The Washington State Cougars can hang their hat on one thing from Saturday night’s 52-6 blowout: they outscored No. 6 Cal from last week.
After redshirt freshman Scott Grady fumbled a punt at the Oregon three-yard line, special teamer Zach Enyeart recovered the ball at the UO one-yard line. Three plays later, back-up quarterback Marshall Lobbestael pushed his way (barely) into the end zone for six points.
Nico Grasu missed the point after touchdown, but the Oregon shutout was gone and the Cougars celebrated like they had just scored to tie the game.
Besides that, not much else went even remotely Washington State’s way. They managed just 158 yards on 47 plays. Oregon put up an obscene number of points, and eight different players scored.
“They played very fast and we couldn’t stay up with their tempo,” said Cougar head coach Paul Wulff. “They executed well. We just didn’t.”
To make things even worse, the game was a brisk two hours and 49 minutes and the true freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel — making his first collegiate start — was knocked out in the first quarter after taking a helmet to the hip pointer.
“It just got me on my hip bone,” Tuel said of the hit. “It’s loosened up as the night’s gone on…it’s part of the game. I’m not too bad. Obviously it’s upsetting. It’s gonna happen.”
The Cougars were outmatched in every aspect of the game and it was obvious that Wulff knew it. He was frustrated with the play of his team, but said they’re young and eventually it will get better.
“Anytime we can get them experience it’s a positive moving forward,” Wulff said. “You take your lumps and you get better and learn from them. That’s where we’re at right now.”
Perhaps the biggest disparity was in first downs. Washington State ended up with just four (Oregon had 31). It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Cougars finally got their first on a ten-yard pass from Marshall Lobbestael to Dwight Tardy.
“Their defense played well,” Wulff said. “They played simple, they played hard. Very good speed. We didn’t function very well…they picked up right where they left off against Cal.”
As for the remainder of the season, it’s going to be a long one for the Cougars if they continue to play like they did Saturday in Eugene.
“There’s a learning curve,” said offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy. “It’s going to take a little bit of time to get these guys on the same page.”
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Cougars outmatched by No. 16 Ducks
Daily Emerald
October 3, 2009
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