WSU defense does its part
Maligned might not be the right word, but the Washington State defense was at the least picked at after last week’s loss at Wisconsin.
And when San Diego State marched down the Qwest Field turf Saturday with the opening kickoff and scored on a 15-yard Atiyyah Henderson run on a modified Statue of Liberty trick play, the murmurs started to grow.
Then replay stepped in, and Henderson was ruled down at the 1-yard line. A delay of game penalty later – the Aztecs put quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Darren Mougey behind center with true-quarterback Kevin O’Connell split wide, but the formation confused themselves more than WSU – and SDSU settled for a field goal.
“The stop at the goal line was huge,” WSU coach Bill Doba said. “We were aided by a couple of penalties, so that was big, and we gained a little confidence.”
But that must have waned on San Diego State’s next possession, when Brandon Bornes blasted off left tackle and ran 59 yards nearly untouched for a score.
“They had never ran that play from that particular formation,” defensive backs coach Leon Burtnett said. “I think we were playing pass, which we had told them all week they would do from that formation and they popped the run in there. But they still should have reacted to it.”
The Aztecs led 10-7. But little did anyone know that would be it for the San Diego State offense until the fourth quarter.
“We got used to their tempo,” said freshman cornerback Chima Nwachukwu of what changed. “They came out with a little more intensity and we weren’t really ready for that as a defense. But we caught on to them, their schemes and we adjusted as a team.
“We had a game plan, and they changed up on us and it basically took a couple series to adjust and make those changes we needed to make.”
Most of the adjustments from week-to-week came in pass defense. After being burned for 304 yards last week by a run-first Wisconsin team, the WSU secondary didn’t want the same result Saturday.
But it needed help from the guys up front, and it was there.
“We knew we needed to step up as a defensive line and get some pressure on the quarterback,” said backup defensive end Kevin Kooyman, who had two sacks, “so our secondary wouldn’t have to cover the guys so long. We finally did our part this week.”
Both of Kooyman’s sacks came after he hit the turf chasing O’Connell. He popped back up and ran down the Aztec quarterback.
“Coach always emphasizes the ground is a hot stove,” Kooyman said, alluding to Marty Long, one of the defensive line coaches. “As soon as you hit the ground you have to get back up keep playing.”
“Another group that pressured O’Connell were the linebackers who, according to Burtnett, blitzed about 50 percent of the time in the first half.
“The biggest difference (today) were the linebackers were hitting (the line of scrimmage) full speed,” Burtnett said. “Last week they weren’t hitting those blitzes like they were today. I know toward the end Cory (Evans, strongside linebacker) was flying through there. He was coming.”
Middle linebacker Greg Trent led the Cougars again in tackles, with seven solo stops among his total of 13. Weakside backer Kendrick Dunn, who had his second sack of the season, added nine tackles with backup middle linebacker, freshman Hallston Higgins, chipping in six.
“ Alfonso Jackson, a junior college transfer from Blinn, Texas, had his first major college interception late in the first quarter. It was a turning-point play for the defense as it marked the first time WSU was able to stop the Aztecs.
Jackson, playing strong safety, was hanging out in the deep middle when O’Connell’s pass came right to him at the San Diego State 37.
“I credit that interception to my linebackers and their drop coverage,” said Jackson, a 5-foot-9, 204-pound hitter. “Their (receiver) came across on a dig (route) and because my linebacker was able to reach and reroute him, (O’Connell) through it right to me. I really didn’t even have to make an effort. It was just at my shoulder. I just had to be an athlete.”
Jackson played all but two series without his running mate at safety, senior captain Husain Abdullah, who left with a slight concussion.
“It puts us in a bind,” Doba said of Abdullah’s injury that left him in street clothers at the end of the game. “But we jumped in with some new guys who hadn’t played a lot and it gave them a chance. (Backup Xavier) Hicks got a lot of work and that is good for him.”
“ The Cougars came out of the game relatively healthy. Besides Abdullah, only Dunn (right shoulder) didn’t finish the game. Receiver Charles Dillon had a deep left thigh bruise suffered on WSU’s first kickoff but played through it.
“ San Diego State had 13 penalties for 105 yards, with five of those false starts and two others on the offensive line.
“I think people saw some flashes of what out offense is capable of when we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” O’Connell said. “This stadium is built for noise and it got loud, but we need to be able to handle it.”
“ Brink has played in Qwest four times, including his first action as a Cougar against Colorado, WSU’s only loss at the stadium. Still, he expressed affection for the facility.
“It’s a fun place to play,” he said of the Seahawks’ home field. “The quarterback from San Diego State, Kevin, came up and said, ‘Hey, this is a nice place.’ This was one of the first times I’ve looked around and said this would be a great place to play. The atmosphere, our fans really supported us, it’s a fun deal. So I think I’m going to miss it a little bit.”
Jesh do it
Michael Bumpus didn’t telegraph the play, but he didn’t exactly sell it, either.
When Brink hit freshman Jeshua Anderson with a 39-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter for a 24-10 lead, Bumpus was more of an admiring spectator than a participant.
“As soon as they called that play, I didn’t even have to run my route,” said WSU’s senior slotback with a laugh. “It was going to him and he’s going to catch the ball and blow right by. With speed like that, you’d better throw it to him.”
The Cougars had lined up with three wide receivers left and Anderson in single coverage right against San Diego State cornerback Aaron Moore, who was lucky to stay within two steps of the fleet freshman, who set a national record with a 35.28 clocking in the 300-meter hurdles at Taft High School in California.
Not that it was any great surprise to Anderson.
“Coach (Mike) Levenseller told me this morning I was going to score,” Anderson said. “He said I was going to run a streak, they were going to throw the ball to me and I was going to score.”
Marveled Bumpus, “He’s the fastest guy I’ve ever seen. You haven”t seen the last of Jeshua Anderson.”
Mystery guests?
Doba could have used a built-in excuse for the Cougars’ defensive troubles early in the game.
With San Diego State opening its season at Qwest Field, the Cougars had no current tapes to formulate a better approach to defending. And the Aztecs showed a party mix of formations in their first drive – much of it out of the shotgun, but with multiple tight ends, empty backfields, two backs. In other words, the kitchen sink.
“But I can’t blame it on that,” Doba said. “We just didn’t play well.”
Still, the Cougars got a break when the Aztecs moved inside the 10-yard line, when a dropped pass and Kendrick Dunn’s sack off a pretty blitz slowed the drive – and then a delay of game penalty wiped out a direct-snap touchdown run by Darren Mougey on fourth down, forcing SDSU to settle for a field goal.