WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State’s Gardner Minshew is head and shoulders (and mustache) above Pac-12
competition
By John Blanchette, Spokane S-R
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 11:43 p.m.
PULLMAN –
Credibility Creek has run dry through Pac-12 country, so here’s a Hail Mary
suggestion for Larry Scott, free of charge:
Just FedEx
the Player of the Year award – Trophy? Plaque? Key chain? – to Gardner Minshew
right now.
No, it
won’t get people to stop lobbing grenades at the commissioner or using the refs
and replay folks as piñatas. Yes, it’s premature and risky in the context of
another crazy football season only half over. But it would be great cover for a
conference in which the usual idea of damage control is filling more sandbags
during a drought.
Besides,
who else are you going to give it to?
Justin
Herbert? Oregon’s splendid quarterback tried to play himself onto a milk carton
in the first half of Washington State’s 34-20 takedown of the No. 12 Ducks on
Saturday evening.
The kid
running back at Oregon State? The receiver at Colorado? The hands-on vice
president who likes to play God at Pac-12 mission control?
Nada. At
this point, the bauble is Minshew’s to lose, and the only reason the Cougars
quarterback isn’t getting any real Heisman love is that nobody outside of the
509 knows who he is – and nobody much expected Wazzu to be 6-1.
Maybe
Saturday changed that.
“He’s the
straw that stirs the drink for this team,” said former Cougar quarterback Alex
Brink, who has tracked Minshew’s rise from the radio booth, “and he’s created
what’s been a perfect storm.”
And
speaking of perfect storms …
From
before sun-up to well after sundown, the big stage in college football belonged
to Washington State and for maybe the first time in history, the Cougar
collective managed to not spill a single drop of the fun. They packed the
compound for the TV show at dawn and rejoiced in ESPN’s court jester crawling
inside the big cat head. They wedged 33,152 strong into Martin Stadium for the
game – which was almost an afterthought this week – and maybe 700 more into
Beasley Coliseum to watch it on TV. They thoroughly Martinized the visitors on
their first series and saw it carry over for an entire half. And, finally, they
stormed the field to carry off the improbable quarterback savior.
Storybook,
all of it. Gardner and the Wonderful, Joyful, So Good, Very Glad Day.
If there
was a hiccup, it was that Minshew and the Cougs took all of the third quarter
and most of the fourth off after cruising to a 27-0 lead – but, hey, it’s hard
to keep the gas pedal to the floor every minute of a 16-hour day.
Besides,
without a little dramatic tension, there can be no defining moment.
And what a
moment – a clinching drive that started with Travell Harris’ leaping tug-of-war
catch, was kept alive by another Harris snag on fourth down and ended with
Minshew finding Dezmon Patmon in mid-jete.
“We’d just
been getting in our own way – and a lot of that was on me,” Minshew said. “But
there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to go score.”
Minshew’s
tale would be charming enough on a .500 team. How he was on the verge of
transferring to Alabama where he’d be a fifth-wheel apprenticing to be a coach.
How he didn’t arrive on campus until May. How the mustache had people calling
him Uncle Rico at first, and how he shows up at postgame pressers in shades.
Plus, he
leads the country in passing. But there’s more.
“What he’s
done takes someone really confident in their own skin,” Brink said. “He’s got
the knowledge and the tools to make the plays and get his team behind him.”
People
will remember Harris’ catch as the game-saver. But the ball went airborne
propelled with a lot of faith.
“We’ve got
a lot of belief in each other,” Minshew said. “That’s not going to stop just
because of a couple bad drives.”
But just
as important, Minshew has made Leach’s offense more multidimensional – which
seems like an odd circumstance with five passing routes in progress almost
every play.
“Because
of his feet, the defense has to react to something they haven’t seen on film,”
Brink said. “They’ve seen the Air Raid plays over and over and all of a sudden
there’s a scramble and guys are breaking back or across.
“In the
Air Raid, you need two things to make it elite: a premier pocket passer like
Luke Falk, or a guy who can make off-schedule plays. That takes it up a notch.”
On
Saturday, fans took Gardner Minshew up a notch, hoisting him on their shoulders
to finish a day both full and fascinating.
“I started
to think, ‘Man, I think I made the right choice coming here,’ ” he said.
He’s
certainly given the Cougars credibility. Maybe someone at the league office
would like to borrow a cup.
:::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Difference
makers: Gardner Minshew’s big first half helps No. 25 Washington State top
12th-ranked Oregon
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 9:49 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
At Martin
Stadium, Pullman, Washington
COUGARS34
DUCKS20
Gardner
Minshew
The
nation’s leading passer continued to pad his stats Saturday night in Pullman,
completing 39-of-51 passes for 323 yards, four touchdowns and two
interceptions. For the second consecutive home game, Minshew led a late
fourth-quarter touchdown drive to effectively seal the victory. He improved his
personal record to 4-0 at Martin Stadium.
Travell
Harris
No
touchdowns for Harris in this one and he was only the second-leading receiver
for WSU. But Harris made two crucial catches late in the game to extend the
touchdown drive that secured the victory. He was on the end of a desperate
37-yard Hail Mary from Minshew that moved the Cougars past midfield, then got
first-down yardage on a third-and-6 out route two plays later. Harris finished
with four catches for 59 yards in total.
Deommodore
Lenoir
Oregon’s
sophomore cornerback may have been the one thing that for the Ducks against the
Cougars’ Air Raid. Both of Minshew’s interceptions fell into Lenoir’s hands and
the defensive back finished third among Oregon players with five tackles while
also recording a pass breakup.
:::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Analysis:
From crowded streets to crowd surfing, No. 25 Washington State has plenty to
smile about in victory over No. 12 Oregon
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 11:34 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokesman-Review
➤Saturday,
Oct. 27: Washington State Cougars at Stanford Cardinal, 4 p.m. PDT TV: Pac-12
Networks
PULLMAN –
It’s an interesting way to play the game – risky for sure – but again, the
Washington State Cougars discovered a way to beat a quality Pac-12 opponent in
a game in which most will say they were vastly outplayed in the second half.
But they
sure do know how to start – and finish – and again the 25th-ranked Cougars went
to that formula to secure another win at Martin Stadium, their 11th in a row at
home, beating 12th-ranked Oregon 34-20 in front of a sellout crowd that
numbered 32,152.
In the
vein of starts and finishes, for thousands of WSU fans and students, Saturday
both began and ended in a sea of crimson shirts. They woke up before the sun
did, anywhere between 4-6 a.m., to experience ESPN College GameDay’s first show
in Pullman. Some 15 hours later, many of them emptied onto the field at Martin
Stadium to celebrate a fourth consecutive win over Oregon and one that places
the Cougars squarely in the hunt for a Pac-12 North title.
Gardner
Minshew came to Pullman to play quarterback, not surf, but the senior got the
crowd-surf of a lifetime after leading the Cougars to a win that makes them
bowl eligible for the fourth time in four years, a program first.
“It was
incredible, man,” Minshew said postgame – the nation’s leading passer coming
off another superb outing in which he completed 39 of 51 passes for four
touchdowns and two interceptions. “There was so much energy in town this week
and we knew we just had to bottle that up and use it. And I feel like we did in
the first half, really came out strong and played some of our best ball all
year. That got me really fired up.”
It didn’t
come without some tense moments, though.
WSU’s 27-0
halftime lead began to wilt in the second half, when the Cougars began to get
wobbly on offense, started to splinter on defense and were finally introduced
to the Justin Herbert they’d heard about and read about.
In the
first half, Oregon’s junior quarterback completed 4 of 11 passes for 36 yards
and looked more like some of the backup signal-callers the Cougars have faced
the last three years in this Northwest rivalry.
But Super
Herbert came alive in the second half, completing 21 passes for 234 yards and
one touchdown. He treated the field like a dartboard, keeping WSU’s defensive
backs on their heels with throws that were quick and accurate. Behind Herbert’s
right arm, the Ducks scored 20 unanswered points between the start of the third
quarter and through more than nine minutes of the fourth.
“I thought
we just came out flat as a team,” WSU nickel Hunter Dale said. “And I think we
got it back together. As long as you finish, get the win, a win is a win.”
Seated
next to Dale in the postgame interview room, Minshew, wearing his signature
aviator shades and backward cap, muttered under his breath: “That’s right.”
The East
Carolina graduate transfer had to be a late-game hero again, two weeks after he
stuck a fork in Utah with an 89-yard touchdown pass to Easop Winston Jr. late
with less than 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Similar to
that Sept. 29 win over the Utes, the Cougars couldn’t manufacture offense in
the second half. Not until times got desperate, at least.
With
Herbert and the Ducks closing in, the Cougars needed at least a field goal to
stay two scores clear of their foe, leading 27-20 with 6:38 to play. On second
down, Minshew flung a pass downfield, toward Travell Harris but not necessarily
to the WSU receiver with two Ducks in his immediate vicinity. Oregon safety Jevon
Holland was the first player to grasp the ball, but Harris – later declaring he
“wanted it more” – stripped the ball out of the DB’s hands before both fell to
the ground, turning a costly interception into a key 37-yard pickup.
“Our
receivers, they made some pretty big-boy plays today,” running back James
Williams said.
A few
plays later, the drive continued because Harris shook his defender and reeled
in a pass from Minshew on fourth-and-6. Two plays after that, Minshew zeroed in
on Dezmon Patmon and spiraled a 22-yard touchdown pass to the big receiver,
giving WSU a 34-20 lead and Oregon almost no time to make up the 14-point
deficit.
“Our guys
really have rallied well the fourth quarter, not just on offense, defense too,”
WSU head coach Mike Leach said. “Just as a team. We kind of converted them to
doing it in the first and second quarter. We’ve got some nonbelievers in the
third quarter. We’ve got to baptize a few people, I guess.”
The
Cougars went to their running backs more than usual, on the ground and in the
air. Williams scored a touchdown for the sixth time in seven games, eluding
about eight Oregon defenders for a 24-yard score on the swinging gates play
Leach call “Big Gulp Left” – in which receiver Kyle Sweet snaps the ball to
Minshew, who either hands off to a running back or pitches to a wideout.
Freshman
running back Max Borghi scored his seventh touchdown of the year, catching a
check down from Minshew in the second quarter and side-stepping Oregon
linebacker Troy Dye for a 15-yard score.
Williams
and Borghi led the Cougars with seven receptions apiece and combined for 186
all-purpose yards. They recorded 24 carries and rushed for 77 yards.
Both
admitted they were motivated to play against the assistant coach who recruited
them, Jim Mastro, who’s in his first season as UO’s running backs coach and run
game coordinator.
“This was
a personal game for me,” Williams said, “because I needed to show him who’s the
better backs. That was my whole thing tonight.”
Borghi
echoed those sentiments: “Completely,” the freshman said. “He recruited me, he
was my recruiter and then as soon as I got here he went to Oregon. So it was
personal for all of us running backs.”
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TV Take:
Washington State caps perfect start to day with field-rushing finish in win
over Oregon
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 9:17 p.m.
By Vince
Grippi of the Spokesman-Review of Spokane/Inland Empire
Has there
been more of a win-win Saturday for Washington State University?
The
Cougars won the morning with the three-hour Palouse advertisement that was
ESPN’s College GameDay. And they won the all-important football game with
Oregon in the afternoon and evening, holding on after a tense second half to
beat the Ducks 34-20 before 33,152 at Martin Stadium.
From the
pre-sunrise celebration to quarterback Gardner Minshew crowd-surfing after the
game, it was a day those in Pullman will never forget.
What they
saw …
It’s
obvious that Tim Brando, who was doing the game play-by-play for Fox, saw the
GameDay show in the morning, the first time ESPN had brought its iconic pregame
extravaganza to the Palouse. But you wouldn’t have known it from his pregame
comments, which alluded to the event but never mentioned the competition’s
party.
Which is
odd since Brando, early in his career, hosted the first two years of the show
when it was in Bristol, Connecticut. And later, when he and Spencer Tillman,
who was doing the color commentary for Fox, spoke about the Cougar flag touring
the country, they still didn’t mention ESPN, though Brando did refer to its
headquarters city.
But all
that was a sideshow to the main event, the 5-1 Cougars versus the 5-1 Ducks.
WSU going for its fourth consecutive win against Oregon.
And what
turned out to be a dominant first half.
A half
that included Washington State having a 295-39 edge in yards, an advantage of
almost 23 minutes to 7 in time of possession and a 27-0 lead.
Oh, and
James Williams scoring the first touchdown on a highlight-reel run. It came off
the “Big Gulp” formation, Leach’s version of the swinging gate designed by a
friend with Microsoft.
During the
24-yard, first-quarter scamper, Williams was touched by either nine or 10
Ducks, though none did more than touch him.
“I don’t
believe what I just saw,” Brando said of the run, using his signature call.
It was
just the beginning of many of the heard-it-before sayings, like Tillman
describing Williams as “smoke through a keyhole” and laying on “a 211 in
progress” after Travell Harris stole a key pass late in the game from Jevon
Holland.
That
allowed Minshew, who threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns, to once again
play the starring role postgame, among the students and fans who rushed the
field.
“They gave
us the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen,” Minshew told sideline reporter Holly
Sanders, surrounded by a crowd of the fans who supplied it.
What we
saw …
Sanders
called it a tale of two halves when talking to Mike Leach afterward, but it was
more a tale of maybe the best half WSU has played under Leach – and an equally
awful third quarter.
From 27-0
to 27-20 early in the fourth, it looked as if the Cougars had lost momentum and
most of their hope.
That is,
until Minshew threw a 37-yard, hope-he-catches-it rainbow toward Harris. The
5-foot-9 slot receiver outfought the 6-1 Holland, giving WSU its first big play
after halftime. And it led to Minshew’s 22-yard, game-clinching pass to Dezmon
Patmon with 3:40 left.
That
allowed Tillman, the longtime Fox analyst, to explain what happened. And when
he did that, he was clear, concise and informative.
The clear
part was echoed by Fox’s high-definition images, one of which included a
first-half close up of Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, after being hit again
by a Cougar, mouthing the words “what the” followed by a word that probably
made lip-readers across the nation blush.
What WSU
was doing in the dominant first half was attacking new right tackle Brady
Aiello, starting because of an injury that necessitated some shuffling on the
Oregon line. Add in a series of late blitzes, and the Duck offense was reeling.
But Oregon
made adjustments at halftime, leaving a running back in to block and allowing
Herbert more freedom to run. They worked.
“This is a
game of adjustments,” Tillman said, “and now Washington State has to find a
solution.”
The
Cougars did, though it took a while and caused more than a few headaches. Or
maybe those were from Wazzu fans being up since before 6 in the morning.
We’ll
never know. All that can be said with any certainty is from before dawn to
after dusk, it was a day for Cougars to remember.
:::::::::
Recap and
highlights: Washington States starts fast, hangs on to beat Oregon in Pullman
By Spokane
S-R/Theo Lawson
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 11:19 p.m.
PULLMAN –
For the second year in a row wearing their all-anthracite uniforms, the Cougars
have won a premier Pac-12 game against a highly-ranked opponent at Martin
Stadium.
One year
after staving off No. 5 USC in Pullman, WSU dominated No. 12 Oregon in the
first half and held on in the second to win their 11th consecutive game at
Martin Stadium and their fourth straight over the Pac-12 North rival Ducks,
34-20 in front of 33,152 fans.
No. 25 WSU
extended its Pac-12 win streak to three games and improved to 6-1, and 3-1 in
conference play. The Cougars also won for just the second time coming out of
the bye week under seventh-year coach Mike Leach. Oregon, which beat No. 7
Washington the previous week, drops to 5-2 and 3-2 in the Pac-12.
The
Cougars were stagnant on offense in the second half until a late fourth-quarter
drive saw quarterback Gardner Minshew connect with inside receiver Travell
Harris for 37 yards on a broken play that moved WSU past midfield.
Harris was
on the end of a pivotal fourth-down catch a few plays later and Minshew capped
the drive with a 22-yard touchdown strike to outside receiver Dezmon Patmon,
extending the lead to two touchdowns and essentially sealing the WSU win.
In
Minshew’s seventh game as WSU’s starter, the nation’s leading passer was
impressive again, completing 39 of 51 passes for 323 yards, four touchdowns and
two interceptions. His counterpart, Oregon junior Justin Herbert – considered
the country’s top Draft-eligible QB – was only subpar, finishing 25-of-44 for
270 yards and just one touchdown.
WSU got on
the board first, turning to a variation of the swinging gate trick play Mike
Leach has retooled for the 2018 Cougars. Wide receiver Kyle Sweet snapped to
Minshew, who put the ball in Williams’ arms and watched the running back wiggle
through eight or nine Oregon defenders before hitting the edge for a 24-yard
rushing touchdown.
The
Cougars, meanwhile, put up a wall in front of Herbert and Oregon’s offense,
which was averaging 482.9 yards coming in. In addition to being held scoreless
in the first half, the Ducks managed just 39 yards of total offense, posted
only three first downs and had four drives culminate with punts while the other
ended on a turnover on downs.
Minshew
extended the WSU lead to 27-0 before halftime, throwing touchdown passes to
Renard Bell, Easop Winston and Max Borghi. On his 15-yard score late in the
second quarter, Borghi caught a check down from Minshew, then evaded Oregon’s
best defensive player, linebacker Troy Dye, before stepping into the end zone.
Herbert
and the Ducks rebooted in the second half and scored on their first drive. The
junior QB scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown run to get the visitors on the
board, but the Cougars stiffened up on the next Duck drive and kept Oregon to a
field goal that made it 27-10.
The Ducks
kept coming, though.
Oregon’s
Deommodore Lenoir intercepted Minshew for the second time and Herbert pushed
the Ducks into the end zone for the second time and noticed a coverage
breakdown that left Jaylon Redd wide open in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown
to cut the deficit to 10 points.
:::::::::::::::
SPOKANE
Epic
College Gameday in Pullman as Cougars rise early to celebrate
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 7:49 p.m.
By Jim
Allen, S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN –
On a surreal football Saturday in the Palouse, halftime came at dawn.
For about
half an hour, the flag-waving died down just a bit, because nobody could keep
up this pace for what, six hours?
But, oh,
did they try.
Officially,
ESPN GameDay at Washington State University began at 6 a.m. and ended at 9,
when Lee Corso donned a Cougar mascot’s head, sealing the deal on one of the
biggest parties in school history.
Unofficially,
the party began at about 3 a.m., as an estimated 20,000 Cougar faithful arrived
at the GameDay set on Stadium Way.
Travel
arrangements were made on the fly, and sleep was optional. Some napped in cars
on the way from every compass point.
Others
would catch up later, perhaps on Sunday, after this don’t-you-dare-miss-it
spectacle.
For alum
Mike Lowery and his wife, the journey began Wednesday in Phoenix.
“The plan
was to rent a Westfalia camper in Clarkston and park here at the Walmart,”
Lowery said. “Then at the last minute we got a room here.”
For
Lowery, that was only fair.
“After 15
years of getting up every morning and seeing someone else’s flag, this is
amazing,” Lowery said. “But through the good times and the bad times, we’re
always Cougs.”
Whatever
it takes.
It was
that kind of pent-up energy that brought Cougars here by the thousands, some
from across the world.
Two weeks
ago in Germany, John Kendall woke up at 1:30 a.m. to catch a livestream of the
Cougars playing Utah.
“Then I
went to bed at 5,” said Kendall, a Gonzaga Prep alum and 1998 WSU grad.
A
lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, Kendall just happened to be in Florida
when he got the news that GameDay was coming to Pullman.
“I
couldn’t afford to go to the Rose Bowl,” Kendall said. “But I wasn’t going to
miss this.”
By Monday,
Kendall was booked on a flight and arrived at 1 a.m. Saturday.
“Nobody is
getting much sleep tonight,” Kendall said.
Then
again, nobody thought GameDay would ever come to Pullman.
“The thing
is,” Kendall said. “They’re not coming here because of the flag tradition,
they’re here because we’re good.”
Like many
fans who didn’t get here early enough, Kendall and his father watched from the
background.
However,
if you paid attention, the action wasn’t confined to the mosh pit in front of
the GameDay set.
Behind the
set, Mike Mears of Spokane was on the lookout for celebrities – namely GameDay
guest picker and former WSU quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
After a
few misses, Mears found his man, and had the photo to prove it.
Like many
in the crowd, Mears isn’t an alum, but his ties to WSU run deep.
In the
spring of 2017, Mears was preparing to give a eulogy for a longtime friend and
Cougar fan. At the WSU Spring Game in Spokane, he sought out coach Mike Leach
and asked if he could spare a WSU jacket that Mears could wear for the eulogy.
“He looked
at me, and said ‘That’s a really nice thing to do,’ called his equipment
manager and got me a jersey,” Mears said.
Leach also
signed the jacket, which left Mears wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
“What a
gentleman,” Mears said.
Far to the
back, the emotions came full circle for former WSU football player Grady
Emmerson, and they had nothing to do with scoring touchdowns.
Above
Emmerson’s head flew the “No White Flags” banner of Cougar legend Steve
Gleason, who was featured during the GameDay program.
“Steve is
all about Pullman and this wonderful place,” said Emmerson, who played with
Gleason in the 1998 Rose Bowl.
“For all
of us, it’s mind-blowing to finally have GameDay happen here,” Emmerson said.
He and
friends also passed out “Team Gleason” signs – a little poignancy amid the
pageantry.
Other
signs paid tribute to longtime WSU radio broadcaster Bob Robertson, who retired
last week, and television sportscaster Keith Jackson, who died earlier this
year.
By 8 a.m.,
the re-energized crowd reacted to every word from the ESPN sports personalities.
They booed when USC and Washington were picked to win their respective games,
and cheered when Bledsoe made his appearance on the set.
The big
moment came just before 9, as the TV stars made their picks: Desmond Howard for
WSU, Kirk Herbstreit for Oregon, and finally, Corso donning a giant Cougar
mascot head to the delight of a roaring crowd.
And just
like that, the party ended. Thousands headed back to their hotel rooms, dorms
and cars for a little rest.
After all,
the Cougars still had a game to play.
::::::::::::::::
--At noon
on Sunday in Bohler Gym, WSU Volleyball plays No. 20 UCLA
--On
Friday night in Bohler Gym, WSU Volleyball Cougs Topped No. 14 USC In Five-Set
Thriller
McKenna Woodford
records a WSU career-high in kills in the upset over the USC Trojans
The No. 23
ranked Washington State Cougars (14-5, 5-4 Pac-12) upset the No. 14 ranked
Trojans of USC (15-6, 7-3 Pac-12) Friday evening inside Bohler Gym. Set scores for the match were: 25-16, 21-25,
25-23, 23-25, and 18-16 in favor of the Cougars.
For WSU, McKenna
Woodford totaled 23 kills in this contest, a single-match career-high for the
senior, as her previous high was 22, which she tied just last week against
California on the road.
::::::::::::::
Today
starting at noon Pacific time in Tucson, WSU Soccer plays Arizona. Thursday in
Tempe, the Cougs lost 3-1 to Arizona State.
About the
match in Tempe, WSU Sports Info said, “In a rough final 20 minutes of action in
Tempe, Ariz. the No. 22 ranked Washington State soccer team (10-4-0, 3-4-0)
suffered a late game loss to Arizona State (7-5-1, 2-3-1) as the Sun Devils
scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 win
……………………
GameDay
dawns
Ol’
Crimson flies high after a 15-year wait as Pullman welcomes College GameDay
By Stephan
Wiebe Moscow Pullman Daily News
Oct 21,
2018
PULLMAN —
For 15 straight years and 216 consecutive appearances, Washington State
University fans flew the Cougar flag, Ol’ Crimson, on the set of College
GameDay — a weekly ESPN show that travels to the best college football games in
the nation — in hopes of luring the show to Pullman.
Early
Saturday, hundreds of Ol’ Crimsons blanketed the view behind the GameDay set on
Stadium Drive in front of Martin Stadium on the Washington State campus.
At long
last, Cougar fans got their wish. The show was in town, finally, ahead of the
Cougars’ Saturday game against the Oregon Ducks.
To those
unfamiliar with College GameDay, it may seem ludicrous. Thousands of fans
gathering in the wee hours of the morning just to stand around behind some
talking heads? Some fans even brought sleeping bags and staked their spots
early in the afternoon Friday in hopes of being in the front row for the show.
Others were there at 2, 3 or 4 a.m. — hours before the 6 a.m. start on live television.
Thoughts
of long lines at “American Idol” or “America’s Got Talent” auditions come to
mind, except Saturday’s estimated 15,000 show-goers had no shot at instant
fame. Instead, they came to see the sea of flags, elaborate signs (it’s a theme
to hold up signs in view of the TV cameras) and crimson crowd. And they said
the long night was worth it. Hearing the music blaring, the chanting of the
fight song and the glaring show lights illuminating Stadium Drive was special.
“We were
the first ones in line, and we were actually the beginning of the line at 1
p.m. yesterday afternoon,” said Joe Rosman, a Cougar senior in the front row
with a handful of buddies. “I can’t even begin to describe (it). It surpassed
every expectation that we had when we came in here.
“I’m just
very thankful I was able to experience this as an undergrad, and I’m sure
countless other guys are as well.”
The
consensus? This wasn’t just another GameDay show, although crowds of crazy fans
are the norm. Show no. 217 had a little something extra.
“In 25
years, when they write a book on GameDay, this is going to be a chapter,” one
GameDay staffer told another.
“This is
going to be an historic moment,” one fan commented when the flags came into
view on the walk to the set.
The fans never
wavered through the three-hour-long broadcast. For much of the time, the cast
of Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and Desmond Howard highlighted other
games around the country.
But every
time they did a segment on WSU — and when the cameras turned back to the Cougar
faithful who watched the live set as well as the TV shots on two huge screens —
the crowd erupted.
The
loudest cheers, though, came at the end. It is a GameDay tradition for
83-year-old Corso to pick which team he thinks will win the GameDay game by
putting on the head of the corresponding mascot.
“It would
take something special to pick against my beloved Ducks,” Corso said. “But
ladies and gentlemen, this is a special place.”
With that,
Corso stood up and donned the head of Butch the Cougar, and the real Butch
mascot joined him on the stage to drape him in an Ol’ Crimson flag. If anything
else was said, it was drowned out by the ecstatic crowd.
Fly it
high
Fans got
creative in the flag department.
By far,
the most common was the classic red Cougar flag with the white logo. But some
gray flags with red logos and grey-and-white striped flags also were visible.
PVC pipe
seemed to be the most common flagpole style, but one fan held up his Ol’
Crimson with a collection of helium party balloons.
Washington
State grad Tom Pounds, 60, is credited with starting the tradition of flying
Ol’ Crimson at GameDay.
It wasn’t
all WSU flags, though — Clemson, Iowa, the University of Central Florida and,
of course, Oregon were also represented.
Signs of
the times
It
wouldn’t be College GameDay without countless signs littering the crowd.
Many poked
fun at the Ducks.
“Quack is
wack,” “It’s duck season” and “Oregon warms up to Nickelback,” were a few.
Silly
signs also were a common theme, such as: “How do I fold a fitted sheet?” and
“I’m not creative, I just wanted to hold a sign.”
Creative.
Some
others took lighthearted jabs at WSU coach Mike Leach. A digitally edited
picture of a half-naked Leach caught the attention of the ESPN cameras. Another
said “Mike Leach blows (on his coffee),” and “I saw Mike Leach smile.” Not sure
if that one is true.
I mustache
you a question
It’s no
secret that mustache-sporting transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew, nicknamed
“the Mississippi Mustache,” has become a favorite among Coug fans. Minshew’s
national-best 2,422 passing yards heading into the weekend speak to that.
It was
hard to look around the crowd without spotting a real, or fake,
mustache-wearing fan or sign.
There were
plenty of mustachioed dads with kids, some even wearing flashy aviators like
Minshew wore to a press conference after a WSU win over Eastern Washington
University.
For those
without the blessing of facial hair, absurdly large costume mustaches did just
fine.
Maybe
Minshew is onto something?
Halloween
spirit
With fewer
than two weeks until Halloween, some fans decided to dress up in costumes. A
huge furry Chewbacca lookalike from the “Star Wars” movies stopped to take
photos with fans.
Not a bad
choice considering the costume probably helped him stay warm, too.
Another
fan wore a full-body cougar onesie, and another zipped around the outskirts of
the crowd with a ski helmet and ski goggles.
And it
wasn’t just college students joining in the fun — Chewy and the cougar were
middle-aged men.
Laughs and
tears
The
College GameDay crew is known for incorporating jokes and funny segments into
their show.
A viral
clip of a Cougar fan dumping popcorn all over his face has circulated social
media for years. Dubbed “popcorn man,” ESPN did a segment about trying to find
the mysterious fan by posting flyers all around Pullman. At the end of the
segment, the whole cast leaned back and showered themselves with popcorn, to
the delight of the crowd.
The gamut
of emotions swung to the other side during a segment on Purdue fan and student
Tyler Trent, who has twice beaten bone cancer and is battling it a third time.
Trent was made an honorary Purdue team captain this season and is determined to
get healthy enough to return to class, where he is a presidential scholar.
Tears were shed by fans and ESPN cast members during the showing.
“Always
find our way back home”
The Andy
Grammer song “Back Home,” is regularly played and sung at WSU football games,
and it was no different at GameDay.
The song
was played several times throughout the day, but sometimes fans burst into song
on their own.
After the
show ended, it was a concert scene. The song rang through the crowd one more
time, with the cheerleaders and fans in the front jumping in unison as they
sang, “ ... And no matter where we go, we always find our way back home.”
A fitting
end to a day not many Cougars will forget.
::::::::
WSU-OREGON
NOTES: Williams finds a way to make Big Gulp work
By DALE
GRUMMERT
Lewiston
Trib
Oct 21,
2018
PULLMAN -
It didn't look much like the X's and O's that Patrick Baumgartner and Mike
Leach presumably jotted down on a napkin in Cambodia.
But it
worked. And it opened the first-half onslaught that keyed Washington State's
heady 34-20 win Saturday night over Oregon.
On the
Cougars' first possession, they hauled out Big Gulp, a trick play they had used
with limited success early in the season.
Leach, the
Cougars' unconventional coach, said at the time he designed the play in
collaboration with an unnamed Microsoft engineer during a visit to Cambodia
last summer. Leach still hasn't divulged his identity, saying "I'm not
sure he's a spotlight guy," but Washington state Sen. Mike Baumgartner
acknowledged Saturday night that his brother, Patrick, is the mystery man. Both
Baumgartners were in attendance.
The play
calls for receiver Kyle Sweet to line up over the ball, a few feet to either
side of his teammates, and he hikes the ball laterally to someone in the
backfield. This time it was quarterback Gardner Minshew, who handed it off to
James Williams.
The play
almost went nowhere. But Williams broke or eluded several tackles on his way to
an impressive 24-yard touchdown.
"That
play wasn't exactly how I drew it up," Leach said. "He made about
eight guys miss, which was the most impressive part of it. James needs to
understand how powerful and what a weapon he is if he goes forward and doesn't
dance around."
Williams
said his opinion of Big Gulp was "half and half" when it was
introduced during preseason camp.
"We've
got to make it work," he said. "We just have to execute it. As crazy
as it looks, we've got to execute it every time we run it."
LEACH'S
FEUD WITH OFFICIALS - Yahoo reported Friday night that Leach sent text messages
that harshly criticized Pac-12 game officials and referred to the conference's
general counsel, Woodie Dixon, as "a total coward."
The text
messages, acquired by Yahoo through a public-records request to WSU, came after
a controversial noncall during the Cougars' 39-36 loss at USC on Sept. 21, when
Trojans linebacker Porter Gustin appeared to make helmet-to-helmet contact
while tackling Minshew.
In a text
to Dixon, Leach said, "Don't ever waste my time, making me sit through
some sanctimonious speech or demonstration on player safety or targeting if you
are going to continue to alibi what happened last Friday."
In another
text, to league president of officiating David Coleman, Leach wrote,
"Woodie is a total coward and is afraid of USC. I look forward to telling
him in person."
Earlier in
that game, however, officials also declined to penalize WSU defensive end Logan
Tago for a similar hit. In that case, Yahoo later reported that Dixon, who
isn't a game official, overruled replay officials who wanted to assess a
targeting penalty.
Three weeks
later, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced he was streamlining the
league's protocol for video reviews to prevent nonofficials from playing a
role.
HONOREES -
Before kickoff, Washington State paid its respects to Paul Allen, the WSU
graduate and co-founder of Microsoft who died last week.
Honored in
brief on-the-field ceremonies during the first half were former Cougars coach
Mike Price and ex-WSU baseball star Ian Hamilton, now playing for the Chicago
White Sox.
Among the
former WSU football players on hand were Hercules Mata'afa, Destiny Vaeao,
Shalom Luani, River Cracraft and Marcellus Pippins.
FISHER OUT
FOR YEAR - Cougars true freshman receiver Rodrick Fisher is sidelined for the
season after undergoing shoulder surgery, Cougfan reported.
Fisher, a
backup at the Cougs' X position early in the season, has caught one pass for 12
yards.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Edited
version of AT A GLANCE: WSU 34, Oregon 20
Oct 21,
2018
Lewiston
Trib
GARDNER
MINSHEW threw four TDs and threw to running backs JAMES WILLIAMS and MAX BORGHI
7 times each. DEZMON PATMON caught a TD and had 6 catches for 81 yds. TRAVELL HARRIS set up Patmon’s score with 2 excellent
catches.
On defense, JALEN THOMPSON = 7 tackles and had
key breakups. DBs DARRIEN MOLTON and HUNTER DALE had 6 tackles each. Also with
key tackles were JAHAD WOODS, WILLIE TAYLOR III and WILL RODGERS III.
>
Turning point
Oregon
rallied in the second half, the Cougar offense languished. And there was a hint
of desperation in Minshew's deep heave under pressure into double coverage
inside the final 6 minutes with the WSU lead down to seven points. Oregon
safety Justin Hollins appeared to have a good angle on the ball and may have
nearly secured possession. But Harris yanked the ball away from him for a
37-yard gain, sparking an insurance TD drive.
> Up
next: WSU at Stanford 4 p.m. Saturday.
:::::::::::
PARTY ON,
COUGS
Revelry
that started with GameDay in morning continues in WSU's evening victory over
Ducks
By DALE
GRUMMERT
Trib of
Lewiston
Oct 21,
2018
PULLMAN -
The ESPN GameDay broadcast had ended more than seven hours earlier. The
delirious crowd behind the stage had dispersed. The roadies were dissembling
the whole dazzling set-up.
But the
hype and the passion simply crossed the street and kept raging.
On one of
the most eventful days of Washington State football history, Gardner Minshew
and the No. 25 Cougars fed off the lingering emotions from GameDay's first-ever
visit to Pullman, bolted to a four-touchdown lead in the first half and hung on
for a rousing 34-20 win Saturday night over No. 12 Oregon.
"There
was so much energy in town this week, and we knew we just had to bottle that up
and use it," said Minshew, who threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns.
"And I feel we did that the first half, really came out strong and played
some of our best ball all year."
Many
members of a capacity crowd of 33,152 had probably contributed to the nonstop
noise across Stadium Way during the three-hour GameDay broadcast, which wrapped
up at 9 a.m. But their vocal cords recovered quickly, mustering a prodigious
din on the Ducks' first offensive possession and rattling them into botched
snaps on their first two plays.
The
electricity waned in the second half as Oregon cut its deficit to seven points
early in the fourth quarter. But it was fully restored by the time Jalen
Thompson broke up a pass to end Oregon's last-ditch drive, Minshew ran out the
clock and Cougar fans, slowly at first and then in a gleeful gallop, stormed
the field and reveled with players and coaches.
"After
the game," said Minshew, a graduate transfer who had chosen WSU over
Alabama for his senior season, "I just started thinking, I made the right choice
coming here, man."
Minshew
directed four consecutive touchdown drives and the Wazzu defense conspired with
the crowd to stifle Oregon's touted quarterback, Justin Herbert, as the Cougars
outgained the Ducks 256-1 in offensive yards through the first 18 minutes.
"We
definitely felt all the energy in the stadium," said WSU running back
James Williams, who conjured an amazing 24-yard touchdown run to open the
scoring. "Our fans were great today."
The
Cougars (6-1, 3-1) became bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive year while
forging their fourth straight win over the Ducks (5-2, 2-2) and remaining tied
in the loss column with Washington atop the Pac-12 North.
Yet the
Ducks were rallying so insistently that victory wasn't assured until Minshew
threw a 22-yard touchdown strike to a leaping Dezmon Patmon to create the final
score with 3:40 remaining.
"He's
a very inspired player," WSU coach Mike Leach said of Minshew, "and I
think inspires the rest of the men."
The drive
had been fueled by two stellar catches by Travell Harris, the first one
answering a Minshew prayer against double coverage as Harris ripped the ball
out of the hands of safety Jevon Holland.
"At
one point, I felt like he kinda had it," Harris said, "so I just
snatched it from him. I wanted it more. That's the main thing. I wanted it
more."
Minshew
went 39-for-51 for 323 yards, with two interceptions. Williams rushed for 53
yards and, like fellow running back Max Borghi, caught seven passes.
The first
half was surreal in its one-sidedness. The Cougars moved the ball almost at
will on offense and badgered the Ducks mercilessly on defense.
"Almost
the tale of two halves," Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. "We
played a different brand of football in the second half but it wasn't enough."
The
Cougars' big first half came despite Deommodore Lenoir's interception of
Minshew on their first drive. The mistake appeared to light a fire under
Williams, who on the next Wazzu drive pulled off his big TD run out of Leach's
new Big Gulp formation, breaking or eluding multiple tackles before diving over
the pylon.
Minshew
then found Renard Bell, Easop Winston Jr. and Max Borghi for successive TDs,
the most impressive of which was a perfect 6-yard fade to Winston.
Between
WSU's fired-up defenders and its fired-up fans, Herbert sputtered almost the
entire half, finally hitting favorite target Dillon Mitchell with a Hail Mary
with a second remaining. Mitchell dropped the ball in the end zone, and the
Cougs still led 27-0.
The Ducks
finally broke through on the first possession of the second half when Herbert
scored on a 2-yard keeper to make it 27-7. Adam Stack tacked on a 32-yard field
goal midway through the third quarter, then Herbert tossed an 11-yard pass to
Jaylon Redd to slice the margin to 27-17 late in the period. With seven minutes
left, Stack's 23-yard field goal made it a one-possession game.
That's
when the Cougars and their fans found their second wind. Or was it their third?
Doesn't matter. This was their GameDay from beginning to end.
Oregon 0 0
17 3 - 20
Washington
St. 7 20 0 7 - 34
First
Quarter
WST-J.Williams
24 run (Mazza kick), 4:30
Second
Quarter
WST-Bell
16 pass from Minshew, 12:22
WST-E.Winston
6 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 2:59
WST-Borghi
15 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), :41
Third
Quarter
ORE-Herbert
8 run (Stack kick), 11:54
ORE-FG
Stack 32, 6:58
ORE-Redd
11 pass from Herbert (Stack kick), :36
Fourth
Quarter
ORE-FG
Stack 23, 6:38
WST-Patmon
22 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 3:40
A-33,152.
ORE WST
First
downs 21 25
Rushes-yards
24-58 24-77
Passing
270 323
Comp-Att-Int
25-44-0 39-51-2
Return
Yards 22 59
Punts-Avg.
4-39.75 2-28.5
Fumbles-Lost
0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards
6-44 5-55
Time of
Possession 26:28 33:32
INDIVIDUAL
STATISTICS
RUSHING-Oregon,
Verdell 12-55, Herbert 7-9, Mitchell 1-5, Tra.Dye 3-(minus 4), (Team) 1-(minus
7). Washington St., J.Williams 9-53, Borghi 10-40, Harrington 1-1, (Team)
4-(minus 17).
PASSING-Oregon,
Herbert 25-44-0-270. Washington St., Minshew 39-51-2-323.
RECEIVING-Oregon,
Mitchell 7-47, Breeland 4-63, Schooler 4-59, Redd 4-37, Dillon 2-25, Verdell
2-25, Johnson III 1-8, Bay 1-6. Washington St., Borghi 7-51, J.Williams 7-42,
Patmon 6-81, Martin 6-25, Harris 4-59, Bell 3-28, E.Winston 3-14, Sweet 2-15,
Calvin 1-8.
MISSED FIELD
GOALS-None.
::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State radio announcers honor Bob Robertson before Oregon game
UPDATED:
Sat., Oct. 20, 2018, 5:07 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
by Thomas Clouse
PULLMAN –
Washington State radio broadcaster Matt Chazanow opened the pregame show
Saturday honoring 89-year-old Bob Robertson, who finally hung up the ear phones
after 52 years of calling Cougar games.
“Amazing
day here on the Palouse that started in the wee hours of the morning,” Chazanow
said. “ESPN College Gameday has made this the most nationally anticipated
Cougar game in history.”
But he
said he would be remiss not to mention the empty chair to his right, where
Robertson has offered color commentary since he officially stepped down from
play-by-play duties 2012.
“For 52
years, Bob Robertson has broadcast Washington State athletics,” Chazanow said.
“He was important enough as a broadcaster to get his own stats.”
Robertson
called 589 Washington State games, including a streak of 568 consecutive
contests. But he missed the game against No. 12 Oregon on Saturday after
suffering a dizzy spell following the home win two weeks ago against Utah.
Color
commentator and former quarterback Alex Brink said it was an honor both to have
his games called by Robertson and to sit next to him in the radio booth. For
thousands of Coug fans, Robertson’s voice was synonymous with the team.
Chazanow
noted that they both now work in the booth named after the legend.
“I started
in this broadcast booth with your name on it, intimidated,” Chazanow said. “We
are indebted to Bob for all of his work and all he meant to Washington State.
We will forever call games from his legacy, from the Bob Robertson Broadcast
Suite.”
Robertson
spoke with his former counterparts this week and told them that he intends to
return to Pullman, but this time just as a fan.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ESPN
brings ‘College GameDay’ to Pullman, but it’s the Cougar fans who put on a show
Originally
published October 20, 2018 at 10:06 am Updated October 20, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Thousands
showed up, with many arriving the night before for the three-hour party. The
show ended on a high note, with Lee Corso donning the Cougar mascot head.
By Scott
Hanson, Seattle Times
PULLMAN —
Finally, it came here.
And it was
a scene few will forget, thousands of flag-waving and sign-bearing fans —
mostly WSU faithful — for the first appearance of ESPN’s “College GameDay” in
Pullman, which proved much more than an appetizer for Saturday afternoon’s game
between Washington State and Oregon.
For 15
years, WSU boosters have waved the flag during the show in hopes that ESPN
would one day bring GameDay to Pullman. When it finally came, it was the fans
who put on the show.
When Derek
Vollner, communications manager for ESPN, left campus Friday night, he saw
hundreds of people camping to stake out spots close to the stage.
“And it
wasn’t just students, it was women in their 50s,” he said.
That the
temperature was in the 30s when the show started at 6 a.m. didn’t matter: It seemed
just about everyone in this city was here. Many sported fake mustaches in honor
of WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Rece
Davis, host of the show, looked at the crowd before going on and said, “Holy
(expletive).”
How many
people were there? No one seemed to know, but most guessed between 10,000 and
15,000. An ESPN producer estimated as many as 20,000.
The show
opened with the WSU flags down except for one. That one was waved by Tom
Pounds, the Cougar alum who started the WSU flag-waving tradition on the show
in 2003.
For three
straight hours, the crowd cheered, sang, chanted and sometimes booed (at
mentions of Oregon and Washington). There were even fireworks.
The crowd
loved the salute to the “Popcorn Guy,” who during a 55-17 loss to Stanford at
CenturyLink Field in 2013, dumped an entire bag of popcorn toward his mouth,
with a good chunk of it missing. With the Cougars getting blown out, the ESPN
cameras were focused on this guy and he became something of a cult figure.
Despite
great efforts, the “Popcorn Guy” was not located for the show, but the entire
crew at Saturday’s show honored him by dumping bags of popcorn in their mouths.
Or at least trying to.
The
suspense grew in the final minutes, with the picks for the day’s big games
ending the show. Desmond Howard and former WSU quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the
guest picker, drew huge cheers for picking Colorado over Washington, while Lee
Corso and Kirk Herbstreit were booed for picking UW.
The crowd
went nuts when Howard and Bledsoe picked Washington State, and it really let
Herbstreit have it for picking Oregon. Then it was up to Corso, who famously
dons the mascot head of the team he chooses.
“It would
take a special place for me to pick against my beloved Ducks, but this is a
special place,” Corso said, then slipped on a Cougar head.
It drew
the loudest cheer of the morning. The show was over, but people kept singing.
“I thought
you weren’t going to show up,” one student asked another.
“I just
couldn’t miss this,” she said.
She left
with a lasting memory. Just like everyone else.
:::::::::::::::
Don’t let
the rally fool you, Washington State’s defense played well vs. Oregon
Originally
published October 20, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Yeah, the
Ducks scored 20 points in the second half, but that's still a season low. The
Cougars also held Oregon to 155 yards below their season average.
Share
story
By Scott
Hanson
Seattle
Times
PULLMAN —
Maybe it was too easy.
This was
supposed to be a Saturday-night shootout, remember, between a pair of great
offenses in Washington State and Oregon.
Instead,
the first half was a complete and total annihilation. The Cougars led 27-0.
They outgained the Ducks 295 to 39, ran 50 plays to Oregon’s 18 and led in time
of possession 22:47 to 7:06.
The
defense was so good in the first half that there was enough cushion for
Washington State to withstand Oregon’s second-half rally and still prevail
34-20 in the Pac-12 North showdown.
“I didn’t
think we would do that,” Washington State coach Mike Leach said of holding the
Ducks to 39 first-half yards, “but I didn’t think we would give up that many
after that.”
True, the
Ducks put up 289 yards in the second half, and cut the margin to 27-20.
But the
Ducks were held to just a field goal in the fourth quarter and the overall defensive
numbers would have pleased even the most optimistic Cougars fan before the
game: 20 Oregon points, 11 less than their previous low and 23 below their
average. The Ducks finished with 328 yards, 155 below their average.
“We didn’t
think Oregon would be dormant forever, and they weren’t,” Leach said. “We
didn’t play a good third quarter, but I would say we were scrappy on both sides
of the ball in the fourth quarter.”
Oregon
entered the game rushing the ball on 61 percent of its plays but after falling
behind by 27 points, were held to 58 rushing yards on just 24 carries, 152
yards below their average. Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert attempted 44
passes.
Washington
State senior nickelback Hunter Dale said the defense came into the game
confident.
“I wasn’t
surprised we did that good on defense in the first half because we prepared
really well all week and that is what we planned on doing,” Dale said. “In the
third quarter, we just came out flat as a team and then we got it back
together, and we finished and got a win. And a win is a win.”
Dale said
the plan for success was simple.
“The
biggest thing we had to do was be more physical and run to the ball,” he said.
“Good things happen when you run to the ball and good things happen when you
play with a lot of energy, and you saw that in the first half. We kind of lost
that after halftime, but we got it back in the fourth quarter.”
With WSU
quarterback Gardner Minshew leading a late fourth-quarter drive to clinch the
win, almost all of the questions after the game was about the offense. But the
defense also rebounded late.
“I think
both units are stepping up in the fourth quarter,” Leach said.
::::::::::::::::
Bedlam on
the Palouse: WSU's Martin Stadium literally vibrating
From
Cougfan.com
PULLMAN --
The perfect week and the perfect morning ended in the perfect way Saturday
night as Washington State's stunning Cougars -- now 6-1 and in control of the
Pac-12 North -- defeated No. 12 Oregon in a roller-coaster affair in an
oversold Martin Stadium that burst into bedlam as the clock hit zero. The
high-octane enthusiasm of the morning's College GameDay appearance continued
right onto the field, which fans stormed to celebrate the 34-20 victory, the
Cougs' fourth straight over Oregon, but more so the culmination of a remarkable
last seven days and a downright cathartic morning of crimson spirit.
Tim
Brando, who called the game for FoxSports, said Ol' Crimson would fly proudly
long into the night and proclaimed that The Mississippi Mustache, Garnder Minshew,
would be claiming "his rightful place in the pantheon" of great
Cougar quarterbacks. Cougfan.com was out in force at Martin and captured the
sights and sounds of the fans' wild celebration in these Twitter videos ...
:::::::::::
Minshew,
Harris make the plays after Oregon offense storms back
By Jordan
Fox, Cougfan.com
WASHINGTON
STATE'S 27-POINT LEAD was about to disappear. It's defense had yet to stop
Oregon in the second half, and a high-flying Air Raid attack that had torched
the Ducks was grounded. That's when Gardner Minshew saved the game — and
possibly the Cougs' Pac-12 North chances — by forcing a deep throw into double
coverage to a 5'9 kick returner. It worked. Travell Harris wrestled the ball
away from two defenders in midair, caught a fourth-down conversion four plays
later and then watched as Minshew found Dezmon Patmon for the game-sealing
score in the No. 25 Cougars' 34-20 win over No. 12 Oregon. Here are some
immediate postgame takeaways from a raucous Martin Stadium:
HERBERT’S
LEGS GET OREGON OFFENSE GOING
After
Washington State held Oregon scoreless in its worst offensive first half since
2013 and Justin Herbert to 36 passing yards, the UO quarterback started doing
damage on the ground. He ran in the Ducks’ first touchdown on a broken play,
and his scrambles and bootlegs hurt the Cougs much of the third quarter. He was
outstanding in the second half, throwing receivers open downfield and fitting
completions into tight, well-defended windows on the run. He finished 25 of 44
for 270 yards a passing and rushing touchdown. It’s not difficult to see why
many view the junior as a likely first-round NFL draft pick.
MINSHEW,
PATMON HOOK UP TO SEAL IT
After
Harris made his two key catches on the game-sealing drive, Minshew found Patmon
in the back of the end zone.
Oregon
moved the ball to the Washington State 28 before Willie Taylor III sacked
Herbert on third down and Herbert threw incomplete on fourth and 18. A couple
of kneel downs later, Coug fans stormed the field.
INTERCEPTION
ENCAPSULATES SECOND-HALF OFFENSIVE
STRUGGLES
Oregon
scored 10 quick points to open the second half and get back in the game, and on
the Cougs’ next possession Minshew went deep to Tay Martin up the sideline. The
pass was overthrown, but Martin appeared to slow down and didn’t fight through
defensive back Deommodore Lenoir. An uncontested Lenoir intercepted the
overthrow, and Oregon made the score 27-17 on the ensuing possession when
Herbert threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Redd. After a four-touchdown
first half, the Washington State offense punted or turned the ball over on its
first three drives. Wazzu held the ball for just 2:52 in the third quarter —
compared to 12:08 for Oregon — which did little to help a reeling defense.
Oregon batted several passes down and got physical with WSU's receivers, and
Minshew looked uncomfortable until the final drive.
OREGON
GETS BACK IN IT, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY
Herbert
marched the Ducks right down the field for a score on their first possession of
the second half, completing all four of his passes for 66 yards and running in
the touchdown on fourth and 2 from eight yards out. Washington State’s offense
went three-and-out, with Ugochukwu Amadi returning the punt 22 yards to the
Oregon 46. Herbert converted another fourth and 2, barely fitting a pass into
good coverage to Dillon Mitchell. After a 20-yard CJ Verdell run and a pass
interference penalty got Oregon to the 6, the Ducks looked poised to make it a
two-score game early in the third quarter, until …
WILL
RODGERS SAVES FOUR POINTS
After two
unsuccessful runs, Oregon tried to catch the Cougs with a draw on third and
goal from the 7. Luckily for Washington State, Rodgers sniffed it out, tackling
Travis Dye for a loss of three yards. There were few Cougs behind Rodgers, and
his tackle was likely the difference between the field goal Oregon kicked for a
27-10 deficit and a touchdown that would have made the score 27-14. Those were
four important points after Minshew threw the interception to Lenoir on
Washington State’s next offensive play.
A BIG WIN,
BUT CHALLENGES TO COME
The Cougs
(6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) are now in the North division's driver's seat, but games at
Stanford next week, at Colorado on November 10 and No. 15 Washington on
November 23 loom. But for now, enjoy your win Coug fans.
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