Cougars provide varying reasons for Apple Cup loss

PULLMAN – When asked what went wrong against No. 5 Washington during No. 23 Washington State’s 45-17 Apple Cup loss on Friday, Cougars coach Mike Leach said his team fell victim to a desire to do too much individually, and that overcompensation left the Cougars exposed to a team whose players did their jobs and nothing more.

“I think it was just more trying to be perfect, trying to do something extra,” Leach said. “It’s the type of crap where some guy has some preconceived notion of where somebody’s going to go and then of course the guys doesn’t do that and then we’re totally out of position.”

Leach added, “There’s no conspiracy to save an extra instruction or extra play, but sometimes you fall to the temptation to try to do something extra on the play. Then it’s a mess. Then it’s what you saw today.”

Wide receiver Gabe Marks blamed the loss on a lack of toughness, continually calling the offense “soft” and pointing to the multiple occasions the Cougars were unable to score at UW’s doorstep. WSU failed to run the ball in for a touchdown on two occasions on fourth-and-goal from the UW 1-yard line, and quarterback Luke Falk had a pass intercepted in the end zone when WSU was at the 9-yard line.

“I don’t know what that is to stop a team (two) times on the 1-yard line,” Marks said. “I don’t know if they want it more than us, I don’t think that’s the case. It’s baffling.”

Whatever cost the Cougars the win on Friday, as usual the professed reasons for their success or failures had to do with them and not with their opponent.

“They actually weren’t that fast,” cornerback Marcellus Pippins said. “John Ross is kind of fast but they weren’t really moving the ball well down field. They had to use trick plays, which is kind of their thing. They’re just a regular team.”