Cougs Win, No Sweat Unbeaten WSU Outmuscles Boise State

Fifty-eight to nothing and where to begin? But of course: Hey Leon, got a minute?

“I’m not real excited over this game because it’s just something that we were supposed to do,” said Leon Bender, the Washington State University defensive tackle and football philosopher.

“I don’t think too many people broke a sweat. I think the only reason I sweated was because I had my pads on.”

Yes, the 15th-ranked Cougars did what was expected of them Saturday, and then some.

On a blustery day before 34,131 bargain hunters at Martin Stadium, the Cougars pounded poor Boise State by the unsightly margin of 58-0.

Apparently, this is what Top 15 teams are supposed to do when matched against the Peter McNeelys of the football world.

“Probably so,” coach Mike Price said. “I’m not used to being in the Top 15 all the time, so it feels good.”

If nothing else, Saturday’s game was a bargain. Thanks to a rather charitable promotion, most fans paid only $5 to attend the game. That works out to a robust 11.6 points on the dollar.

“It was fun out there,” offensive lineman Ryan McShane said, and the statistics bear him out.

The Cougars had 565 total yards. The Broncos had 115. The Cougars had 30 first downs. The Broncos had seven. The Cougars had 11 penalties. The Broncos had Todd Belcastro.

“I think Todd has learned a lesson,” said Boise State coach Houston Nutt, referring to perhaps the nation’s most outspoken kicker.

It was Belcastro, you’ll recall, who had vowed last week to exact revenge on Price for failing to recruit him out of Mead High School.

“We heard about it during the week and we just laughed - all the locker room talk was what’s going on with Oregon next week,” Bender said, indifference being the ultimate insult.

Belcastro was nowhere to be found after the game. He was tough to spot during the game, too: the junior was on the field for just one play, the opening kickoff.

His WSU counterpart, Rian Lindell, merely booted the fourth-longest field goal in school history, a 57-yarder that made it 17-0 in the second quarter.

“Obviously, my kicking coach, Aaron Price, made the right recruiting decision there,” Price quipped, noting also that Lindell booted field goals from 33 and 37 yards.

But Lindell was merely a footnote to what was the sixth-most lopsided victory in school history and the Cougars’ most lopsided win since 1941.

As Bender put it: “All things aside, they lost, we won and that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Ryan Leaf did nothing to damage his rising stock in the Heisman Trophy race, completing 17 of 30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

“The way he just sits back in the pocket and just takes control of the offense, I mean, it’s amazing,” receiver Kevin McKenzie said. “To be in the huddle and you go out there and you know that, OK, if I run a good route, he’s going to see me.”

Tailback Michael Black carried 17 times for 141 yards and a score. Ninety-three of those yards came in the first quarter, when the Cougars held a 12-0 lead in first downs.

McKenzie, still riding high after his game-winning touchdown catch against USC three weeks ago, led the Cougars with six receptions for 101 yards and two more TDs.

The Broncos attempted to foil WSU’s high-powered passing attack with frequent blitzes. They paid dearly.

“It’s difficult for teams to blitz that spread position because of the speed we have,” said Leaf, referring to WSU’s multiple-receiver formations. “They attempted to do it again today and it just burned them.”

Shawn Tims, an all-conference punt returner last year, broke the game open with a 73-yard punt return that made it 24-0 in the second quarter.

Defensively, WSU was air-tight.

Boise State quarterbacks Nate Sparks and Bart Hendricks completed just 9 of 31 passes for 69 yards. The Broncos were equally ineffective on the ground, netting just 46 yards on 26 carries.

“We played real good defensively,” said end Shane Doyle, who led the Cougars with two sacks. “This gives us confidence for next week. We’ve got to play this good every week.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GAME NOTES Boise State set several dubious records, including most punts in a game (13) and most lopsided loss in school history. The Broncos hadn’t been shut out since a 37-0 loss to Idaho in 1984… . With 289 passing yards, Leaf passed Mark Rypien for fourth on the school’s all-time list. Leaf has 4,792 career yards to Rypien’s 4,573… . Boise State punter Jeff Davis had an 81-yard punt. Aided by a strong wind, the ball rolled until being downed at the WSU 1-yard line.