Let's be honest: the current state of the Washington State football program stinks like a drained lake bed full of five-inch fish, but it wasn't always the desolate quagmire it is now. This is a proud program. They went to the Rose Bowl in 1998 and 2003. They beat the Ducks 55-16 in Autzen stadium a few years ago.
Let's be careful: nothing would infuse new life into Cougar football like an upset win over the number three ranked Oregon Ducks. Bill Moos could stand on a table and collect the checks, and next winter he could hire Mike Bellotti and build a new weight room.
The long bus ride from Spokane and the long walk to the stadium can take the life out of teams, particularly if they were a little short on energy and urgency when they left home. This game has to be won like any other.
keep posting. enjoy the blog. as a fan, this is like a two week bye.
ReplyDeletekachny--
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy the blog. This morning I watched a replay of WSU's game with UCLA in the Rose Bowl last Saturday. They had UCLA 28-20 midway through the third quarter, and had the ball at the UCLA 2-foot line 3rd and goal in the fourth quarter with the score 28-28.
I agree it feels like a two-week lull in the season, especially with the UCLA game moved to Thursday October 21st, but they definitely have to conduct a business trip this weekend, packed neat and dressed sharp with their notes in order. The Cougars played hard in Pasadena. They haven't yet learned to finish and how to win. They'll upset someone in conference play, and the Ducks don't want to be the victim.
I don't expect it to happen, but Oregon has to prepare properly to see it doesn't. The other part is, the teams they face later are all using this week and next to get better, and you don't want them to gain ground.
That said, the break comes at a good time to regroup and heal the little nicks. Chip has a plan for every phase of the season, and I'm sure they'll use the time productively.
Thanks for your comment, and for reading. It's going to be weird listening to the game on the radio like the old days.
Dale