Unbearable sight

PULLMAN – It started seconds after Butch the Cougar’s ATV left the Martin Stadium turf.

A first-play-of-the-game, 80-yard touchdown run by California’s Jahvid Best, through a hole wide enough for Butch’s ATV to fit through, set the mood.

Then it got darker.

The final score was 66-3, Washington State’s worst defeat, worse than a 62-3 loss at UCLA in 1976.

But at least that massacre was on the road.

This one came in new coach Paul Wulff’s first game back in Pullman.

It was witnessed by Wulff’s 1988 Aloha Bowl teammates, back for a 20-year reunion, and 27,906 others in Martin Stadium, most of whom must have witnessed the second half in the comfort of their living room.

“I’m not used to being in this situation. I don’t think we’ve ever got our butt kicked this bad,” Wulff said.

Few have.

If the season-opening loss last week could be pinned on the Cougars’ mistakes, the second defeat was administered by a markedly better Cal team.

“The bottom line was we were outmanned by a lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot faster (team) then we are,” Wulff said. “Their X’s were a lot better than our O’s. We just couldn’t match up to them physically, period.”

The Bears (2-0, 1-0 in the Pac-10) significantly dominated every phase.

They had 391 yards rushing, including 200 by Best, who added an 86-yard third-quarter touchdown run to his game opener. The Bears averaged – averaged – 9.8 yards per attempt. Shane Vereen had a 39-yard run, reserve running back Peter Geurts and starting quarterback Kevin Riley each had 27-yard romps.

Their offensive line, led by All-America center Alex Mack, opened holes all game against WSU’s defensive front, thinned by injury and suspension.

And it all started with that first play.

“We were really caught off guard by their strength and speed,” said WSU co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball.

Best, who is making an early push for Heisman recognition, took Kevin Riley’s handoff, headed right and saw a chasm-like gap open in front of him.

“That first play was well blocked and he found the crease,” is how Cal coach Jeff Tedford described it, obviously not wanting to blow an 80-yard run out of proportion.

“That was the first play we started the week out with, and that was the call we worked it against,” Ball said. “And that was the last play we walked through on Friday.”

“I was supposed to be reading the guard pulling,” said linebacker Kendrick Dunn, who admitted it was his job to plug the gap, “so that’s what busted.”

Actually, Best busted it, juking safety Chima Nwachukwu out of position, before racing untouched to the end zone. It was the first of three touchdowns for him and seven the Bears would score on the ground.

“I definitely knew he was fast, but I wasn’t ready for how fast he was on that first play,” Nwachukwu said.

With a running game like that, Cal didn’t need to throw the ball much. Still, it had 114 yards through the air, with Riley, who wrested the starting job from senior Nate Longshore in fall camp, hitting on 6 of 14 attempts.

Longshore, last year’s starter, played most of the second half and was more efficient, connecting on 7 of 8 passes for 53 yards, two more than Riley.

“We bogged down on a few series and we have to do better than that,” said Tedford of Cal’s offense.

But it wasn’t a one-side-of-the-ball show.

Cal may have dominated the line of scrimmage on offense, but the Bears controlled it on defense, limiting WSU to 57 rushing yards, intercepting starter Gary Rogers (10 of 21) twice and Kevin Lopina (3 of 7) and Marshall Lobbestael, who split the second half, once each.

WSU’s finished with 110 yards passing and 167 in total offense. The Cougars’ longest run was a Lopina option keep for 15 yards, their longest pass 19 yards between Lopina and Ben Woodard.

“I think we physically got beat in a few situations,” said WSU offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy. “There was definite lack of execution. We missed some opportunities, things we talked about all week – areas we’d like to attack. We didn’t get to those things. They were there. We didn’t execute them.

“Obviously, that’s a frustrating thing as a coach. You want to get to those opportunities.”

The inept first-half offense – WSU (0-2, 0-1) had 166 yards at the break and trailed 42-3 – brought Lopina in off the bench and opened the door to a quarterback competition this week.

“Guys were lined up wrong, lined up off the ball, I was throwing picks, it was going all bad,” Rogers said of the first half. “When that happens, you have to dig deep and fight through adversity.”

That didn’t happen.

“I wish I could answer that, as to exactly what’s going on there with Gary,” said Sturdy of the play of his fifth-year senior. “Obviously, he’s not playing at the level he can. … The disappointing thing today at the quarterback position was the carelessness with the football. That’s something we preach from day one.”

“In practice we stress adversity, playing through it, confronting it,” Nwachukwu said. “Even the best teams face it. We know that. We didn’t come through it today.”

Now there will be more, with a trip to Texas to face Baylor next week.

“When you take a blow like that, you should just dig into yourself and see what you’ve got,” said senior linebacker Greg Trent. “You’ve got to try to bounce back and take it personal.”