.”

Anderson also stands out

Pflugrad wasn’t the only freshman receiver to shine. In fact, he didn’t even have the best statistics.

WSU’s Jeshua Anderson, a true freshman, stepped into the starting spot vacated by Brandon Gibson, the Cougars’ leading receiver who was unable to go with a heel injury suffered last week against Arizona State.

“Jeshua is the fastest guy on the field every Saturday,” senior receiver Michael Bumpus said. “When we call a deep play, we know Jeshua is probably the first person Brink’s going to look at – rightfully, because he’s going to run by anybody.”

That’s what Anderson did late in the third quarter, getting behind the Oregon defense and gathering in a 43-yard pass from Brink. It was the Cougars’ second-longest pass play of the year.

Anderson finished with a game-high 127 yards on four catches.

Haul out those record books

Oregon’s first-half offensive deluge sent the WSU sports information people scrambling for their record books.

The 40 points were the most the Cougars had yielded before halftime since October 10, 1987, when Stanford hung 41 on the board in Pullman.

The last time WSU went into the half scoreless was against Cal last season, in a 21-3 defeat. The biggest halftime deficit the Cougars had recently came against USC in a 42-12 loss in 2004. In that one, WSU trailed 35-0 at intermission.

Injuries hit hard

The outcome may not have been in doubt after the first quarter, but both teams continued to pile up injuries throughout the game.

The Cougars lost offensive tackle Micah Hannam midway through the opening quarter. It looks like the redshirt freshman has a broken right leg, although X-rays were pending.

WSU also lost safety Alfonso Jackson for the second half after he suffered a head injury. The junior from Texas had to sit out the Arizona State game with a concussion. The secondary took another hit when cornerback Devin Giles left with a shoulder injury.

The Ducks didn’t get off easy.

Starting receiver Colvin left the game midway through the first quarter with a broken right ankle. The senior will miss the rest of the season.

Running back Jeremiah Johnson, who opened the game with a 42-yard scoring dash, left in the second quarter with a knee injury. The junior is also out for the season