Washington State waited until halfway through the first quarter to force Oregon’s first turnover.
Two minutes later, after the Cougars turned the blocked punt into a field goal, free safety Jeremy Bohannon picked off Jason Fife’s first throw of the day.
“We just knew we had to come out on fire,” Bohannon said. “Our main goal was just to get some turnovers in this game.”
If it was turnovers the Cougars wanted, it was turnovers the Cougars got. They found ways — nine, in fact — to force the Ducks to hand the ball right back into their paws.
Oregon’s quarterback tandem of sophomore Kellen Clemens and Fife, a senior, had yet to throw an interception during the Ducks’ 4-0 start.
Clemens alone was picked off four times, including three interceptions during a five-minute span in the second quarter.
Four was a magic number for the Cougar defense. They also sacked Clemens four times for 21 yards.
“The whole week they kept talking about the hype of the Ducks and the two great quarterbacks with no turnovers,” Washington State defensive end D.D. Acholonu said. “The (defensive backs) and the (defensive line) took it personally.”
Acholonu had two of the sacks on Clemens and was the Cougar who blocked Paul Martinez’ first-quarter punt.
“We just wanted to come out and make sure we had an immediate impact,” Acholonu said.
The first quarter featured three Oregon turnovers: the blocked punt, the first Fife interception and a botched pass.
With less than a minute left in the first quarter, Fife launched a 47-yard pass to wide receiver Demetrius Williams. Williams held the ball long enough to catch it, then fumbled it. Bohannon recovered the ball.
“It felt real good,” Bohannon said. “We were just out there trying to play Cougar football. That’s what we tried to base our game on was getting turnovers. Every game we try to get three or four turnovers.”
The Cougars decided three wasn’t enough after the first quarter; however, and took advantage of Oregon’s apparent frustration.
One minute into the second quarter, Fife was intercepted a second time. Don Jackson picked off the pass at midfield after it was tipped a few times.
Clemens took over for Fife on the Ducks’ next offensive drive, but the quarterback change didn’t alter the Cougars’ plan of attack. On the fourth play of the drive, Clemens was sacked by Acholonu for a loss of two yards. Virgil Williams intercepted Clemens’ pass on the next play and ran back 40 yards for a touchdown.
“(Cornerback Karl) Paymah had tipped it, and I was just fortunate enough to be at the right spot at the right time,” Williams said. “A lot of (the interceptions were) tips, and the line just had their hands up and they were tipped. People were in the right spots at the right time to make the play.”
Two minutes and 30 seconds later, Jason David was in the right place at the right time. He intercepted a Clemens pass and returned it for 35 yards, only stopping when Clemens tackled him.
“I was kind of excited they were throwing my way a little bit,” David said. “I hope teams don’t stop throwing to my side; I like that a lot. I finally got some action this week. It’s fun to just get out there and make some plays.”
Clemens was intercepted a third time on a touchdown attempt from the two-yard line. Erik Coleman grabbed the pass in the endzone for the Cougar touchback.
With a minute left in the first half, Jason Hill blocked a Martinez punt. Bohannon picked it up and returned the ball four yards for a touchdown.
The Washington State defense slowed down some in the second half. David intercepted another Clemens pass in the third quarter, capping the big defensive day.
“That (quarterback pressure is) real big,” Cougar head coach Bill Doba said. “You have to (get after them early). Those two kids are good quarterbacks; both of them. You give them time to throw a football and they’ll get a touchdown.”