The Cougars fell to the California Golden Bears Saturday night, 20-17. That dropped the Cougars to 3-6, and ensured once again they would not have a winning record. There were plenty of chances to win this game, but the team was forced to settle for field goals until a late touchdown with merely 30 seconds left in the game.
A complete recap can be found here
Showing posts with label Cougars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cougars. Show all posts
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Cougs over Bruins, 27-7
Here is a recap from the much needed 27-7 Cougar victory over the Bruins on Saturday.
I can't even begin to describe how nice it was to see such a sound victory over a highly ranked team. After the quick touchdown by UCLA, I braced myself for another sound thrashing. However, WSU defense did not relent after that point. Holding UCLA to that single touchdown is hopefully a sign of things to come in terms of our defensive play. And Tardy put up a Harrisonesque performance with 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns. These game stats and others can be found here.
Saturday was a beautiful day on the Palouse. After the Oregon loss, we needed a shot in the arm, and I think this was just the kind of performance to do so. Whatever Doba and company figured out for this win, they better remember it for the rest of the season. Pullman wants a bowl game.
I can't even begin to describe how nice it was to see such a sound victory over a highly ranked team. After the quick touchdown by UCLA, I braced myself for another sound thrashing. However, WSU defense did not relent after that point. Holding UCLA to that single touchdown is hopefully a sign of things to come in terms of our defensive play. And Tardy put up a Harrisonesque performance with 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns. These game stats and others can be found here.
Saturday was a beautiful day on the Palouse. After the Oregon loss, we needed a shot in the arm, and I think this was just the kind of performance to do so. Whatever Doba and company figured out for this win, they better remember it for the rest of the season. Pullman wants a bowl game.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Other Cougar Athletics
Sorry that it took so long to get these up. What we call a football team has been taking up a lot of attention, with their abysmal defensive and mediocre offense how could it not though?
Womens Tennis
In late september the Cougar Women's tennis team hosted the Cougar Classic. WSU did very well in the tournament, sending multiple players into later rounds of the tournament. Ekaterina Burduli defeated Boise State's Bianca Jochimsen 6-0, 6-4 to capture the number 1 singles title. She has a preseason national rank of No. 113. Also, Freshman Marina Nicolas defeated Anna Gullickson of Portland on route to the No. 3 singles championship. Those were the only Cougar women to win singles championships.
Burduli also played in the All-American Championship on October, 2. Unfortunately she was defeated in the first round by Duke's Tory Zawacki 6-3, 6-0. The Cougars are next in action Oct. 6-8 at the USTA NTC Women's College Tennis Invitational, held at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York.
Women's Volleyball
The volleyball team began play in late August, and started very quickly. They won their first 6 matches, and 8 of their first 9. Unfortunately, their luck has turned as of late. The Cougar women dropped 4 straight matches heading into Pac-10 play, and then were defeated by Oregon State, Oregon and Washington to extend their losing streak to 7. This dropped their overall record to 9-9. This Thursday and Friday the Cougars will play against Arizona and Arizona State, and hopefully turn their luck around.
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team has gotten off to a hot start. They are current 7-1-2, and have held a national top 25 ranking. The one loss was a heart breaking 1-0 loss on the road to UNLV. They Cougars have one more non-conference game, a second meeting with Idaho, before they begin Pac-10 play on Oct. 12 at Arizona. The game against Idaho is Friday Oct. 5 in Moscow at Guy Wicks Field. Their is no charge to attend this game.
Currently Buzz Magazine ranks the team 30th nationally and 8th in the West region. NSCAA national rankings mirror those of Buzz Magazine.
Men's Golf
The men's golf team began their season in mid September at the Cobb/Ferrell Mean Green Classic. As a team the Cougars took 5th place, with individuals Austin Hust and Kevin Tucker both tying for 14th place among individuals.
They also played in the Giustina Memorial Class on Spetember 17th and 18th. Against stiffer competition including Pac-10 schools Oregon and Oregon State, the Cougars took 6th place. Nick Grigsby was the top individual finisher, taking 8th place.
The final event which they played in was the Husky Invitational, which was shortened due to weather. The Cougars did not fair as well in this tournmanet, finishing in 13th place. hust was the top finisher once again, tying for 31st place.
That is just a quick recap of some of the sports which WSU is participating in. So go ahead and support all Cougars athletics, even though football is not doing well. Also, basketball practice starts in less than 2 weeks. At least we have one sport too look forward too.
Womens Tennis
In late september the Cougar Women's tennis team hosted the Cougar Classic. WSU did very well in the tournament, sending multiple players into later rounds of the tournament. Ekaterina Burduli defeated Boise State's Bianca Jochimsen 6-0, 6-4 to capture the number 1 singles title. She has a preseason national rank of No. 113. Also, Freshman Marina Nicolas defeated Anna Gullickson of Portland on route to the No. 3 singles championship. Those were the only Cougar women to win singles championships.
Burduli also played in the All-American Championship on October, 2. Unfortunately she was defeated in the first round by Duke's Tory Zawacki 6-3, 6-0. The Cougars are next in action Oct. 6-8 at the USTA NTC Women's College Tennis Invitational, held at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York.
Women's Volleyball
The volleyball team began play in late August, and started very quickly. They won their first 6 matches, and 8 of their first 9. Unfortunately, their luck has turned as of late. The Cougar women dropped 4 straight matches heading into Pac-10 play, and then were defeated by Oregon State, Oregon and Washington to extend their losing streak to 7. This dropped their overall record to 9-9. This Thursday and Friday the Cougars will play against Arizona and Arizona State, and hopefully turn their luck around.
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team has gotten off to a hot start. They are current 7-1-2, and have held a national top 25 ranking. The one loss was a heart breaking 1-0 loss on the road to UNLV. They Cougars have one more non-conference game, a second meeting with Idaho, before they begin Pac-10 play on Oct. 12 at Arizona. The game against Idaho is Friday Oct. 5 in Moscow at Guy Wicks Field. Their is no charge to attend this game.
Currently Buzz Magazine ranks the team 30th nationally and 8th in the West region. NSCAA national rankings mirror those of Buzz Magazine.
Men's Golf
The men's golf team began their season in mid September at the Cobb/Ferrell Mean Green Classic. As a team the Cougars took 5th place, with individuals Austin Hust and Kevin Tucker both tying for 14th place among individuals.
They also played in the Giustina Memorial Class on Spetember 17th and 18th. Against stiffer competition including Pac-10 schools Oregon and Oregon State, the Cougars took 6th place. Nick Grigsby was the top individual finisher, taking 8th place.
The final event which they played in was the Husky Invitational, which was shortened due to weather. The Cougars did not fair as well in this tournmanet, finishing in 13th place. hust was the top finisher once again, tying for 31st place.
That is just a quick recap of some of the sports which WSU is participating in. So go ahead and support all Cougars athletics, even though football is not doing well. Also, basketball practice starts in less than 2 weeks. At least we have one sport too look forward too.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 10, 2007
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>
Thursday, September 6, 2007
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
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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)
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)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Cougar Season Opener Vs. Wisconsin
The Cougars kick off the 2007 season Saturday, Sept 1 against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Cougars come into the game as heavy underdogs to the Badgers, who are ranked 7th in both the AP and USA Today polls. The Cougars are coming off a disappointing end to last season, as they ended with 3 consecutive defeats, including ending the season with an embarrassing loss to the University of Washington in the Apple Cup. The motivation from this loss should help the Cougars come out fired up, and give the badgers a run for their money.
On offense, the Cougars return 7 starters including 2nd team all Pac-10 Quarterback Alex Brink. Brink can throw the ball to an array of wide receivers, including potential superstar Brandon Gibson, Michael Bumpus, Charles Dillon and others. However, they did lose Jason Hill who is now on the San Francisco 49er's The trouble may be the offense line, which last year did a poor job protecting Brink. This line was also unable to open many running lanes for the back, as the leading rusher was Dwight Tardy with only 667 yards and 4 touchdowns. The year before Jerome Harrison had led the team, and was among the national leaders with 1900 yards and 16 td's. They will need Tardy to put up Harrison like numbers to compete against Wisconsin and the rest of their tough 2007 schedule. Kicker is another position of problem, as Loren Langley made less than 55% of his field goal attempts last year. Although he is returning for his senior year, he has been replaced by Romeen Abdollmohammadi, who the Cougars hope can be a more effective weapon.
The Cougar defense was not exactly solid last year, and lost many key players. Defensive stars Mkristo Brice and Eric Frampton both graduated and moved onto the NFL. This year's defensive will need to be much better if they hope to be competitive. Wisconsin is starting a new quarterback this year, and getting pressure on him will be key to the Cougars pulling off a huge upset.
The Cougar defense was not exactly solid last year, and lost many key players. Defensive stars Mkristo Brice and Eric Frampton both graduated and moved onto the NFL. This year's defensive will need to be much better if they hope to be competitive. Wisconsin is starting a new quarterback this year, and getting pressure on him will be key to the Cougars pulling off a huge upset.
My prediction is the Cougars will put up a valiant fight and keep the game close at halftime. However, Wisconsin's running game will eventually wear out the Cougar Defense, and this will be the difference in the game.
Wisconsin 38-WSU 24
Links to other previews
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=272440275&confId=9
http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/gamecenter/preview/NCAAF_20070901_WAST@WI
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/preview?gid=200709010036
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
2007 Cougar Football Schedule
Here is the 2007 football schedule for the Cougars.
Key home games include the home opener against Idaho on September 15th, Pac-10 opener against Arizona State on October 6th, and a key game against 14 ranked UCLA on October 27.
The Cougars kick off their season this Saturday against the #7 Wisconsin Badgers, in Madison, Wisc. The Cougars are heavy underdogs, and will be looking to pull a huge upset. Last season the Cougars started their season on the road against highly ranked Auburn, but were defeated handily 40-14. Let's hope this season is different and the Cougs can start it off with a bang.
Key home games include the home opener against Idaho on September 15th, Pac-10 opener against Arizona State on October 6th, and a key game against 14 ranked UCLA on October 27.
The Cougars kick off their season this Saturday against the #7 Wisconsin Badgers, in Madison, Wisc. The Cougars are heavy underdogs, and will be looking to pull a huge upset. Last season the Cougars started their season on the road against highly ranked Auburn, but were defeated handily 40-14. Let's hope this season is different and the Cougs can start it off with a bang.
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