Unreal

Don’t care how, don’t care why. All that matters is the W, and folks, we got a win! Fan-flipping-TASTIC! 

Congrats to Marshall Lobbestael, who played “a terrible” second half according to Jim Walden on the radio broadcast, and was generally underwhelming with his numbers.  But just when they needed it most, they got the 80-yard TD drive in the waning moments to force overtime.  Huge, huge, huge moment.  Congrats to Jared Karstetter, who had another late, big catch catch to keep that last drive going, and also his TD catch to put this sucker into OT.  Congrats to Alex Hoffman-Ellis and Myron Beck, both guys who made GIGANTIC plays in the second half by taking some interceptions back to the house.  The defense may have given up a ton of yards (over 500 total), but when you win the turnover battle as they did today (5 INT’s, finishing +2 in turnover ratio), it’s funny how you can get outgained nearly 2-to-1 in total yards and the game can change your direction.  That’s right, SMU had 504 yards, WSU just 276.  Yet here we are on the winning side.

Finally, of course – congrats to Paul Wulff for rallying the troops when everyone was sure they would lose (every writer on this here blog anyway).  This was a rough week, full of doubts about where the ship was headed, player injuries and player defections, etc.  When it was 27-13 into the 4th quarter, it would have been easy to see the lads take a knee and stop competing.  But they didn’t.  They kept fighting, kept hanging around, never gave up, and boom!  30-27 is your final.

One last congrats…..and yes, it’s Coug blog through and through, but we pretty much have to do this…..congrats Jake Locker, congrats Steve Sarkisian, and congrats UW on a milestone win.  Big day for the in-state programs.

Maybe this should, once and for all, stop the FIRE WULFF stuff?  Whether or not there is enough talent on the roster to even win another game or two the rest of the way is debatable.  But talent or not, at least the second half vs. Hawaii and now the outcome today, it’s pretty clear – Paul Wulff has this team.  These kids do, in fact, believe.  Because if they didn’t, we’d be lamenting another 20+ point loss on what was sure to be a winless 2009.  Nice job coach.

ENJOY YOUR EVENING (like we have to tell  you that), and OF COURSE, GO COUGS!