WSU recap

High point of the game

Not a whole lot to choose from, but Washington State put together an impressive 13-play drive that spanned the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. That drive resulted in the Cougars’ lone points of the game, but it would be one of only two drives to last longer than five plays. Really, a defensive stop deserves recognition here but none of WSU’s second-half stops can be called a high point, since offensive ineptitude never really made any of those stops relevant.

Low point of the game

Derrell Hutsona sprinted 70 yards on WSU’s biggest offensive play of the game, but when he was stopped at the Cal 5-yard line, it immediately seemed as if the Cougars were doomed. And they were when a Dwight Tardy catch on third down was initially ruled a touchdown but then placed on the 1-yard line after review. Alex Brink couldn’t score on a quarterback sneak, and Cal had the ball – and really, the game – on downs in the last minute of the third quarter.

A pat on the back

Giving up three first-half touchdowns isn’t what WSU wanted to do, but one of those Cal drives started on the 5-yard line, and after Cal’s lone score of the second quarter, the Pac-10’s best offense didn’t get a thing off of the Cougars. WSU’s defense, the surprise of the season, came to play once again. Defensive players rattled off the company line for the most part about not being upset at the offense for squandering their effort. They have reason to be, though, and if behind closed doors they say so it won’t be without cause.

Needs fixing

This isn’t tough to figure out. In the last two weeks, the Cougar offense has been in the red zone seven times. From those seven possessions, it has three field goals, one turnover, two turnovers on downs and a missed field goal. (About the only thing left to do is score a touchdown.) But the Cougars will be hard-pressed to win games – and they’ll be putting a ton of pressure on their defense – if they fail to improve inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. They’ve been nothing short of abysmal lately.

Three unanswered questions

1) What tricks can the Cougars use to improve their offense on the goal line?

2) Has the WSU coaching staff raised the bar for quarterback Alex Brink, choosing to treat him as a veteran and not as a young starter who needs protection?

3) Why is the WSU offensive line suddenly struggling after faring well in earlier games?

Glenn Kasses