A Grip on Sports: Saturday night’s loss was a case of déjà vu – or another term – for the Cougars as they had a chance for a statement win slip away late

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are terms we all use often. “What’s for dinner?” comes to mind. Or “It’s your turn to (fill in the blank).” One such in the local sports arena? It has to do with grabbing defeat from the mandibles of victory. A two-word one I’ve vowed to never type in this space. Even when it appears out of nowhere once again.

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• As it did last night in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the oddest, yet possibly the most-expected, way imaginably. A fourth-quarter meltdown.

The Cougars’ collapse – they led by 10 points entering the final 15 minutes and had the ball at midfield – might have been predictable. After all, WSU was nearing the end of a second consecutive week playing a ranked team more than 2,100 miles from home. That has to wear on the 18-to-24-year-olds who make up a college football team.

But that doesn’t jibe with how well Jimmy Rogers’ team had played for the first 45 minutes. They were better than the 18th-ranked Wahoos. Better on offense. Better on defense. After all, WSU had a 318-to-175 edge in yards gained, had possessed the ball for 14 more minutes and were better on big downs, having converted 4-of-9 third or fourth downs compared to UVA’s 2-of-10. Most importantly, the Cougs led 20-10.

The final 15 minutes? It all disappeared.

It started with two midfield plays gaining two yards. Big deal. Ryan Harris’ punt pinned Virginia at its 3-yard-line.

Eight plays later, the Cavaliers were in the endzone. The resistance WSU’s defense had showed all game? Gone. Out the door as well? All semblance of poise and maturity.

Yet the Cougars still led by three. Sure, there were 9-minutes, 45-seconds remaining. They had a first-and-10 at their 25. Time for Zevi Eckhaus – 17-of-23 for 181 yards at that point – and the offense to kills some clock and give the defense a breather. You know, as it had done all game.

Except what was left of the 56,048 at UVA’s homecoming was now engaged. Loud. Disruptive. Had to be something like that. Because the offense self-destructed.

Kirby Vorhees ran up the middle for no gain. The next snap? It didn’t happen. Right guard AJ Vaipulu moved. Five yards the wrong way. More noise. Another false start. Same guy. Five more yards. Second and 20 from the 15.

Eckhaus took the snap, fired, found Josh Meredith for 10 yards. Back to normal. Except there was another flag. Holding. On Vaipulu. Second and 27 from the 8. Not the best of possessions for the guard. Or the offense.

And it was about to get worse.

Kirby Vorhees picked up 7 on a run. That left third and 20. Another Vorhees run before Harris could flip the field again? Nope.

Eckhaus tried to thread a pass into tight coverage and failed. Ja’son Prevard picked it – Eckhaus’ second – and UVA had the ball at the WSU 35.

The defense bent a little, then stopped J’Mari Taylor for a 3-yard loss on third-and-2 from the WSU 14. Will Bettridge’s 34-yard field goal tied the game at 20 with 2:59 left.

Bad enough? Sure. But a lot could happen in the final 3 minutes. Maybe Eckhaus finds Meredith again for a big gain, adding to the receiver’s seven catches for 108 yards. Or maybe Angel Johnson, who was averaging 6.6 yards rushing, could bust loose for a long gain. Or … well, if you had predicted the confluence of events that actually did occur, your buddies would have probably kicked you out of the basement. And locked the door.

Leyton Smithson gathered in the kickoff and headed upfield. But for some reason whistles blew and arms waived. A quick chat. The ball is marked at the WSU 2-yard-line. A fair catch had been signaled. Not by Smithson, but by Vorhees, about 15-to-20 yards to Smithson’s right. The ball was dead at the 2. It couldn’t get any worse, could it?

It could. And did. Another false start, this one on Jonny Lester. An incomplete pass. A noise-forced WSU time out. A handoff to Vorhees, who tried the left side. Virginia’s linebacker Kam Robinson and defensive lineman Hunter Osborne sandwiched him in the backfield. Vorhees seemed to escape enough but on the way down lost the ball. It ended up in the endzone. Safety.

Ball game.

There may be worse ways to lose. Or worse ways to erase 45 minutes of stellar play. Or worse ways to invoke the phrase that’s verboten here.

But I can’t think of them. Couldn’t last night. Can’t this morning. An upset of a top 25 team on the road – last done at Wisconsin in 2022. A chance to solidify bowl hopes. To give the Pac-12 some national exposure when it needs it most. Heck, just a chance to win. All gone. A less-than-15-minute span of game time that undoes 45 minutes of stellar work.

It has to hurt.

• There is another phrase being uttered around the Northwest today. And I have no trouble typing it.

“The Mariners are one win from the World Series.”

Yes, that last step could prove as elusive as the Cougars’ last night. Toronto is home, has found its way offensively and has proven since March it is the best team in the American League. But, really, who cares?

The Mariners, for the first time in their history, will be playing a game tonight (5, FS1) in which, with a win, will be headed to the World Series. That’s a big deal. Not just for the players and coaches but for everyone who has ever rooted for the franchise in the past 48 years. Since Diego Segui took the Kingdome mound. Since Bruce Bochte stumbled around the outfield. Since Bill Caudil, Matt Young and Dave Valle. Since Lou Piniella, Omar Visquel and Randy Johnson. Since Edgar, Junior and Bone. Since Felix Hernandez, Adrián Beltré and Robinson Cano.

Since forever.

Two chances for one win. A win that would allow all of us to utter another never-before-said phrase. “The Mariners are going to the World Series.”

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WSU: We have Greg Woods report from Virginia. It includes the game analysis, Rogers’ thoughts after the loss, a story before the game on injuries and, in concert with folks in the office, the recap with highlights. … Colton Clark added the instant takeaways and the difference makers. … I watched from home and wrote a TV Take in which I tried to balance the first 45 minutes of excellent play with the fade down the stretch. … There is also a photo gallery to pass along. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner had his Saturday Night Five column in the Mercury News. The WSU defeat is mentioned in a pretty positive light. … This is so true. Pro fans want greatness. College fans celebrate chaos. They are getting their wish this season. In spades. … Who had a good week and who did not?  … Utah State found a way to hand San Jose State another tough loss Friday. … Colorado is figuring out this revenue-sharing thing. … San Diego State keeps its defense together, in large part due to the efforts of one linebacker.

• Here are the results of the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, listed chronologically.

– Michigan 24, Washington 7: Speaking of fading down the stretch (covered in the WSU game section), the Huskies got started a bit earlier, collapsing over the final 17 minutes. … The loss showed just how far UW has to go to escape the Big Ten’s large middle pack.

– Houston 31, Arizona 28: Another chance for a good Big 12 win slipped away from the visiting Wildcats.

– Marshall 40, Texas State 37 (2OT): For the third consecutive time, the Bobcats dropped a winnable game late.

– Boise State 56, UNLV 31: It was an offensive shootout in Boise. And close, too. Until the Broncos found another gear and the Rebels dropped their transmission.

– Arizona State 26, No. 7 Texas Tech 22: A healthy quarterback means so much. Especially for the Sun Devils. … Home field helps too.

– No. 8 Oregon 56, Rutgers 10: It wasn’t close. The Ducks rushed for an unheard of more than 11 yards a carry and walloped the hosts in the Big Ten matchup. … John Canzano has his thoughts.

– UCLA 20, Maryland 17: It looked for all the world as if the Bruins recent run would end, what with the Terps tying the game late and UCLA’s quarterback seemingly injured. But Nico Iamaleava returned for the last possession and led the host Bruins to a last-second winning field goal.

– Hawaii 31, Colorado State 19: The Rams offense didn’t show up, disappointing a packed stadium. The result? A Warrior win.

– No. 13 Notre Dame 34, No. 20 USC 24: The Trojans headed back to Los Angeles wet, cold and sporting tire marks on their uniforms. The Irish trucked them all night, rushing for more than 300 yards. … Lincoln Riley tried a couple of odd plays, considering it was pouring rain, and both backfired.

– No. 15 BYU 24, No. 23 Utah 21: It was a war last night in Provo. And BYU prevailed. … Holy whatever. Why did the Utes forego field goals and go for it five times on fourth down, converting just once. Twice they were in field goal range. … The numbers favored Utah but turnovers did not.

– Oregon State 45, Lafayette 13: The Beavers may be 1-7 right now but Robb Akey is 1-0 as their head coach. Though it took a second-half quarterback switch to make it happen. And it came against a middle-of-the-road FCS team. At home. … Canzano has a column.

– Stanford 20, Florida State 13: One un-timed play from the 2-yard line. FSU runs the ball. Gavin Sawchuk is stopped short. A long, long review. And the spot is upheld. The Cardinal picks up an unexpected win, maybe their biggest of the season.

• In basketball news, Colorado State’s men have a new coach who is expecting big things. … Colorado hopes a trio of players bounce back this season. … San Diego State learned some things in their exhibition loss to UCLA. … Utah State played everyone in an exhibition win over Seattle U. … Washington has an exhibition with UNLV. … Arizona defeated visiting Saint Mary’s by 13 in an exhibition. That is a good win.

Gonzaga: The NCAA told the Zags this week some unexpected news. Tyon Grant-Foster would not be given another year of eligibility. Why? Read Theo Lawson’s story and you will know. And also know why Grant-Foster has filed a lawsuit seeking the right to play. There is a hearing concerning a preliminary injunction set for Thursday in Spokane. … The guys cleared to play will do that today at 2 p.m. in the Kennel (on SWX as well). Theo has a preview of the exhibition game with Northwest University, the Kirkland-based NAIA school. … The Gonzaga frontcourt is one of the best in the nation. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Santa Clara grad Brandin Podziemski is crucial to the Warriors’ chances. …The Oregon State women have lost a starting guard for the season.

EWU: It’s been a tough few years for Aaron Best and his Eagles. Which explains his exuberance over Saturday’s 21-14 home win. OK, it wasn’t just an ordinary win. It was Eastern’s annual Big Sky rivalry game with Idaho. Dan Thompson relays Best’s enthusiasm in this game story and notebook. … Elsewhere in the (current and future) Big Sky, Montana’s quarterback led the fourth-ranked Griz to an easy victory over visiting Sacred Heart. … Sacramento State topped Northern Colorado in a 40-35 shootout. …Portland State is still looking for its first win as Weber State picked up the 43-27 road victory. … Southern Utah found a way to get past Abilene Christian 31-24.

Whitworth: The Northwest Conference’s football title is still in play for the Pirates after their 30-20 victory at No. 24-ranked Linfield on Saturday.

Preps: Dave Nichols looks back at the weekend’s football games in his weekly Friday Night (High)lights column.

Chiefs: Dave returns as he is wont to do, this time sharing the news Spokane picked up a 3-2 win over Red Deer in the midst of its long Canadian road trip.

Velocity: A second-half goal lifted Spokane to a 1-0 USL League One win over FC Naples in Florida.

Mariners: It seems appropriate the M’s will turn to Logan Gilbert tonight in their chance to clinch a Series berth. For the first time. Ever. I’ve been of the mind Gilbert is a star waiting to go nova and a win tonight just might be the impetus for that to happen. … There is so much at stake tonight it takes someone who has followed the Mariners their entire life to explain it. That’s Tim Booth of the Times. …Fans always try to help anyway they can. … Hey, the M’s are stars even across the country. … George Springer’s status is unknown. But we’re pretty sure, after talking with some people yesterday, the booing after he was hit by Bryan Woo was mainly coming from Blue Jays fans. …The Dodgers have already punched another high-priced ticket to the Series.

Seahawks: If the M’s lose tonight, they will get another chance Monday. Which means there will be a collision of sorts between their game in Toronto and the Seahawks home contest with Houston.

Kraken: For a fourth consecutive game, Seattle had to play overtime. This time the Kraken won. In Toronto. Wonder if they can stick around and watch baseball?

Sounders: The MLS playoffs are about to start. Last night’s 2-1 win in New York didn’t impact Seattle’s spot in them. But it did in one key way. Pedro de la Vega, playing at his best coming in, was injured in the first half and could be out a while.  

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• Big day today, isn’t it? If the Mariners are going to earn their first World Series berth, could they do it tonight please. I have a pretty full slate Monday and would rather be able to watch it live, not through the magic of the DVR. Until later …