A Grip on Sports: Despite another close road loss to a ranked team, WSU football still has a chance to reach a lot of goals this season

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Ya, I got pulled back in by the Cougars yesterday. Watched just about every minute of their 24-20 loss at 21st-ranked James Madison. And realized this might be one of the school’s gutsiest teams.

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• This has been a challenging year for the Cougars. In ways that that show in each week’s box score, sure, but also in ways that can’t be measured by numbers. Though the amount of miles – 16,578 by one estimate – they have had to fly to play their six road games is pretty impressive. That is just part of the story, though. 

Saturday’s loss at James Madison is just the most-recent example of the stress Jimmy Rogers’ first Washington State football has been put through. And, after a slow start – from a test from middle-of-the-Big-Sky-pack Idaho at home through the two September blowouts to North Texas and Washington – Rogers’ group has rebounded well. Even if the losses still outnumber the wins.

But only by one. And that means Saturday’s regular-season finale at Gesa Field against Oregon State still holds the promise of meeting goals. How’s that again?

Look at it. The Cougs are 5-6. A win Saturday allows them to meet every realistic goal they had coming into the season. Yes, the realistic ones. Not the we-are-headed-to-the-CFP ones every FBS fanbase harbors in August. I’m pretty confident most WSU fans aren’t that wild-eyed. The grounded ones knew it was going to be a tough season when the schedule was announced. And adjusted their expectations accordingly.

A home Apple Cup win? Sure, that was on the wish list. But everyone also knew that would be a tough ask considering the offseason losses and the early season nature of the rivalry game. Maybe an upset of one of the tough Eastern-swing games. As the season unfolded that hope felt less and less of a possibility. But a sweep of OSU and momentum headed into the offseason seemed possible. 

If there is one failure that has truly marred this season, the loss in Corvallis last month is it. But there is a chance for redemption Saturday. And a chance for a bowl game. A chance to claim the mythical Pac-12 title. A chance to take the crud thrown their way all season and make something out of it.

Crud? Yep. A bunch of it.

Here is how The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel summed up the Cougars’ season thus far, as part of his thoughts on Saturday’s games: 

“I remain skeptical that James Madison can earn the Group of 5’s automatic berth due to its weak strength of schedule, but the Dukes, now 10-1, gave themselves a slight boost with a 24-20 win against visiting Washington State. The 5-6 Cougars, meanwhile, can’t get that new Pac-12 schedule going soon enough. Washington State somehow scheduled itself games this season against six teams – Ole Miss (SEC), Virginia (ACC), North Texas (American), San Diego State (MWC), Toledo (MAC) and JMU (Sun Belt) – that could still win their conferences. They are 2-4 in those games, with three of the losses by four points or less.”

I will add one more item Mandel did not mention. Oregon State was handed the gift a pre-WSU-game bye twice by whoever put together the schedule. Not just once, but twice. Besides, the Cougars were coming off two trips East in the three weeks before the first meeting. And will be coming off another one this week. 

Which, if they can win in front of whatever Thanksgiving weekend crowd they can muster, will make the day all that much sweeter. Meet a bunch of goals. And show better than the won/loss record just how gutsy this group is. 

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WSU: Greg Woods was in Harrisonburg, Va., yesterday. A little late, sure, to enjoy the magnificent fall foliage the area has to offer but not too late to watch Washington State come up just short against a ranked foe once again. He has his postgame analysis, a story about linebacker Caleb Francl’s outstanding game and worked with the folks in the office on the recap with highlights. … Colton Clark has the instant reactions in today’s S-R as well as the difference makers. … Tyler Tjomsland made the cross country trip with his camera equipment and has this photo gallery. … Washington State sophomore Solomon Kipchoge finished third in an NCAA men’s cross country championship race. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his Saturday Night Five  column in the Mercury News. … Who were the winners and the losers Saturday? Being there were no true upsets among the CFP’s top 14 schools, the status quo could be considered a winner. … Could Oregon win by Ohio State defeating Michigan for the first time in half-a-decade? Yes. … An off-field loser? The Power Four conferences’ plan to enforce the House settlement among its members.

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, with the latest Associated Press rankings and listed chronologically. All are on Saturday. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news turned out to be nearly impossible.

– Arizona 41, Baylor 17: The Wildcats took the ball away three times in the final quarter and used that rocket fuel to blow past the Bears in Tucson.

– No. 6 Oregon 42, No. 16 USC 27: John Canzano has a couple columns from Saturday but the one that matters here covers Oregon’s strong arming of the Trojans in Eugene. … Dan Lanning told the nation on College GameDay he’s found his forever home. And then threw some shade after.  If the Ducks lose next week at Washington, we’ll see how long forever means to UO fans. … On the other side, Lincoln Riley still hasn’t built the winning program USC fans want – and expect.

– No. 13 Utah 51, Kansas State 47: This may not have been Saturday’s best game but it certainly was the most entertaining. Mainly because the Utes’ defense was MIA. And their quarterback Devon Dampier was remarkable in the final few minutes. His 59-yard, fourth-down keeper for the game-winning touchdown was incredible.

– Texas State 31, UL Monroe 14: It’s quite possible the Bobcats could head to the Pac-12 fresh off a bowl game. One more win in their season finale against South Alabama and they are eligible.

– Boise State 49, Colorado State 21: The Broncos stopped their skid thanks to a youngster who took over at quarterback. … The Rams probably can’t wait for this season to end. It sure seemed like it at least.

– Stanford 31, California 10: Did you see live Andrew Luck go wild on the sidelines yesterday? Probably not. Yes, this is The Big Game but it wasn’t big enough to get off the ACC Network. Still, the Bears’ self-destruction against a mediocre Cardinal squad may be the last nail on Justin Wilcox’s California coaching tenure.

– Arizona State 42, Colorado 17: Once again Deion Sanders took ownership of a blowout home loss. And some folks were more than happy to give it to him. … Will his freshman quarterback play next week? … The Sun Devils head into next week’s Territorial Cup with Arizona on a high note. … Bill McCartney’s statue isn’t in the best of spots for some Colorado fans.

– Washington 48, UCLA 14: If the Bruins are going to continue their madness and try to break their long-running Rose Bowl lease, Saturday’s loss to the Huskies is the perfect way to go out. They were not competitive against 8-3 UW, even though the visitors were dealing with major injuries. … Washington has Oregon next. At home. Senior day. I’m not sure anyone outside the Northwest really understands what that means.  

– Utah State 28, Fresno State 17: The Aggies waited until the final road game of the season to pick up their first win away from Logan. And they have the Bulldogs largesse to thank for much of it.

– San Diego State 25, San Jose State 3: The Aztecs moved closer to the MWC title game and did it in the same way of most of their wins. The defense not only shut down the Spartans, it also knocked the main SJSU weapon from the game.

• In basketball news, the Oregon State men blew a big lead and lost again. 

EWU: We will get to the disappointing end to the Eagles’ football season in a second, but we are starting with Dave Boling’s column today on Hall of Fame radio personality Colin Cowherd. Dave talked with the Eastern alum about how his time in Cheney shaped Cowherd’s career and life. … Now to football. Another dismal season ended in San Luis Obispo with a 43-34 loss to former EWU coach Paul Wulff and the Mustangs. Cal Poly came into the game on a six-game losing streak. Dan Thompson has this game story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, before we get to third-ranked Montana State’s impressive Brawl in the Wild 31-28 win over previously undefeated and second-ranked Montana – impressive mainly because it came in Missoula – there was other news from the conference. Portland State fired its most-loyal soldier, coach Bruce Barnum, Saturday night, on the Portland International Airport tarmac of all places. Canzano has his thoughts on the deed – and the timing. The 1-11 Vikings lost 24-13 at Northern Colorado. … Just realized I already covered the Brawl news, so here is the coverage of the Causeway Classic instead. UC Davis topped Sacramento State 31-27 in a rivalry game that is going away for a while – at least. … Weber State took out a season’s worth of frustrations on Northern Arizona, 48-28. … Southern Utah will head to the Big Sky next season on a roll. Utah Tech? Not so much. … In basketball news, Weber State took another loss.

Idaho: The Vandals’ season, the first under Thomas Ford Jr., ended with a resounding thud. A 37-16 loss to visiting rival Idaho State. Peter Harriman has the game coverage. … The Vandal men’s basketball team routed Eastern Oregon 97-68 at home last night.

Whitworth: The Pirates’ football season ended in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, done in by an injury to their top running back and a failed two-point conversion late that might have forced overtime. Ethan Myers was at the Pine Bowl and has this coverage of the 18-16 defeat. … The men’s basketball team remained perfect on the season with a 74-58 win on the road in Minnesota. … The women were also on the road but fell 59-52 to Pomona-Pitzer.

Preps: High school football for the GSL ended Saturday as league champion fell 42-35 at home in the 4A playoffs. The Bullpups had no answer for sophomore quarterback AJ Tuivaiave and the Graham-Kapowsin offense. Dave Nichols was there and has this game story. … Mt. Spokane made it to the 3A volleyball title match late Saturday night in Yakima but fell in straight sets to top-seeded North Thurston. … Cheryl Nichols has this roundup of the rest of Saturday’s State playoff action.

Chiefs: Dave headed over to the Arena for the evening and watched as Owen Martin’s overtime goal lifted Spokane past Victoria 2-1.

Zephyr: Spokane was on the road again. And the Zephyr lost again. Their fourth consecutive defeat came in Brooklyn 1-0 on a late goal.  

Seahawks: We ran out of time to share some thoughts above on this morning’s game in Nashville. But we will be watching. As, I’m sure, most of you will be as well. … This seems like a trap game for the Hawks, whatever the schedule may say. The trap has sharp teeth, built upon all the injuries on both sides of the ball. … Sam Darnold has one fan who keeps him centered without doing anything.

Kraken: Seattle rallied for an overtime win in Pittsburgh.

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• Hot chicken is a Nashville thing. But, after everything I ate yesterday while enjoying college football, I’m not sure my stomach is up for the chili Kim is making. Might have to just decide Nashville also is famous for its bland food – it isn’t – and bail out of our usual Sunday game-day feast. Until later …