Yes, it’s the day after, and no, it doesn’t feel any better. The wound is still pretty raw and there are a lot of emotions flying around, but what can you do but plow forward?
Thanks to Jared at WSU for putting together some highlights from last night’s game:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAwze4FpCW4&w=420&h=315]
Some super-quick thoughts:
1) The running game showed some promise. I know that some are a little unsure as to why we did run the ball so much, but on the night we had a perfect 50-50 run-pass ratio (40 pass attempts, 40 rushing attempts). But Galvin looked quick as hell, and Winston and Mitz kept their legs churning and pushed some people back while not going down easy. Still just 3.9 yards per carry when you mix in Marshall’s negative-3 yards rushing, but overall it wasn’t bad. We’ll never be a “run heavy” offense, and the bread and butter is always going to be what we do through the air. But there was just enough of a run game to help keep things somewhat honest?
2) Was Marshall good enough? 28-for-40 and a couple of TD’s were great, really. Again it’s important to remember he’s the backup QB, pure and simple, and there is no question this is the best stretch of college football Marshall has experienced in his time at WSU. And he’s still taking care of the football, despite the meltdown INT at the end of the game last night. On the season he’s got a really strong 15-td/4-int ratio, which many teams would gladly take right about now!
That said, what was a little odd was all the short stuff that we saw from the offense. There weren’t a lot of deep throws, and you wonder what was going on there. Was it just a matter that guys weren’t getting open down the field vs. UCLA’s secondary? Was the game plan to just nickel-and-dime them to death, hope they have to cheat up close to the line of scrimmage to stop it, and then burn them deep with a double move out of Wilson or Karstetter on a fade? Or were there guys open but Marshall wasn’t able to see things down the field, as he was locking on to his primary read far too often? It’s awfully hard to tell from watching on TV, because you just don’t see the things the QB sees from that side angle. I guess we’ll wait and see what they say after they digest the film and the coaches do their thing, but you have to wonder when your QB’s yards-per-attempt is only 5.9?
3) The O-line has come a long way since San Diego State. Marshall did have some decent time to throw, and the running game was respectable. They saw some blitzes throughout the night and picked things up pretty well. And that was without big Wade Jacobson, who didn’t even make the trip due to his back flaring up again. So there is some good to take from the way the front five played on offense.
4) The first drive of the third quarter was fantastic. A nice mix of run and pass, and they FINALLY got into the end zone. But what was so big about that drive was that the Cougs answered UCLA’s waltz to the end zone to start the second half. The Bruins had taken their first lead and their momentum was huge behind Prince off the bench. You go 3-and-out in that situation, suddenly you could see the team go down 21-9 and everyone’s walking around saying WTF happened!?! But that drive was crucial to hanging around in this one.
5) Love how Furney is handling the kicking job! Nothing to bitch about here! The missed PAT sucked, but he’s now a perfect 9-for-9 on the season. And while it’s easy to complain about the missed scoring opportunities (THREE first half drives inside the UCLA 10, and just nine points!?!?), still, well, your kicker has to actually make those kicks. Now a perfect 4-for-4 from outside 40 yards as well this year, here’s hoping he gets to trot out at some point this season with the game on the line. You have to like our chances with Furney.
6) We still have defensive “issues”. Or in coach speak, we still have “some things to clean up” on the defensive side of the ball. But they did at least keep the Bruins under 5 yards per carry (4.9), so that’s a small win. But the flip side? UCLA had 55 plays for the evening, and in those 55 plays, they put up 371 total yards. Doing the math, that’s an average of 6.75 yards per play! That’s more than a first down every two plays. And wow, that fourth quarter, two of UCLA’s drives were TD’s, and the third drive was just to milk the clock and put the game away. Overall in the second half, UCLA scored TD’s on three out of their first five possessions. Yet they only ran 55 plays on the night, and somehow our D was the unit that looked worn out late in that game!?
The pass rush wasn’t there, at all, and that problem continues to show itself at the worst possible times. And the corners have some real challenges ahead, and clearly are at a disadvantage vs the taller, more physical receivers we are going to see the rest of the season. They have to figure out a way to give those guys some help, because more often than not they are going to get beat on the corners.
And man oh man, does this team miss Aire Justin or what!? Remember the way he played last year vs. Cal, or Oregon State at the end of the season? He was of that longer, more athletic body type that you need back there who can go up and legitimately challenge some of those big WR’s like we saw out of UCLA last night, or we are going to see down the stretch of the season. Losing him not only hurts in that he was probably the best corner on the team at the end of the season, but not having him now is a huge hit to the depth at a position that is young and just not there yet.
So that’s all I have to say for now. It’s a tough, raw, emotional loss and in the big picture, you have to wonder how they are going to respond. Stanford looks FANTASTIC right now and next week is going to be incredibly tough. You start to spy the schedule a little more and you really have to wonder where the three more wins are going to come from in order to make the postseason. The Beavs have moved the ball really well the last two games now, and of course they now have a W, so their confidence is on the rise. Then you go to Oregon, to Cal, home against the best team in the P-12 south in ASU…..with or without Jeff Tuel, it’s going to be tough.
But who knows. I still say that many of us missed the boat last year in trying to predict the Cougs, as everyone though we would have a great chance at beating ASU (42-0 loss) and had no chance in Corvallis (31-14 win). So you just never know.
All for now. Enjoy your day, and of course, GO COUGS!
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