TV take: More accessible CW Network shows pluses and minuses in Cougars’ blowout win
A new era of Washington State football began Saturday. A new Pac-12. A new broadcast partner, The CW Network. But a throwback win, to all but one time the Cougars have welcomed Portland State to the Palouse, an eased-up 70-30 victory at Gesa Field.
There was another throwback, too, in the booth. To the days of the Pac-12 Network. Ted Robinson on play-by-play and former Cougars star quarterback Ryan Leaf as the analyst.
Heck, even sideline report Nigel Burton, the former Washington player and PSU head coach, was a studio fixture in the now-defunct network.
What they saw
• Both teams’ first touchdowns had key contributions from players wearing the No. 1 for Washington State and illustrated a quirk of Leaf’s style.
After WSU’s only punt of the half, Portland State put the Cougars on the back of their cleats early, covering 65 yards in its first five plays.
During it, Leaf seemed a bit hesitant to identify players who struggled on defense. Case in point, Delon Thompson’s 53-yard, drive-igniting run. Leaf identified the play, explained how it worked and said “the linebacker” overran the play. He added a tackle was missed in the hole and the free safety also didn’t do what he was supposed to do. Names? Nope.
On quarterback Dante Chachere’s 5-yard scoring run that capped the drive, Leaf pointed out the cornerback lost outside contain. His name? Nope.
Turns out it was No. 1, Stephen Hall, a junior college transfer helping to fill the gap by three WSU defensive backs who left for NFL shots. Hall hesitated just enough for Chachere to get the corner and PSU to take a lead.
It didn’t last. The Cougars’ other player wearing No. 1, Kris Hutson, the Oregon transfer, didn’t hesitate to leave his feet on the ensuing drive. He laid out and made what Leaf termed correctly “a great effort,” to haul in John Mateer’s back-of-end zone throw from 30 yards.
That offensive ignition also revved up the WSU defense. A couple of three-and-outs led to Mateer’s second touchdown throw as the Cougars starter – a 39-yard strike to Tre Shackelford – and his third – a perfect 58-yard catch-and-throw down the left sideline to speedster Kyle Williams.
The beatdown was on. Before the half ended, Hall redeemed himself by putting his name in the Washington State – and NCAA – record books. A 100-yard interception return will do that. He grabbed an errant Chachere throw a couple of yards in the end zone and ran it back for the score. It’s a record that can’t be surpassed due to NCAA rules.
• Leaf admitted he didn’t expect Mateer to have such an exceptional game in his first WSU start. How exceptional? After beginning 1 for 6, the third-year sophomore completed 10 of his final 11 for 352 yards. Five passing touchdowns, three more than 50 yards. A 40-yard touchdown run.
As debuts go, hard to beat.
What we saw
• Part of being on The CW Network is the entire nation can watch – as opposed to the past decade or so with the Pac-12 Network. The CW is available in 100% of TV households. It is part of WSU trying to emphasize it is still a “Power” whatever school, something Robinson and Leaf talked about more than once.
But there is a downside to the saturation coverage. That was illustrated by the CW’s drone shot from high above Gesa Field coming back from the break after the first quarter. The place looked more than half empty, though the official attendance was 20,089.
The optics of a season-opening home game on a perfect day with such a sparse crowd? Not a great “we-belong” selling point.
• Not to belabor a point, but the drone shot that appeared after a third-quarter break was worse, as such videos often are. The student side of Martin was empty.
• Another issue? The final 4 minutes, 35 seconds were not available in those American homes. At least not over the air. Online, sure. But with The CW having one channel and the Pac-12 having two teams, the game yielded to Oregon State’s kickoff with Idaho State. At least we didn’t miss another Cougar TD.
The new 2-minute timeout, a la the NFL? Yeah, we didn’t see the second one.
• New Pac-12. Same old (fill in blank here).
How many of you went right to “officiating?” Yeah, us too. The first major example was a fumble. A 76-yard touchdown return from WSU’s Kapena Gushiken. A replay review, as mandated by rules. Those watching at home saw the replays as well.
Former Pac-12 referee Michael Mothershed, in the role of rules analyst, gave his opinion after watching. “It doesn’t look like the hand is coming forward with control of the ball,” he said, and the TD should stand. Leaf felt the backside blow from Andrew Edson caused Chachere’s arm to move forward as the quarterback was falling, but he also didn’t feel there was control and it was a fumble.
Both were wrong. Referee Mark Duddy, a Pac-12 vet, announced the call was overturned. And another tradition, booing the announcement, returned.
• One thing that needs to be addressed: Duddy’s microphone never really worked. His announcements were almost impossible to hear.
• Outgoing WSU President Kirk Schulz made an appearance in the booth during the first half. He talked about how momentous this season was for his school. How important it was for the Cougars to compete at the highest level. How great it was for anyone, anywhere wanting to watch the game could, thanks to the CW media deal for the two-school conference.
While he was talking, WSU’s Wayshawn Parker interrupted the conversation with a 54-yard touchdown run. A run impressive enough that Leaf mentioned former Oregon and NFL star Jonathan Stewart in the same breath as the 6-foot, 200-pound true freshman from Sacramento, California. And Schulz admired it on air.
Schulz was, however, probably not back in his own suite by the time Parker scored his second career touchdown, a 52-yard pass reception 3 minutes later.
Parker was one of eight Washington State players who scored. Nine of the 10 touchdown plays covered more than 30 yards.