Doba Fans... not really

Here is a recap of the abismal game against Arizona last Saturday. Make sure to read member comments at the bottom of the page. Doba is not exactly the most popular cat on the block. Frustration is seriously mounting in Cougar football country and axing Doba may relieve some frustration for next season. I don't know what kind of contract he has, but it's time for a fresh start. I desperately wanted a 9 or 10 win season during my WSU tenure and it looks like there's no way that's going to happen. Time to wipe the slate clean.

It's Game Time!

Saturday's game against Arizona will be at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Net. Buy your Busch Light early.

WSU Sports and Comm School Links

Poll Question

Trojans crush Cougs....Near the end for Bill Doba?

Saturday was not a good day to be a Coug. We flew down to Southern California, and Played a quarter of football. Then we got run over for three straight quarters and ended up losing 47-14. The Cougars scored on their first drive of the game, then only once again. USC Quarterback John David Booty led the Trojan charge, throwing for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns, before giving way to backup Mark Sanchez in the fourth quarter. Each Trojan quarterback was intercepted once.Neither Alex Brink or Gary Rogers was very effective for the Cougars, as combined they went 21 for 43 for 183 and 2 touchdowns. Brink also threw an interception.

The Trojans running game was dominant as well. Eight different players carried the ball 37 times for the Trojans, amassing 207 yards. The Cougars on the other hand had only 64 yards on 27 carriers. Dwighty Tardy was praticularly ineffective, averaging only 2.5 yards a carry.

This game looked like it might be a 2 way, high scoring affair for the first part of the game. However, it seemed as if the Cougs were completely outmanned by the Trojan defense after their first drive. That coupled with the Cougars defense failing to force the Trojans to punt for an entire game lead to this blowout.

Bill Doba was definetly outmatched on the coaching portion of the game by Pete Carroll. Carroll seemed to know what plays Doba was gonna run before Doba himself did. Doba is not known for inventive play calling, but rather more for his defensive prowess. However since he has been coach the Cougars defense has gotten worse every year. This year, they look like they have no idea what they are doing. Idaho scored 28 points against them 2 weeks ago. Idaho.

If the Cougars defense does not step it up the Cougars are once again looking at a mediocre season. With challenging games remaining against UCLA, CAL, Oregon and Arizona State the Cougars better pick it up quickly. Even the University of Washington will likely be favored when the play the Cougs due to the game being in Seattle and the emergence of Jake Locker. if the defense keeps playing as it is now, 6-6 seems like a stretch even. A 4-8 record with once again no bowl game may be what lies ahead for the Cougs. If this is the case, Bill Doba can not be brought back for another season. The Cougars need a coach who will improve the team, not make them worse as Doba has.

Player of the Game: John David Booty

Next game 9/29 at Arizona

Digg This!

Fan Profile

Name: Dan D.
Hometown: Federal Way, WA
Role: The "!" in "Go Cougs!"
Quote: "Last year we painted our chests to say "cougs" against USC, and when we first got in we lined up out of order and it said "Go USC" and people were actually booing us."

Here's a cool highlight reel of Cougar football from last season posted by kapoleicoug on YouTube.

Ouch

Well that was a brutal game against USC. If you're at all interested in a recap, check this out from Fox Sports on MSN... but I wouldn't recommend it. No place to go but up from here, Cougs.

USC Unstoppable?

Well there's 5 minutes left in the first quarter and so far the Cougs actually aren't looking to shabby. It's surprising to see considering our own coach was quoted saying that "[USC] would kill Wisconsin," a team which we played earlier in the season with a less than shabby performance on our part. Against those odds, I am slightly reluctant to cheer with optimism BUT so far the Cougs are making my crimson blood proud. I mean after all we beat Idaho too...

Based on what I've seen so far, if the Cougs can develop some sort of defensive presence, and if Brink can keep getting off quick passes to our eager receivers, Doba might be a little more confident at our next pres conference.

Cougars destroy Vandals at Martin Stadium

Washington State played its first game in the great city of Pullman, and shellacked the Idaho Vandals 45-28. Alex Brink had another huge day at Quarterback, throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns. This was the 90th meeting of these two teams from the Palouse, and the Cougars have controlled the series, going 70-17-3.

Along with Brink's big day, Running Back Dwight Tardy was able to eclipse the 100 yard mark once again, while scoring 2 rushing TD's. Micheal Bumpus lead all wide receivers with 8 catches for 118 yards and 2 scores.

This game was close for a half, as the Vandals actually jumped out to 14-7 lead, and the game was tied at 21. However the Cougars scored 10 straight to end the first half, and the game was never in doubt during the second half. Much of this can be accredited to the Cougar defense, who intercepted 4 passes and recovered a fumble.

The attendance for the game of two rivals who call their home a mere eight miles apart was 32,048. Not quite a sellout, but very close to capacity in Martin Stadium. The Cougars have not lost to the Vandals in a while, and that streak seems likely to continue. The series goes on an indefinite break starting next year.

Player of the Game: Alex Brink, who became the Cougars all-time leader in pass completions with 624. He passed Coug great Jason gesser, who held the record before with 611.

So far this season the Cougars offense has been quite prolific, with many players in the top 30 in the country in many stats. Here is a list of some of their current standings:

Alex Brink: 10th in passing yards, 8th in passes completed, 5th in completion percentage, t-8th in td's, and 12th in quarterback rating

Brandon Gibson: 25th in receiving yards and t-5th for recieving touchdowns

Micheal Bumpus: 29th in receiving yards

Dwight Tardy: 30th in rushing yards and t-17th in rushing touchdowns

Also the Cougar offense is tied for 26th in points per game, averaging 37

The Cougars offense will need to continue to play like for the rest of the season if they hope to make a bowl game.

Cougs Really Do Bleed Crimson

Not far from my seat at the Cougar victory over University of Idaho on Saturday, a police officer began to walk up the stairs towards me. As countless numbers of flasks and bottles were being stuffed in coats and down the crotches of pants, he stopped to my right and motioned for a fan to come out of the stands who was standing across the aisle from me. Naturally I thought this young man wasn't able to dispose of his alcohol discretely enough, but in actuality he was bleeding... from his thumb. I was obviously curious so I kept my ears open the best I could and tried to listen to the conversation between the officer and the young man. Apparently, the fan got into a verbal altercation and somehow his thumb ended up in someone's mouth. The rogue biter subsequently tried to crowd surf down the stands to make his escape, but was intercepted by police at the bottom. The questioning between the officer and the victim went something like this:

Officer: Do you know why he bit you?
Victim: I have no idea... he was probably a Huskie.

Laughter then ensued.

The digitally challenged Coug then left with the police officer to give a formal statement. He later returned to the stands to enjoy the rest of the game. Now that's Cougar football.

The First Home Game

For many students, the Friday before the Cougar game in Seattle was a day to skip classes and get an early start on the drive across the state. On Saturday the Cougars played San Diego State University at Qwest Field for the annual Cougar Gridiron Classic football game. This game is a great opportunity for students to get out of Pullman and enjoy the weekend with thousands of other fans in Seattle.

For freshmen like Bryant Smick and Cantlon Ryan, it was especially exciting considering it was their first football game as WSU students.

“My dad went to WSU, and he always told me about football games when I was younger so I was really excited to go to watch my first game in the student section,” Smick said.

The two freshmen roommates left Pullman bound for Ryan’s home in Kent on Friday afternoon, where they would stay before the game on Saturday.

On Saturday, they drove to Seattle to meet up with friends and family at Qwest Field to tailgate before the game. “We got there about four hours early and just hung out with a bunch of other fans and barbequed,” Ryan said. “It definitely pumped me up for the game.”

“It was pretty awesome how all the parking lots around Qwest Field were filled with other Cougars,” Smick said. “We just took over the city.”

Kickoff was scheduled for 4:00 PM, but many students, including Ryan and Smick, were still trying to get into the stadium. “We thought we went to the entrance early enough, but we didn’t get seats until about halfway through the first quarter,” Ryan said. “The amount of people going to this game kind of caught me off guard.”

“There are typically around six to eight thousand students at this game,” said Jason Sheppard, from the Washington State Athletics ticket office. “That’s not including all of the other fans who purchased tickets, so it can be crazy for someone who’s never been to a game before.”

The Cougars ended up beating San Diego State University by a score of 45-17, causing fans to leave the game happy.

“The atmosphere after the game was so upbeat,” Smick said. “Everybody was giving high fives to each other and yelling out ‘go cougs.’”

“With everyone being so happy I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like after a loss at home,” Ryan said. “Hopefully I don’t have to experience that for the rest of the season.”

The two freshmen drove back to Pullman early Sunday morning along with many other students. “It was a huge caravan of cars all the way back,” Smick said.

“The only bad part of the weekend was the drive home,” Ryan said. “We knew that we had to go back to school on Monday.”

“This was definitely one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time, Smick said. “The drive to Seattle was totally worth it.”

National Rankings

Here is a link to national college football rankings from MSN/Fox Sports. The site lists rankings from 1 to 119. Washington State is ranked at a dismal #50. I was somewhat surprsied by this, but I suppose I shouldn't be this early on in the season. With quarterback Alex Brink's remarkable performance last weekend however, WSU should be moving steadily up the list. We may not be able to trounce USC or UCLA, but hopefully we'll steal games from teams like Arizona State and Oregon and sprint towards a long overdue showing at a bowl game.

WSU Beats Down San Diego State

Seattle, WA- The Cougars decided that they didn't want to start their season off 2-0, and overcame a sluggish start to beat the Aztecs 45-17. Quarterback Alex Brink had a huge game, throwing for over 400 yards and setting a school record with 38 completions. He also threw for 5 touchdowns with only 1 interception. The game looked like it might be close in the first quarter, as San Diego State was able to move the ball throughout the first quarter and actually held a 10-7 lead. However, the COugar defense stiffened after this, and the offense took over. Brink was virtually unstppable throughout the game, other than one underthrown pass that got picked off near the endzone near the end of the first half. Also, Brink set a school record was his fourth game throwing for over 400 yards, and his 469 yards were the 3rd most ever by a Cougar, trailing only his 500 yard against Oregon State a few years ago, and a performance by Drew Bledsoe in the 90's. Some other Cougars had big days, as 4 different recievers caught touchdown passes, with Brandon Gibson catching two. Also, the Cougars had three receivers, Gibson, Micheal Bumpus and Charles Dillon all go over 100 yards receiving. This was first time the Cougars had done this since the 2003 season. Another positive note for the Cougar Wr's was the emergence of true freshgman Jeshua Anderson, who flew by the Aztec defensive for a 39 yard touchdown in the first half. Anderson set a national high school record last year in the 300 meter hurdles. The Cougar coaching staff believes he may be the fastest Wr they have ever coached. The Cougars were also able to run the ball, finishing with 185 yards on 35 carries. They were led by Dwight Tardy who had 16 carries for 99 and a touchdown. Christian Ivory and Kevin McCall were also successful running the ball. On Defense, the Cougars did not play well in the first quarter. In the end, they gave up nearly 300 yards passing and a touchdown. However, they were able to intercept one of Aztec quarterbacks Kevin O'Connell passes. They were able to hold them to only 114 yards rushing. The Aztec offense was praticularly ineffective during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, where the Cougars were able to shut them out. Play of the Game: Cougar WR Jeshua Anderson sprinted past the Aztec defense and ran under a perfectly thrown Alex Brink for a 39 yard touchdown that put the COugars comfortably ahead during the second quarter. It was Anderson's first career catch. Players of the Game: WSU WR's/TE's- Combined for 5 td's and made many extraordinary catches. Next up for the Cougars is a game Saturday vs. Idaho at 7pm in Pullman. This weekend was not only good for the Cougars, but for almost all of the Pac-10. THe conference went 7-1, with Oregon State being the only team to lose. These wins included a huge upset by the University of Washington over 22nd ranked Boise State. Huskies fan have hope for the first time in years, thanks to freshman sensation quarterback Jake Locker. Also, the Seattle Seahawks won their season opener in Seattle against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. The final score was 20-6, and the Buc's were unable to score after the first quarter. The Seahawks were led by Shaun Alexander who had 27 carries for 105 yards and a TD>

WSU vs Wisconsin recap

Well, the Cougars did not have the season opening game we all hoped for. The Cougars stayed close with Wisconsin for a quarter, but in the end did not have the firepower on offense to keep up with Badgers. The final score was Wisconsin 42-WSU 21. On offense, their were a few bright spots for the Cougars.

Quarterback Alex Brink started strong, and had a pretty good game. He was 17 for 27 passing for 171 yards and a touchdown. He also had a career best 27 yard scramble. Running backs Christian Ivory and Dwight Tardy combined for over 100 yards and 2 td's, but were not verye ffective in the second half. Much of this was due to the Cougars trailing and being forced to pass.
Wide Reciever Brandon Gibson led the Cougars with 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. It was a good start for the junior who is expected to be a breakout star for the Cougars this year, filling the void left by Jason Hill.

Defensively, the Cougars did a good containing the Badgers high powered running game. P.J Hill was held to 84 yards rushing, but did score 2 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately the Badgers passing attack was able to move the ball with ease throughout most of the game. Quarterback Tyler Donovan had a huge game, throwing for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns. His number 1 target was Luke Swan, who had career highs in catches with 8, recieving yards with 170 and touchdowns, with 2.

Play(s) of the Game: On the first drive of the game the Cougars were forced to punt. Darryl Blunt had his kick blocked, but was able to pick it up on one hop and rush for an 11 yard gain and a first down. The next play Alex Brink connected on a deep pass to Brandon Gibson, setting up the Cougars first score.

Players of the Game: Wisconsin WR Luke Swan and WSU RB Dwight Tardy

For more info about the game, check out these links
Espn
AP

Next week: WSU vs. San Diego State in Seattle

Is Basketball the New Football?

Will basketball ever overtake football as the premiere sport at WSU?

The Cougars basketball team went 24-6 last season before going to the NCAA tournament. Most importantly for Pullman, we were 13-2 at home. Basketball season was a beautiful time to be a Coug last year. Cougar fans needed some good roundball to wash the bitter taste out of their mouths left by last year's football season.

Football fans thought a bowl game appearance was in the bag last season, but no such luck. The problem is, the Cougs are already showing signs of last year's lackluster 6-6 performance.

They were blown out of the water the first game by Auburn last year. This year against Wisconsin was no different. I know these are highly nationally ranked teams, but WSU is a football school and Pullman is a football town. We need to be able to stand up against these types of ball clubs. Cougar fans can't take another .500 season.

What they are primed for however is more basketball. Coach Tony Bennett will undoubtedly be hungry after his amazing season and praise that flooded in from around the country. He surely does not want the '06-'07 season remembered as a fluke and will be looking to take his team to tournament back to back.

Of course Derrick Low (13.7 ppg last season) and Kyle Weaver (11.2 ppg last season) will be back as seniors, arguably the best backcourt in the Pac-10. They've tasted what it's like to win and to have the fans behind them now. There's no way they will give that up their last year at WSU.

So will football fall to the wayside? No, we love our Cougar football and always will. The great thing is, we now have a basketball program that in short order has brought together a school who has had little to cheer about during the fall.


(Statistics used in this article were found here)