No doubt about it, Cougars did have something to gain by winning

PULLMAN – It’s true. Doubt swarms to Washington State football like paparazzi to a skanky socialite.

This truism was field-tested over the course of the last week as the Cougars prepared to play the University of Idaho – the 89th Battle of the Palouse, but the first referendum on Bill Doba vs. Dennis Erickson and all the inane conjecture there was to be milled from it.

For example, several times a day your humble Certified Expert was polled on who he thought would win.

“Washington State,” was the answer.

To which the responses would range from squinting puzzlement to cackling disbelief. Never mind the smart money in Vegas had the Cougs by 17 points. Hereabouts all that seemed to be relevant was that Dennis was back, the overmatched Vandals had put up a fight in their opener and Doba had disdained a hot quarterback in a game no one expected Wazzu to win anyway. The relative merits of that first-week opposition – No. 4 Auburn for the Cougs and the take-a-number-and-wait Michigan State Spartans for UI – barely registered because that would require, you know, actual thinking.

So in thundering Idaho 56-10 on Saturday at Martin Stadium in what for WSU is an annual no-win game – but especially so this year – maybe the Cougars won something after all.

Self-respect. A return to normalcy. A little peace and quiet.

“It’s a big first step for the team,” said Derrell Hutsona, one of approximately 75 different Cougars running backs who left footprints on the Vandals’ backsides. “Hopefully, we can come out like this every week and beat every opponent we play like that.”

Easy, big fella. No sense leaving the banquet to make a run to the drive-thru.

Meanwhile, even in enduring this humiliation, the Vandals – and particularly the fan base still giddy from Erickson’s hiring – made an important discovery, too.

It pays to be realistic.

Not that it feels particularly good.

“I’m embarrassed,” said Erickson. “Our players should be embarrassed, but I’m the one in charge. I’m embarrassed about the performance. I’ve been in a lot of games and that’s about as bad as I’ve been in.”

Now that he mentions it, it is, sort of.

In 203 previous games as a collegiate head coach, Erickson’s worst loss was 37 points – here at WSU, against Stanford in 1987. In the pros with the Seahawks and 49ers, he twice lost by 38 – though he’d probably tell you the worst loss was that one to the Jets in 1998, since Vinny Testaverde still hasn’t made it into the end zone.

He was also an assistant on the Idaho team that lost here 84-27 in 1975. This may have been worst.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “We got our rear ends kicked. No ifs, ands, pots and pans about it.”

And speaking of pots and pans, it’s not as if the Cougars had to throw the kitchen sink at Idaho. In fact, maybe their only real misstep was the too-cute reverse they ran to Jason Hill down near the goal-line with a 7-0 lead. Otherwise, the Cougars did it by the book. Short and medium-range passes, including three touchdowns to Chris Jordan, who just might have a hell of a year while defenses preoccupy themselves with Hill. Quarterback Alex Brink scrambling into vacant contain lanes.

And then a relentless running attack that accounted for more rushing yards than any Cougars team has in 18 years.

“That was nice,” said tackle Charles Harris. “If you’re an offensive lineman, you love running the ball. It was great to show we’ve still got it and to see the young backs finding the holes. That was pretty exciting.”

It’s remarkable how exciting the simple things can be.

“Last week, we were trying too hard,” admitted Brink, who certainly couldn’t have tried to play worse against Auburn. “We were trying to make big plays – we tried to game plan big plays down the field, and you can’t do that. Especially at this level. Especially against Auburn.”

Amazingly enough, the same thing was happening on the other side of the ball. The defense’s two big moments – the second-quarter goal-line stand capped by Scott Davis’ hit on Jayson Bird and the fumble the Cougars snatched back after their offense had turned it over on the Idaho goal line – didn’t have to be spectacular. They just had to get done.

“The offense would get a touchdown and that would spark us – spark the crowd, give us energy,” said defensive end Mkristo Bruce. “The defense would get a goal-line stand and that would spark the defense. We saw how much success we can have when we play together.”

The usual early-season disclaimers certainly apply here.

There is no sense reading any more into this evisceration of the Vandals than into last week’s lament at Auburn.

Besides, some minds are never going to be changed anyway.

“I guess somebody forgot to tell us,” smiled safety Eric Frampton, “that we were supposed to doubt ourselves.”