A Grip on Sports: What a Saturday. It was enough to get us out of bed – late – and share our thoughts from near and far

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We’re compromising. We mentioned we might be missing in action this morning. Had a late night last night, a night that actually stretched into morning. We had no plans of writing today. We got up anyhow. (Darn body clock.) But instead of putting together a full report, it is going to be a truncated version. We couldn’t skip out completely on the Cougars, the Vandals, yes, even the Eagles and Pirates – for different reasons.

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• Oh, and yes, we will delve into a highly edited version of why we were out so late last night. But that comes last. In a column entitled “Grippi’s Gripes …” wait, that’s for later. … In a column entitled “A Grip on Sports,” we must lead with sports.

And the Cougars must be the leadoff hitters. Batting around against the Big-12’s Texas Tech – we believe 301 yards rushing qualifies for “batting around” – is worth focusing upon up top. Not just because the 37-16 win lifted Washington State to 2-0 prior to next Saturday’s Lumen Field-based Apple Cup, but because of who it came against.

If there is any Big 12 school that parallels WSU’s athletic potential more than Texas Tech, were not sure we can identify who it is. The Red Raiders are not the first school football fans around the nation think about when they list Texas colleges. Far from it. Isolated in West Texas, TTU is down the rung, always fighting for national recognition. (It’s that last part that Mike Leach, inducted into WSU’s athletic Hall of Fame last night, brought to both in huge gulps.) The same can be said about Washington State, even if the Coug faithful hate to hear it.

And yet, here we are. Texas Tech is still considered a “power” football school. Washington State? Outside looking in. Mainly due to geography and little else. The Red Raiders are inside the Big 12’s footprint, Pullman is well outside of it – even with the geographic gymnastics the four main FBS conferences have indulged in recently.

Which football program looked like a power – and powerful – one Saturday night in Pullman? Yes. Washington State. It’s not going to change anything in and of itself, sure. But it is another pier sunk deep into the Palouse soil. Another part of a foundation the school is trying to build before it once again tries to buck the hurricane wins of realignment.

Ah, forget it. The players don’t think about such things. They focus on simpler stuff. Like they kicked Texas Tech rear-end from here to there – and back again.

Next up? Washington. And a chance to do it all again.

• Good for the Vandals. They went into Eugene and almost got what they wanted. They didn’t pout. Didn’t look back. Climbed the mountains into Laramie, Wyoming, ignored the thin air and took down the FBS school 17-13. And did it with their starting quarterback on the sidelines, his arm in a sling.

How? Defense. A bunch of guys flying around, rallying to the ball, winning individual and team battles. A bunch of them.

Don’t worry about the FCS rankings this week. Focus on what the Vandals can do in the 10 regular-season games remaining. And how they can prepare themselves for the postseason. It may be Sept. 8, but we’re certain UI will be back in them again.

The Vandals have a chance next Saturday afternoon to avenge their last playoff loss, as Albany comes to the Kibbie Dome for the second time in four games. The Great Danes won 30-22 the last time, which just happened to be in the FCS playoffs’ second round.

Is Saturday’s game a measuring stick? Let’s say it is and move on.

• Why is it we can’t have Eastern Washington and Idaho football be exceptional at the same time. We have a long memory and even we can’t recall a season in which both programs were ranked in the FCS’s upper echelon at the same time.

A big part of that was UI’s foray into the FBS ranks, sure, but Eastern’s recent foibles play a part as well.

The Eagles’ past couple football seasons haven’t been up their high standards. And, after Drake – a nonscholarship program – came into Cheney yesterday and left with a 35-32 overtime victory, we have to wonder if this one will end up being more of the same.

• On the opposite end of the spectrum sits Whitworth. The Pirates have been building a consistent, winning program in north Spokane, getting over a couple of humps last season – defeating Linfield to win the Northwest Conference and winning an NCAA Division III playoff game – and hoping to climb a couple more mountains again this one.

The way to do that, at any level of football, is to have a stout defense (see UI for the truth in that – and EWU for more evidence). It seems Whitworth has one again.

That side of the ball stole seven turnovers from fellow DIII-member Gustavus Adolphus and the offense finally got going, helping turn them into a 40-7 blowout in Minnesota.

• OK, personal stuff. Not a lot, but some.

We attended our 50th high school reunion last night. St. Francis High in La Canada, Calif. Reconnected with a lot of guys – the right term, as it was and is an all-male school – we haven’t seen in years. Fulfilled our goal of telling the truth about everything, though our memories of the long-ago days may have differed from others’, which is to be expected.

We discovered one of our classmates had raised a son who was a star hurdler for USC. Another who, to attend, drove even farther – from Iowa – than we did. Another two or three who attended totally different colleges than we thought they did. One who graduated early, instead of being expelled, and another who never got a permanent diploma, in lieu of the same.

Most importantly, though, we discovered sometimes in this journey from the cradle to the grave – to quote a singer/songwriter we fell in love with during those years – you impact people in ways you never knew.

Good? Found out, unexpectedly let us assure you, that was true. Bad? Not that anyone said but we wouldn’t bet against it.

Mainly, though, the night was worth the road trip if only to once more tell those who played a huge role in who we have been for five decades and today what they meant in our life. And to, once more, say thank you.

• One more thing, to paraphrase our best friend’s second-favorite TV detective. We even rediscovered a part of ourselves we had forgotten. A part that may have interest to you.

In 1974, we worked on the school’s newspaper, the Knight Breeze. Doing what, you may ask? Writing a sports column, properly titled “Grippi’s Gripes.”

My god. Could it true? Have we not progressed at all in 50 years?

Well, we kept those columns short. That’s different. And we produced them using a typewriter and paper. That would be darn-near impossible these days.

But in the one we were able to read, we took Bowie Kuhn to task for forcing Hank Aaron play the season-opening series in Cincinnati. (It was 1974 and Aaron wanted to ensure he would hit his record-setting 715th home run in Atlanta.) We wondered how the heck the Lakers were winning. Covered the short-lived World Football League and correctly predicted its demise. And praised John Wooden.

Sounds about right.

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WSU: Greg Woods is a long way from his 50th high school reunion and much closer to the action last night in Pullman. He has this game analysis, with an emphasis on analysis. … Theo Lawson was also in his old stomping grounds, covering the Leach retirement ceremony. … He also has the difference makers. … Tyler Tjomsland put together his usual exceptional photo gallery. … The guys in the office put together a recap with highlights. We even watched them. … And we gave everyone a present by taking the night off and not writing a TV Take. … In Jon Wilner’s look at the day, he highlights the Northwest domination going into next week’s rivalry games. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, Wilner also delved into the Big 12’s decision to put the possible addition of Connecticut on hold and how that might impact WSU and Oregon State. … The Beavers went on the road last night, shut out San Diego State and set up a Civil War showdown next Saturday. … John Canzano delves into this year’s rivalry from OSU’s perspective. The game could have a huge impact on the school’s athletic future. … Why? Partly because Oregon looks vulnerable. The Ducks struggled for the second consecutive week with a school from Idaho, this time Boise State, before prevailing on a last-second field goal. At least they defeated the Broncos, something no other UO team has done. … Who knew? Jedd Fisch is a gambler. Good on him. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Washington 30-yard-line in the second quarter, the first year UW coach tossed the dice. Made more than his (and the Huskies’) number, jumpstarting an eventual 30-9 win over Eastern Michigan. … We’re not going in-depth today. Sorry. We do have a story to pass along on California’s win at Auburn and Wilner’s thoughts about it. … We share this piece on Colorado’s loss at Nebraska. … Stanford defeated overmatched Cal Poly, which was expected. … Utah’s Cam Rising is injured again. But it may not be too serious. … In the Mountain West, San Jose State won for the first time at Air Force.

EWU: Dan Thompson was in Cheney yesterday and has this coverage of the Eagles’ 35-32 upset loss (in the few places we found with a line, Eastern was favored by multiple touchdowns). … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana blew a big lead and lost at North Dakota, Montana State won at home and so did UC Davis. … Idaho State routed Western Oregon. … In a conference matchup, Weber State rolled over Portland State 43-16.

Idaho: With the Vandals in Laramie, Peter Harriman watched and then put together this story on their defensive effort and the 17-13 victory.

Whitworth: We can also pass along this summary of the Pirates’ dominating road win against another Division III school that has had some football success.

Preps: It’s Sunday morning. Every Sunday in high school football season, we will pass along Dave Nichols’ look at the weekend’s football games. Here is this year’s first installment.  

Indians: Spokane continued to prepare for next week’s Northwest League championship series, which opens in Vancouver on Tuesday. The Indians picked up their 78th win of the season, 7-5 at Everett. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Hillsboro edged Tri-City 2-1 and Vancouver scored three in the bottom of the ninth to top Eugene 6-5.

Velocity: Spokane picked up its second league win of the week last night, defeating Central Valley Fuego 3-2 at ONE Spokane Stadium. Colton Clark has the coverage.

Seahawks: We have buried the lede again. The Seahawks begin the NFL season today. Hosting Denver. It’s at 1 p.m. and on CBS. We will be watching with our best friend Kent, a Broncos fan. Fifty-four years of friendship out the door for three hours, right? Nope. Not a fan. Interest observer, sure. Fan? Not in our life description. Neither is it in Dave Boling’s. But he does see a lot to like in quarterback Geno Smith. … We pass along what to watch today and all season. … We also pass along a story on new coach Mike Macdonald’s football journey that has led to today.

Mariners: The offense disappeared again Saturday. Actually, it didn’t even show up. Logan Gilbert tried to keep but faltered in the bottom of the eighth, yielding a two-run home run as Seattle fell 2-0. The loss cost the M’s a game in the standings at Houston won.

Sounders: Where is the real Seattle team and who are these imposters? This season’s edition of the Sounders is lacking in offense and unable to defeat the better MLS squads. So, who were the guys on the pitch in Columbus –third in the East – yesterday? The guys who won 4-0, which is equivalent to a 35-0 football victory. Maybe they are the real Sounders? The real late-season Sounders?

Tennis: We were sad to see Jessica Pegula fall in the U.S. Open’s women’s final yesterday. Mainly because we rooting for a great story. You know, Bills’ owner gets to celebrate daughter’s major title while still searching for the NFL equivalent. … Taylor Fritz carries America’s hopes into this morning’s men’s title match with No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner.

Storm: Phoenix had no chance. Seattle rolled 90-66.

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• We said up front this morning’s report would be shorter than usual. It is in one regard. Not as many links. Had to make deadline and then get back to bed. Five hours sleep is not enough. Not at our age. Until later …