A Grip on Sports: Washington State’s Potato Bowl win said a lot about the program’s past, present and future in the new world of college football
A GRIP ON SPORTS • A respite is coming. A Christmas-themed break. But before any of us can slow down and take a breath, we have today. Right here, where the analysis of Washington State’s swashbuckling Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory awaits. And out there, where last-minute shopping and anxious anticipation of deliveries from Amazon’s Santa-like trucks await us all.
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• If you are one of those people who are finished with everything Christmas related, just know your friends are jealous. Maybe even disgusted. And would fire off a mean text – if they had any time. Heck, they may not even possessed enough time to watch the Cougars mash Utah State’s offense for almost the entirety of Monday’s lone ESPN bowl game. And win 34-21.
They missed one of the most entertaining games WSU played all season. Even with the Cougs’ defections. Maybe because of one, actually.
Could it have been former coach Jimmy Rogers’ aversion to turnovers – giving them, not taking – that handcuffed Washington State’s offense more than any of us knew?
Probably. After all, Rogers was, and is, a defensive-minded coach. And he knew his No. 1 assignment in his first year – now his only one – in Pullman: win games. Enough of them to a) qualify for a bowl and b) help him move up the coaching ladder.
He, and his team, accomplished both in their 6-6 regular season.
Monday’s interim coach Jesse Bobbit, filling in so Kirby Moore could do a Pac-12-themed infomercial in the middle of the second quarter, shares an affinity for defense. After all, he’s Rogers’ defensive coordinator of choice. But his move up the golden ladder was assured before the kick. So why not allow “his team” to have some fun? To kick it up a notch? To play its bowl game like it was another of those holiday games between friends and family many of his players enjoyed as kids?
Zevi Eckhaus tossed it around. Threw 44 passes. Completed 26 to his team, including eight to Joshua Meredith, the game’s MVP. Also completed three to the Aggies, which is the outcome Rogers always seemed more interesting in avoiding. Maybe for good reason (see: North Texas and Washington).
Except Utah State (6-7) faced a wildly enthusiastic group of Cougar defenders all day. At least until the throw-caution-to-the-Boise-wind offense had scored enough to make it immaterial whether USU got into the endzone or not.
The pass offense loosened up the Aggie defense enough to beget a running game that was MIA much of the year. WSU’s 373 yards passing was supported by 255 yards rushing, adding up to something well north of 600 yards. In a bowl game for goodness sakes.
The result? The first bowl win since the height of the Mike Leach era, the 2018 Alamo Bowl. When WSU was all about mustaches. And offense. And fun.
Just like Monday. Without the mustaches, though. Thank goodness.
• Every coin has two sides. And college football is all about coins these days, isn’t it? Not just the one used to call heads or tails. The ones needed to keep every program humming.
Everything else, including tradition, is just a sideshow. Maybe especially tradition.
Another nail was driven into the coffin containing the remains of long-held rituals yesterday when Notre Dame and USC put their annual showdown “on hold.” As if it the series is just taking a short break. Ask Ross Geller how that works out. The Irish have already found their breakup companion, BYU. The Trojans will find theirs. And the rivalry, the first of which happened in the L.A. Coliseum 99 years ago this month, will die a golden death.
Blame whichever side you want.
Notre Dame showed the past few weeks its hubris, its we-get-our-way-or-we-won’t-play attitude after it was left out of the CFP field. The Irish, assured of special-nation status among college football thanks to its longtime success and the inability of anyone to tell them no, is our secondary culprit, but that’s just one point of view.
Others look at Lincoln Riley, USC’s latest would-be-savior of a head coach and his aversion to tough out-of-conference tests, and point the finger toward Heritage Hall. Others blame the convoluted – read, idiotic – CFP selection process, one that will give Notre Dame an even bigger break in the future. All played a part.
But the key driver of this, and all, decision? Moola. Money. Coin. It’s always the answer. For all your college football questions at least.
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WSU: Greg Woods was in Boise for the bowl game. Wrote a couple stories about the outcome, including an analysis of how it happened. … Greg also wrote about the emergence of the young Cougars who helped fuel outstanding performances on both sides of the ball. … Dave Boling watched from home and wrote this analysis of what the game meant for the two future Pac-12 foes. … Tyler Tjomsland was on the blue turf, allowing him to put together this photo gallery. … There was basketball news yesterday as well, with WSU’s Ace Glass named the WCC’s freshman of the week. … Back to the bowl game. Utah State wasn’t pleased with the outcome but the first season under Bronco Mendenhall was OK. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Washington had a good season. But maybe not as successful as some hoped. … Oregon has been successful in all but one game. The Ducks are headed to Miami for the CFP quarterfinals to face Texas Tech. It’s the game’s location that bothers Dan Lanning. He actually thinks it would be better for the game if his team had to play in Lubbock. … The end of a rivalry? L.A. Times’ columnist Bill Plaschke points his finger toward Notre Dame and rings the bell of shame. His L.A. Daily News counterpart Jim Alexander puts the blame on the Trojans’ shoulders. … UCLA’s new coach Bob Chesney is bringing two coordinators with him from James Madison. He will also have the advantage of a seasoned quarterback coming back. … Arizona State’s longest-tenured player is looking forward to the Sun Devils’ bowl game. … Arizona has made some staff changes. … Boise State enjoyed hosting a Pac-12 showdown of sorts on its home field. … San Diego State received some good news on the roster front. … Colorado State heard the opposite.
• In basketball news, Jon Wilner takes his weekly look in the S-R at how next season’s Pac-12 schools are doing this one. Not as well as hoped, actually. … The Washington men got well at home with a win over the University of San Diego. … Colorado’s holiday break is a good time for the Buffs to reflect on their season. … Top-ranked Arizona hosted Bethune-Cookman and, as expected, rolled to an easy win. … San Diego State took a breather Monday, hosting the Division III Whittier Poets. The Aztecs won handily. … Want to know what sport Utah State fans really love? The Aggies sold out its arena for the Mountain West opener during Christmas break. … The doubleheader Sunday at the Chase Center was good for college women’s basketball. … Arizona fell to Utah 63-62 on Monday to open Big 12 play.
Gonzaga: As always, Theo Lawson spent the day after a Zag men’s game taking a second look. This time it was looking back on a win. And the nonconference results as well. … Jim Meehan checks out the latest Associated Press rankings – and other statistical measures that include the Bulldogs. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Saint Mary’s men used free throws to get past Northern Iowa.
EWU: The Eagles’ march of nonconference doom continued Monday in Provo, where 10th-ranked BYU turned on the jets, and AJ Dybantsa’s afterburners (33 points in a triple-double), in the second half of a 109-81 victory. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State is headed to Nashville after the first of the year. … In basketball action, the Montana State men earned a home win over Northwest to end nonconference play … Idaho State gave away the ball too often in a weekend loss to UC Davis. … The Northern Arizona men were overpowered in the second half by Incarnate Word. … Sacramento State lost by 12 at Cal State Northridge on Monday. … Next season member Utah Tech lost 92-69 at Creighton. … The Idaho State women survived a just-late buzzer beater to top Utah Valley over the weekend.
Preps: Holiday basketball tournaments have been the rage as long as I can remember. And I can remember a long time. Heck, as far back as when Bill Walton was in high school. Anyhow, I can also pass along this roundup of holiday-week action.
Seahawks: Just when it looked as if Seattle had taken a huge step toward the NFC West title and the NFC’s top seed, the 49ers said “not so fast my friend.” As crucial as Thursday’s win over L.A. was, San Francisco’s 48-27 rout of Indy last night keeps the 49ers on track for an all-the-marbles game the last weekend of the season. … Will Seattle need another miracle comeback win before the playoffs? Maybe. The Hawks have experience in that regard. … Rashid Shaheed has been a difference maker lately. … So has John Schneider. At least since Pete Carroll left the building. … DK Metcalf’s latest incident will cost him two games this season and maybe millions over the next few.
Mariners: Seattle signed bench depth yesterday, adding Rob Refsnyder to the roster on a one-year, $6.25 million contract. It is the richest deal of Refsnyder’s career. How did he earn it? By doing something a lot of MLB players say is impossible. Changing his life-long approach at the plate.
Kraken: Two consecutive wins? Well, I never. Or, I guess, rarely. The 3-1 win at the Ducks came without a key defenseman and resulted in Seattle’s first back-to-back wins in more than a month.
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• Here is something I need to begin doing. Every year, when I budget for Christmas presents, I need to put a line item in for “appliance repair.” Something seems to break around the holidays every year. This time? The dishwasher. That is unacceptable with the amount of cooking going on in the kitchen this week. Until later …