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 WSU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WSU. 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.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
WSU vs. UCLA preview
THis game is huge for the Cougars, as they need to win to remain bowl eligible. While it is a very unlikely the Cougars will make it to a bowl, it is still something to strive for. The game is also huge for UCLA, who is currently tied with ASU for first in the Pac-10 with a 4-0 conference record. The Bruins, who are 5-2 overall, have been playing their best against good teams this year.
Against two of their poorest opponents, Notre Dame and Utah, the Bruins where upset. Utah was winless when they played the Bruins, and went on to rout them, 44-6. UCLA was ranked in the top 25 at the time of that lost. Notre Dame was 0-5 when they went into California and stunned the Bruins 20-6. Notre Dame has since lost its next two games, including a 38-0 defeat at the hands of USC.
These two losses should give the Cougars hope, as bad competition has given the Bruins the most trouble. And right now, the Cougars would definetly be classified as bad competition.
WSU is coming off a bye week, so the Cougs should be rested and healthy. They will need to play much better than against Oregon if they hope to have a chance. Defensively, WSU can not give up 40 points in the first half and hope to have a chance. Offensively, the Cougars offense needs to score more than 7 points a game. Really basic stuff to be truthful.
Maybe the week off taught the Cougs how to play football again. We can only hope. And if not, Basketball season starts November 9, at 6:30 pm against Eastern Washington University, at Beasley Coliseum.
Against two of their poorest opponents, Notre Dame and Utah, the Bruins where upset. Utah was winless when they played the Bruins, and went on to rout them, 44-6. UCLA was ranked in the top 25 at the time of that lost. Notre Dame was 0-5 when they went into California and stunned the Bruins 20-6. Notre Dame has since lost its next two games, including a 38-0 defeat at the hands of USC.
These two losses should give the Cougars hope, as bad competition has given the Bruins the most trouble. And right now, the Cougars would definetly be classified as bad competition.
WSU is coming off a bye week, so the Cougs should be rested and healthy. They will need to play much better than against Oregon if they hope to have a chance. Defensively, WSU can not give up 40 points in the first half and hope to have a chance. Offensively, the Cougars offense needs to score more than 7 points a game. Really basic stuff to be truthful.
Maybe the week off taught the Cougs how to play football again. We can only hope. And if not, Basketball season starts November 9, at 6:30 pm against Eastern Washington University, at Beasley Coliseum.
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.
Monday, September 24, 2007
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
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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!
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.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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.
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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