This was one they couldn't finish.

Not that the Washington State Cougars didn't try. Not until freshman Taylor Mays from O'Dea High in Seattle gathered in Alex Brink's Hail Mary pass on the 4-yard line as time ran out did the third-ranked USC Trojans put away the Cougs, 28-22 Saturday night.

A this-close-to-a-100-yard drive couldn't finish the Cougs. An 83-yard, 17-play, mind-numbing 8-minute, 21-second fourth-quarter drive couldn't finish the Cougs. A career-high 11 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns by USC's Steve Smith couldn't finish the Cougs.

In the end, the better team finally finished the Cougs and their hopes of an upset to gratify a majority of the 35,117 in the Martin Stadium sellout crowd.

And now they lose one of their best run-stoppers, defensive tackle Fevaea'i Ahmu, who will miss an undetermined amount of time with the same injury that struck him early in fall camp: a partially displaced fracture of his left foot.

Despite that numbing injury, a lot went right for WSU on Saturday. Let's count them.

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