TV Take: Washington State crushes Northern Colorado, but questions about rushing attack remain

No. 23 Washington State entered its last nonconference matchup with a purpose. The Cougars wanted to get running back Nakia Watson going.

But not in the way he did.

After rushing for 41 yards on nine carries, the senior left the 64-21 rout of overmatched Northern Colorado with 4 minutes left in the first half, favoring his right leg. He didn’t return. After the game, WSU coach Jake Dickert said it was a minor injury and that Watson would be OK.

It didn’t matter Saturday at Gesa Field, but it might down the road – maybe even next week when 16th-ranked Oregon State comes to Pullman.

That game won’t be on the Pac-12 Network, as this one was. And it won’t have a crimson-tinged broadcast team. The radio voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow, filled the play-by-play role and was joined by Michael Bumpus, the former WSU receiver, in the analyst’s role.

As expected, they were well-informed on all things Cougar.

What they saw

• Watson went down at the end of a 3-yard run. After picking up one of WSU’s 20 first-half first downs, he lost the ball – though replay confirmed it came after his elbow hit the turf. He seemed to quickly grab his right leg, hopped over to the nearby Cougars sideline and, with the cameras following, retreated to the bench.

Meanwhile, as referee Gary Reed looked at the replay monitor, Chazanow and Bumpus debated whether it was a fumble. It wasn’t. Watson limping off was not mentioned.

• Bumpus emphasized the running game from before the opening kickoff. When asked by Chazanow what he wanted to see from Washington State, he didn’t hesitate.

“I want to see them run that football,” the former Cougar receiver answered. “We know they can throw the ball. Get it to Nakia and see what he does.”

They know quarterback Cameron Ward can run it. He came in leading WSU with 133 rushing yards in the first two wins and added 12 more, including an early 8-yard touchdown.

And we all know Ward can throw it. He did it once more, carving up the Bears’ secondary to the tune of 20-of-26 passing, finishing with 327 yards and four touchdowns. All of it came in the first half.

What we might not have known was how accurately backup quarterback John Mateer can throw the ball.

Like Ward, who hit his first 12 passes, Mateer, a redshirt freshman, connected on his first six throws. He finished 7 of 8 for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

A deep pass late in the third quarter? Bumpus, who works for the Pac-12 Network, explained.

“It’s a new game,” Bumpus said after Mateer’s career-long 62-yard touchdown pass to Tsion Nunnally. “Honestly, it’s a game within the game. You’ve got your backups in and they still got to go out and play. They’re still running the hurry-up, they’re still running the same type of plays like they did when Cam was in.”

What we saw

• In a game that was over in, basically, the first half, it helped in one regard to have Chazanow and Bumpus on the call. As Washington State (3-0) substituted liberally in the second half, Chazanow easily identified the 12 Cougar receivers who caught passes and the eight who were credited with rushing attempts.

One of them was sophomore Dylan Paine, who played some in the opener, leading WSU with seven carries for 81 yards. That included a 52-yard sprint down the right sideline that is more than double the length of this season’s previous long run.

There was a flip side of local knowledge, however, and was probably apparent to anyone rooting for Northern Colorado (0-3). The emphasis was always on the Cougars. In fact, there was a college-class feel to the broadcast, complete with a lack of replays and constant feedback when Reed took center stage.

“It’s all about shooting those gaps,” Bumpus said in describing how WSU was handcuffing the Bears’ running game. “It’s almost like our (defensive) coordinator has the play call sheet for Northern Colorado.”

• The coordination between the production crew and the booth during the broadcast was lacking throughout, with the occasional action on the field ignored by everyone, including the camera.

It didn’t help Reed, who usually works other positions on the field, seemed to struggle to use the on-field microphone or wait until the cameras were focused on him to make an announcement.

Case in point: Early in the third quarter, Northern Colorado quarterback Jacob Sirmon failed to connect with Blake Haggerty on a third-and-15 toss. But a flag came out for roughing the passer.

The usual announcement never came and Chazanow had to inform the viewers what happened. It wasn’t the only time.