HIGHS AND LOWS
High point of the game
J.T. Levenseller’s first college snap was forgettable – running back Logwone Mitz fumbling their handoff – but the freshman quarterback’s second was unforgettable. Getting a chance to throw a pass for the first time as a Cougar, Levenseller found tight end Tony Thompson for a 14-yard gain, completing a connection that spanned two generations. The second-quarter play harkened back to the early 1970s, when Tony’s dad, Jack, used to routinely throw to J.T.’s dad, Mike.
Low point of the game
Trailing just 10-0 late in the first quarter, WSU put together a 62-yard drive in 10 plays, putting the ball within Nico Grasu’s field-goal range. The only problem was Grasu’s 38-yard attempt never got more than a few feet off the soggy turf. Stanford’s Pannel Egboh stuck up a big hand and was able to deflect the ball enough that it came up woefully short. The Cardinal celebrated, dancing off to the sideline. The Cougars’ shoulders sank and, eight plays later, Toby Gerhart had scored again. Another rout was on.
A pat on the back
Effort was hard to come by in the second half, with the Cougars trailing for most of it by more points than they’ve scored in the entire Pac-10 season. But one guy seemed to be powered by that little bunny on TV. Matt Mullennix, a sixth-year senior playing on oft-repaired knees, never stopped competing, earning praise from coach Paul Wulff. “He busted his tail,” Wulff said of Mullennix, who finished with six tackles – and a mud-covered uniform.
Needs fixing
It’s time for an attitude adjustment. If, as some players say, there is an undercurrent of defeatism creeping among a segment of Cougars, the surgery needs to begin. Playing with 40 or 50 committed athletes has to be preferred to stepping on the field with a dozen or so more who could give a rat’s patootie. The ones who care deserve better. Football is just too tough a sport to be saddled with teammates who aren’t pulling their weight.
Three unanswered questions
• Will a rested Arizona offense be unstoppable? The Wildcats are playing for more than just a typical victory. They have five wins. A sixth would make them bowl eligible for the first time in Mike Stoops’ tenure in Tucson – and most likely ensure him another season. The Cougar game is key because UA’s last three contests are at Oregon and at home versus Oregon State and rival Arizona State. Expect Arizona to try to score early and often to ensure an easy bowl-eligibility-clinching victory.
• How much will Levenseller play? The plan going into this week is to get the freshman quarterback more than the three series he played against the Cardinal. But that’s subject to change, Wulff said, if starting quarterback “Kevin (Lopina) is in there and we’re moving the ball very well and we’re just having a great day. It would be hard to mess the rhythm up. But the plan is to definitely spice J.T. in a little more.”
• How big will the crowd be? It is Dads’ Weekend, so the crowd should be at least respectable – to start. Then who knows? The long-range forecast is calling for rain, which could scour out Martin Stadium like the Johnstown Flood. No matter what, it can’t be worse than Stanford, where the announced crowd of 26,662 looked suspiciously like 40,000 empty seats.
Vince Grippi, staff writer