WSU
FOOTBALL
Analysis:
Washington State could’ve used mulligan three times during final drive of
narrow loss to USC
UPDATED:
Sat., Sept. 22, 2018, 10:41 p.m.
By
Theo Lawson, Spokane S-R
LOS
ANGELES – There wasn’t much that could have been said to sweeten the situation,
or alleviate the pain Washington State players felt after watching a 13-point
lead wither away Friday night at the Coliseum.
No,
the Cougars won’t wear their 39-36 loss to USC as a badge of honor, even if
they did manage to beat a five-point spread, or threaten one of the country’s
most impressive home win streaks, or convince a national ESPN audience – and
the 50,000-plus in attendance – they belong on the same stage as SC’s blue-chip
stars.
Spending
15 minutes inside WSU’s interview tent following the game, you didn’t get the
sense the Cougars (3-1, 0-1) were ready to view their first loss of the 2018
season through the glass-half-full lens.
“It’s
pretty frustrating, for sure,” WSU freshman running back Max Borghi said. “It
was a good game overall, but at the end of the day, just little plays on every
side of the ball that could’ve changed the game.”
Yes,
a long trail of “what ifs” and “could have beens” followed the Cougars home to
the Palouse after they squandered an opportunity to beat USC in consecutive
years for the first time in program history. They also wasted a chance to open
with a 4-0 record for the second straight year – something that hasn’t happened
in Pullman since the early 1900s.
WSU’s
defensive backs sputtered time and time again trying to cover USC’s
hypertalented wide receivers and the Cougars accrued more pass interference
calls in four quarters than they had through the first three games of the
season.
“I
think they were athletic,” Mike Leach said – the WSU coach also offering, “I
don’t think that’s the entire thing.”
Yet,
for as many defensive errors as they committed through the first three
quarters, the Cougars probably could have used their mulligan on one of three
plays late in the fourth. You can take your pick.
1.
The one that drew the most ire from WSU fans – and reasonably – came on
first-and-10 as the Cougars were creeping toward the USC end zone with less than
3 minutes to play. As Gardner Minshew released an incomplete pass to Renard
Bell, USC outside linebacker Porter Gustin began to wind up and launch himself
at the WSU quarterback. A stomach-turning replay of the collision shows Gustin
spearing his helmet into Minshew’s, violently jolting the QB’s head back in a
whiplash-like motion as he falls to the turf. Officials missed it, Gustin
escaped his second targeting ejection in two weeks and the Cougars lost out on
a precious opportunity to advance the ball 15 yards. WSU would have had
first-and-10 from the 15-yard line with about 2:40 to play.
2.
The officials may have bungled one play, but the Cougars will direct the finger
at themselves for the next two. Two plays after Gustin’s nasty hit, the Cougars
had third-and-6 from the 21-yard line and still 1:50 – an eternity – on the
game clock. Minshew and his receivers, to this point, had treated the game like
batting practice, connecting 37 times for 344 yards, three touchdowns and no
interceptions. The WSU QB had shown superb awareness in the pocket, delivering
quick, short strikes whenever he sensed pressure, and then biding his time to
make stronger, intermediate throws when the protection gave him a few more
seconds. But Minshew had noticed something in USC’s defensive setup that led
him to switch from a pass to a run on third-and-6. The QB made the check,
handed off to James Williams and watched a hoard of Trojans bottle up the
running back at the line of scrimmage. “It’s just a play call. We have faith in
all our guys,” wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. said. “No matter whose hands we
put the ball in, we expect it to work and we’re going to get the first down and
do what we need to do to score.” Minshew later put the blame on himself,
admitting “that was all on me … that was really stupid.”
3.
So, with 1:50 to play and fourth-and-6 on deck, the Cougars trotted out
redshirt freshman kicker Blake Mazza for a game-tying field goal from 38 yards
out. Mazza had smacked a career-long 50-yard kick through the uprights earlier
on, but the Cougars had also botched a PAT after going up 30-17 early in the
third quarter. The Trojans had spotted a tendency earlier on in the game and
made an adjustment in preparation for the final kick. WSU guard Christian
Haangana had been purposely falling forward while blocking for previous field
goals. After USC linebacker Cameron Smith barked out instructions, Trojans
lineman Jay Tufele ran through the line unblocked and stuffed Mazza’s attempt
with his left hand. “I saw their guard lunging and falling and so I knew that
if we ran it right it would work perfectly,” Smith said. “It was one of those
things we practice and planned and it worked our way.”
The
“what ifs” and “could have beens” turn into coachable moments this week as the
Cougars quickly turn their attention to the next test, a 3 p.m. game against
unbeaten Utah (3-0) on Saturday at Martin Stadium.
“I
think it showed everybody who we are and what we’re capable of,” Borghi said of
Friday’s loss, “but now we just have to get ready for next week.”
/////////////
WSU Women's Swimming
Cougars Take Home First Win of Season Over San Diego
From WSU Sports Info 9/22/2018
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – The Washington State swim team
took home a close one against San Diego, 129-122. The team recorded nine first
place finishes overall.
Sophomores Mackenzie Duarte and Taylor McCoy and
freshman Keiana Fountaine earned two individual events each. Duarte earned wins
in the 100 and 200 breast, clocking in at 1:06.93 and 2:22.49, respectively.
McCoy clocked in at 59.04 in the 100 back and 2:09.63 in the 200 IM. Fountaine
earned first place finishes in the 50 and 100 free, touching the wall in 24.29
and 52.30, respectively.
"I am very proud of the Cougs; we had seniors
and freshmen win events, it was a great meet for us," said first-year head
coach Matt Leach. "We had competed with great team chemistry today, it was
great to see that process come through and for the overall result to be a win.
As we continue, we will look at what we are doing regarding our technique and
continue to focus on the process and journey. Go Cougs!"
Also garnering first place finishes were senior
Jasmine Margetts and junior Ryan Falk. Margetts clocked in at 10:33.05 in the
1000 free, while Falk clocked in at 5:08.41 in the 500 free.
The 400 free relay team of Emily Barrier, Payton
Bokowy, Chloe Larson, and Fountaine placed first in the event with a time of
3:32.88.
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https://lmtribune.com/opinion/when-schulz-and-wsu-failed-students-stepped-in/article_4d10f30c-5e35-5d98-9518-9a65c578d744.html
EDITORIAL, Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune
When Schulz and WSU failed, students stepped in
By
Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Trib, Sunday 9/23/2108
More than a week ago, Washington State University
President Kirk Schulz and athletic director Patrick Chun issued assurances that
the investigation into Jason Gesser was "thorough" and
"comprehensive."
It wasn't.
Not even close.
Gesser was a storied former Cougar quarterback
earning $83,986 a year as an assistant director of athletics at the Cougar
Athletic Fund. In December, this public face of the university fundraising
effort stood accused of engaging in a pattern of sexual harassment toward
female student interns and staffers over a period of time dating back to 2014.
As detailed by the WSU student newspaper, the Daily
Evergreen, much of the information came from second-hand sources such as WSU
IMG general manager Matt Almond, former athletics administrator Uri Farkas, CAF
assistant athletic director Adam Ganders and Gil Picciotto, a former associate
vice president at the WSU Foundation.
But Office for Equal Opportunity investigators
interviewed at least two individuals with personal knowledge:
A student intern who said Gesser "sent me flirty
texts one time. ... I thought, that's weird and moved on. I told (Almond) about
it because he's my boss and I trusted him. (Gesser) called me a 'cutie' or
something."
A former WSU athletics employee who said she was
junior to Gesser in the organization reported he made advances toward her.
"It was purely one-sided," she said.
Gesser sent texts during working hours that
"were suggestive of sexual things."
And the former employee told investigators that Gesser
invited her to his hotel room during a road trip, which she declined.
Nevertheless, she "never felt harassed or
assaulted."
Neither rose to the degree of abuse the second-hand
sources described. But a "thorough" and "comprehensive"
investigation presumably might categorize those interviews as corroboration and
begin tracking down other interns, former students and staffers who associated
with Gesser.
It might also ask how such interactions with students
and subordinates does not violate OEO's Executive Policy 15 - which
"prohibits discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct."
Instead, the investigation wrapped up in February and
found "no violation of university policy" and forwarded its report to
the Office of Human Resources.
Which is where matters stood for another seven months
until the Evergreen - which had pored over hundreds of documents obtained
through a public records request - outlined its investigation on Sept. 13.
In rapid-fire succession:
Sept. 13 - Schulz and Chun issued their statement
that "the allegations were taken seriously and addressed at the
appropriate level."
Later that day, the Evergreen countered it knew of
witnesses the WSU investigators had overlooked. "In interviews with women
named in the public records as being involved with Gesser, two of them said
they had not previously been contacted by OEO officials in regard to
allegations against Gesser. We are currently working to confirm a third."
Sept. 14 - Gesser called the report a
"non-story."
Sept. 15 - Former Cougar athlete Alyssa Bodeau read a
copy of the Evergreen. A former nanny to Gesser's children, Bodeau decided she
would speak up about a June 2015 incident in which she said Gesser sexually
assaulted her.
"I thought I was the only one that this happened
to," Bodeau told the Spokesman-Review. "Reading the article made me
realize that I wasn't the last one, but I also wasn't the first one."
Monday, Bodeau filed a formal complaint with WSU and
Gesser was placed on what was euphemistically labeled "home
assignment."
Tuesday, Gesser resigned.
In other words, it took a student newspaper a week to
do what an entire university failed to accomplish over a period of months.
Makes you wonder what will emerge from the next "thorough" and
"comprehensive" investigation.
Did Schulz and WSU willingly close their eyes to
allegations involving a popular former football star and fundraiser for
athletics?
Or were they just inept? - M.T.
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