Eight wins, one loss, two games remaining and, with two more wins, a possible Bowl Championship Series game.
Should the Oregon football program be in this situation?
Probably not, considering three-year starting quarterback Kellen Clemens – ranking sixth in total offense (329.3 yards per game) and 17th in passing efficiency (152.9) in the nation – was lost for the season midway through a tied game three weeks ago. However, Oregon found a way to defeat Arizona then and top-25 opponent California Saturday. Now the Ducks take a trip to Pullman, Wash., to face Washington State, which is winless in the Pacific-10 Conference this season.
That doesn’t mean the Ducks won’t take the Cougars or their running attack lightly. Washington State currently ranks third in the Pac-10 and 16th in the nation in rushing offense (215.1 yards per game), led by running back Jerome Harrison – the nation’s second leading rusher (172.2 yards per game) – and one of the best offensive lines in the conference, according to Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti.
“Their offensive line is very, very good,” Bellotti said. “They are very mobile. They protect (Alex) Brink well. They move the pocket. They are an attacking team. As an offensive line, they’d be the best running offensive line in this conference.”
Being able to contain Harrison is a huge concern.
“He’s got great speed. He’s not very tall, so he gets lost, and you miss him sometimes. He’s strong, extremely durable,” Bellotti said. “I mean he’s averaging 30-plus carries a game. He’s a stud and he’s got great speed. He’s got finishing speed. When he hits a hole, he’s gone.”
Harrison has rushed for more than 100 yards in 12 straight games – tying a conference record – and has rushed for 200-plus yards a school-record four times.
An elite rushing game hasn’t led to wins this season as the Cougars have dropped close game after close game. Washington State has led or been within one score in the fourth quarter of five conference losses this season, losing all by a combined 24 points – three by a field goal.
“It’s scary to me because they’ve been ahead at four – I think – of six games in the fourth quarter that they’ve lost in the conference,”
Bellotti said. “We need to make sure that we are very hungry and understand that we have to go up there and play against the weather, against the home team, against ourselves to a degree because the last time we played a team like Arizona I think we mistook what we needed to do.”
So what has happened in the closing minutes that kept the Cougars from holding on or sneaking out with a victory? No key defensive stops. Against Oregon State in the team’s opening conference game, Washington State relinquished a
30-16 halftime lead, allowing four touchdowns in the final 17:08 of the game to lose 44-33. The trend continued when the Cougars blew a three-touchdown fourth-quarter lead to UCLA two weeks later and a 10-point lead in the final six minutes the following week against California.
Arizona State held off a rally by Washington State to win by three points last week, knocking the Cougars out of contention for a bowl game and ensuring a losing season.
“It is the worst disappointment, it is kind of what we were playing for these last three games,” Washington State quarterback Alex Brink said. “We really wanted obviously to go to a bowl and get that extra month of practice and go down and have an extra game. We have two games and we just have to battle and work hard.”
With two games against Northwest rivals, Washington State has emphasized finishing the season strong.
“I need to make sure that this team understands that Washington State would like nothing better than to beat Oregon and Washington to finish their season, and make their season,” Bellotti said.