TV take: CW Network welcomes first dose of ‘Pac-12 After Dark’ with Washington State-San Jose State thriller

Hangovers, though not unusual in Pullman, are always to be avoided, right? Not just on a Saturday morning but a Friday night as well. Especially this Friday night. Or maybe the following Saturday morning.

Dean Janikowski’s 52-yard field-goal attempt as regulation ended sent Washington State and San Jose State to overtime, tied at 46-all, before a second consecutive last-play defensive stop lifted the Cougars to an improbable 54-52 victory.

Both quarterbacks, WSU’s John Mateer and San Jose’s Emmitt Brown, who shared a quarterback room last season, ended the first overtime with ill-advised interceptions.

The second extra period began with the Cougars keeping the ball on the ground, taking five plays to score on Dylan Paine’s 7-yard run. Mateer’s run for the mandatory 2-point conversion was waved off at first but overturned by replay. Needed to match, the Spartans scored a touchdown but Quinn Roff ended the night by stripping Brown on the 2-point try.

And probably caused almost as many hangovers among the Coug faithful as last week’s Apple Cup victory. The good kind, if you will.

Describing the back-and-forth action from Gesa Field on the Pac-12’s main media partner, the CW Network, were L.A. Rams radio voice J.B. Long along with former WSU receiver Michael Bumpus handling the analysis and another former Cougars athlete, volleyball player Camryn Irwin, handling the sideline duties.

“If you’re surprised, then we welcome you to your first Pac-12 AfterDark on the Palouse,” Long said as overtime began.

What they saw

• “We work every day for a fourth-quarter finish,” Dickert answered when asked by Irwin what he told his team as the final quarter began with WSU trailing 38-24. “This has got to be our best.”

The Cougars’ comeback began with a quick score. Mateer, who finished 26-of-46 passing for 390 yards, hooked up with Kyle Williams on a 13-yard scoring toss. Mateer also ran for 111 yards and was responsible for five TDs.

The teams traded stops before the Cougars came up with two key plays.

The first from defensive lineman David Gusta, who nailed San Jose – and former Cougar – quarterback Brown on fourth-and-1 at the WSU 35.

Five plays later, Mateer had his team in the end zone and the game was nearly tied – except Janikowski hooked the extra point way right.

No matter. Last week’s hero, Kyle Thornton, grabbed the title again. Reading the eyes of Brown, Thornton jumped a third-down pass and came up with an interception. It was the Spartans’ first turnover of the game and set up WSU at the San Jose 32. Two plays later, one a 31-yard Mateer-to-Josh Meredith connection, WSU led thanks to Paine’s 1-yard run.

The Spartans (3-1) got one last chance and got to the Washington State 20 with 37 seconds left. Had a fourth-and-10. Back-to-back weeks with winning stops? Nope. The Spartans scored, hit on the 2-point conversion and led by three – but left 26 seconds for Mateer and Janikowski.

• Did you know Washington State won last week’s Apple Cup? On a late fourth-down stop? If not, then why the heck are you watching a Cougars game on a Friday night?

But if you didn’t, you certainly did within a few minutes of turning the game on. Long and the CW crew talked about it often. And there were more than a few video highlights and an interview with Thornton and WSU coach Dickert’s comments after the win.

It didn’t seem as if the Cougars themselves were looking back, building a 21-10 lead early in the second quarter. The lead could have been more, but the Spartans’ Floyd Chalk broke a 66-yard run on their second play and that was followed by a successful onside kick leading to a 19-yard field goal.

But maybe the hangover headache didn’t come into play until later. Just before halftime, say, after building the 11-point lead.

With 48 seconds left in the third quarter, Long looked at his notes and described just how bad the Cougars’ quarter looked and probably felt.

“(The Spartans) have outscored Washington State 28-3 since there was a minute and 40 seconds left before halftime,” he said.

How did it turn? In the second quarter, two special teams plays – the Cougars’ unsuccessful fake punt and a successful fake punt from San Jose – seemed to pivot the momentum. But the third quarter was all about domination up front from the visitors.

“Man, that defensive line has been causing havoc,” Bumpus said as way of explanation of WSU’s lack of offense after halftime. Washington State had 47 yards of offense in the third until Mateer’s 36-yard scramble just before the end of the quarter.

• We knew the battle between Mateer and Brown, a WSU backup last year, was going to be talked about a lot. Why not? Brown transferred, got his chance with the Spartans’ spread-and-shred offense, and came in leading the Mountain West in passing. He threw for 375 yards, completed 35 of 54 passes, had four touchdown throws but two interceptions.

Every aspect of his tenure in Pullman, Mateer’s emergence, heck, the excellence of last season’s quarterback room, including Miami starter and Heisman candidate Cam Ward, all were covered in-depth with graphics, conversation and video.

What we saw

• What is the best aspect of having a sideline reporter? Interviews? Injury reports? Or is it the type of information Irwin shared in the second quarter after the Cougars took a 21-10 lead.

Her report began with a look at Washington State offensive lineman Fa’alili Fa’amoe sitting on the bench. As Fa’amoe, a junior from American Samoa, caught his breath after an 85-yard drive, Irwin covered Fa’amoe’s injuries, his position change and his leadership qualities, saying the coaches feel he serves the role of a team dad.

And that led to the main thrust of her story. The camera view switched to the stands, where Fa’amoe’s father Winnie sat watching the game. Turns out, dad had not seen his son play for WSU until Friday night.

According to Irwin, Winnie had traveled more than 5,300 miles to witness his son’s game in person with Fa’alili’s sister Diane.