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>

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)