Analysis: In their win over Colorado State, Cougars’ defense showed what it can do with a fair shake

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Anthony Palano broke into a smile brighter than the sun when he got the question. It was about his teammate, Washington State defensive tackle Soni Finau, who had surged into the backfield for back-to-back sacks to put the icing on this win.

It was Saturday night, moments after WSU’s 20-3 victory over Colorado State, and the Cougars’ defense colored the entire win. Palano may have figured more prominently into the showing, making a team-best 13 tackles from the middle linebacker spot, but sitting in a side room in the bowels of Canvas Stadium, he looked more thrilled with two from his teammate.

“I didn’t even realize what was going on,” Palano said. “I was looking at the quarterback, and all of a sudden he went down, and it was Soni. I just see him doing his celebration. I’m very happy for him. Whenever he gets on the field, he always puts his best into it.”

In their first several outings to open the season, WSU’s defense didn’t get many chances to put its best into it. The Cougars’ offense was the culprit, losing five turnovers two weeks ago and three more the following week. Their defense had to be on the field for even more drives. They were put in tough spots on the field. They yielded more than 100 points in their past two games.

Things only get tougher from here for WSU, but in this win, the Cougars’ defense showed what it can do with a fair shake. Their offense didn’t lose a single turnover, which helped their defense pile up nine tackles for loss and four sacks. It paved the way for several superlatives: It was the Cougars’ first time holding an opponent without a touchdown since 2018, their first time doing so on the road since 2006. It’s also their fewest points allowed on the road since 1996 – nearly a decade before many of these players were born.

WSU did it with force, with speed, with a compelling combination of both. But the key was this: For the first time in three weeks, the Cougs’ offense held on to the ball the entire time. It’s their first time without a turnover since topping San Diego State earlier this month. In that one, WSU allowed only 13 points. In the next two weeks, the Cougars’ offense lost a combined eight turnovers and their defense permitted a combined 111 points.

In general, correlation doesn’t equal causation. In this case, a bright red line connects the two. The Cougars have always seemed to have the personnel to engineer a destructive pass rush, a blanketing coverage. They hardly showed it in their previous two games, and they share plenty of the blame. But on Saturday, they showed that when they get opportunities, they can dismantle an entire offense.

“So many times,” WSU coach Jimmy Rogers said of his group’s pass rush, “it’s like one guy knocking off the other guy in the pass-pro, and we’re like an arm away. (CSU QB Jackson Brousseau) was just able to escape out of some of those. But the constant pressure was there. The hits were there.”

At the heart of this WSU defensive outing was its pass rush. Even before Finau hammered Brousseau down for consecutive sacks, his teammates set the stage. On one play, veteran defensive end Raam Stevenson spun inside to bring him down. On another, Palano teamed up with defensive tackle Bryson Lamb for a sack near the goal line, keeping the Rams out of the end zone. The most cliche term in sports is team effort, but that’s how the Cougars got this done.

It is worth mentioning that Colorado State’s offense is not good. The Rams’ offensive line has been porous all season. Head coach Jay Norvell seemed intent on using running QB Tahj Bullock, no matter how obvious it was that Bullock was about to take a direct snap and look for running lanes. CSU was also flagged seven times for 60 yards, several coming on critical holding or false start calls that scuttled drives.

By season’s end, the Cougs may look back and think the Rams’ offense was the worst they faced. But regardless of how poorly CSU played on offense, the Cougars will have plenty of their own accomplishments to feel proud of, the type that inspire confidence they can replicate them in future games.

So what changed? WSU tackled better in this one, which had eluded the unit in previous games. The Cougars’ downfield coverage was excellent, a credit in part to safety Tucker Large and second-year cornerback Kenny Worthy III, who followed a pass interference penalty by forcing a fumble two plays later.

The Cougars might get a break this week, enjoying their one bye week of the season, but their road gets exponentially tougher in the weeks afterward. On Oct. 11, WSU visits No. 13 Ole Miss, which upset No. 4 LSU on Saturday. The week after that, the Cougars visit Virginia, which toppled No. 8 Florida State the day prior.

In each of those, the Cougs will likely get tougher tasks than these Rams. But if there’s anything to be taken away from their defense in this win, let it be this: Give them a fair chance and they can keep things interesting, if not a blowout.

“They play together,” Rogers said of the combination of pass rush and coverage. “Obviously, the better you cover (the more you can rush the passer). We played quite a bit of zone, but we were also playing a little bit more man than we typically would. Forcing hard-to-throw throw balls. And we gotta get better at not PIing. We had a couple there that led them to first downs, that I thought we were in great position. It’s just more of a habit than anything. So we gotta make sure we correct those things at practice.”