Character builder
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Cougar offense had put together just one solid scoring drive in almost three-and-a-half quarters, and still trailing by three points on the road, someone needed to make a play.
Washington State found its man in a backup cornerback, junior Omowale Dada. Rushing through a group of New Mexico punt protectors, Dada got his right hand on a punt at the Lobo 20-yard line, batting it towards the sidelines. Teammate Tyron Brackenridge scooped up the bouncing ball and took it to the 4-yard line.
One play later, the Cougars had a touchdown and a lead, one that held up for a 21-17 win Friday night in their season opener at University Stadium before 34,860 fans.
“We noticed there was a little hole in their coverage,” said Dada, whose teammates had nearly blocked two other punts earlier in the game. “It felt like a chill in your body. We needed a big play. … It could have been any of us, but I just got the chance to get the hole, to run untouched through for the block.”
That block — and tight end Troy Bienemann’s one-handed grab in the back of the end zone for the following score — reversed the tide on what seemed like an insurmountable 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
“Being on the road, not really having anything clicking for us offensively, it did seem like we were down by a lot more,” Bienemann said. “This was more than just a win. It was a comeback win. I think that has something to say about our heart and determination, being down 17-7 against New Mexico, a good team.”
The third quarter was almost all New Mexico, giving the home team and its fans a sense of security. The Lobos put up two touchdowns in 4:05, shutting down the Cougar offense in between scores.
It appeared that momentum would stay with the Lobos the rest of the way, as wide receiver Hank Baskett, running back DonTrell Moore and quarterback Kole McKamey — making his first career start — strung together a series of big plays.
Moore ended up with 167 yards on the ground; Baskett hauled in 165 more through the air.
“There was some frustration, I know that for a fact,” WSU defensive coordinator Robb Akey said. “We weren’t handling things well enough at that point in time. We weren’t getting ourselves off the field.”
New Mexico had won 16 consecutive games when leading after three quarters. But the individual performances from New Mexico weren’t enough to hold off the Cougar charge.
WSU chipped away at the lead with a 14-play, 82-yard drive culminating in a 13-yard touchdown grab by Trandon Harvey. The Cougar defense responded by forcing a three-and-out, and that’s when Dada made his mark on the game.
“I thought that showed a lot of character,” head coach Bill Doba said. “They hung in there, they didn’t get down. (But) we’re a long way from being a good football team.”
WSU proved as much by struggling in some areas all night. The Cougars failed to establish any running game, gaining just 31 yards on the ground. Quarterback Josh Swogger was sacked five times by a blitzing Lobo defense, which changed strategies by unveiling a 3-4 alignment that gave the Cougars fits.
Struggling on offense was a mutual problem in the first half, which bore little resemblance to the second. New Mexico botched the lone scoring opportunity of the half when Wes Zunker missed a 33-yard field goal wide right, and the teams went into the locker room in a scoreless tie.
The two sides combined for just 241 yards and 14 first downs in the half, trading punts before the second-half fireworks began.
At halftime, Doba told his team that they would win in the fourth quarter. And with Dada’s punt block bringing the comeback to a completion, the coach was dead on.
“The blocked punt was absolutely huge,” Akey said. “At that point in time, all three phases of the game started to come together for us. The offense is scoring. We finally stopped them again. The special teams got us the big play. I think it’s a very big character-builder for a young football team.”