Washington State can't stop Irish passing

Washington State Cougars 2009 ... Head Coach: Paul Wulff

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 2-10
2009 Record: 1-7

9/5 Stanford L 39-14
9/11 Hawaii L 38-20
9/19 SMU W 30-27 OT
9/26 at USC L 27-6
10/3 at Oregon L 52-6
10/10 Arizona St L 27-14
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/24 at California L 49-17
10/31 Ne Dame (in SA.) L 40-14
11/7 at Arizona
11/14 UCLA
11/21 Oregon State
11/28 at Washington

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 2-11

Aug. 30 Oklahoma State L 39-13
(in Seattle)
Sept. 6 California L 66-3
Sept. 13 at Baylor L 45-17
Sept. 20 Portland State W 48-9
Sept. 27 Oregon L 63-14
Oct. 4 at UCLA L 28-3
Oct. 11 at Oregon State L 66-13
Oct. 18 USC L 69-0
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 at Stanford L 58-0
Nov. 8 Arizona L 59-28
Nov. 15 at Arizona State L 31-0
Nov. 22 Washington W 16-13 OT
Nov. 29 at Hawaii L 24-10

Washington State Cougars

Oct. 31
Notre Dame 40 … Washington State 14
Notre Dame finally got a win it didn’t have to sweat through the fourth quarter to get. Jimmy Clausen connected with Duval Kamara from seven yards out and Golden Tate and Robert Hughes each ran for scores on the way to a 23-0 lead, but Washington State was able to get on the board late in the first half on the first of two Jared Karstetter touchdown catches. And then Tate came up with one of the most impressive catches this year snagging a Hail Mary from 50 yards out with no time left on the first half clock. John Goodman closed out the scoring for the Irish with a 64-yard catch.
Player of the Game: Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen completed 22-of-27 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington State: Passing: Jeff Tuel, 12-23, 104 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 8-72, Receiving: Tony Thompson, 3-27
Notre Dame: Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 22-27, 268 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Robert Hughes, 24-131, 1 TD, Receiving: Kyle Rudolph, 6-59
What It All Means: The Cougars never had a chance against an offense as efficient and as effective as Notre Dame’s, and the O never had a prayer of keeping up. Once again, Jeff Tuel and the passing game stuck with the short-to-medium passing game and did nothing to scare the Irish secondary deep, while the running game only came up with 104 yards and two scores. Next up is Nick Foles and an Arizona passing game that should be able to rip up the Cougar secondary without a problem.

Oct. 24
at California 49 … Washington State 17
Cal got out to a 35-3 lead in the first 19 minutes of the game with Jahvid Best taking a pass 27 yards for a score and running for a 61-yard score, and with Jeremy Ross taking a punt 76 yards for a touchdown. Washington State came back late in the first half with two Jeff Tuel touchdown passes including a 68-yarder to Johnny Forzani, but Cal owned the second half with short touchdown runs from Best and Shane Vereen and the defense keeping the Cougars off the board. The two teams combined for 20 penalties with Wazzu getting nailed 13 times.
Player of the Game: California RB Jahvid Best ran 13 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a pass for a 27-yard score.
Washington State: Passing: Jeff Tuel, 28-42, 354 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Carl Winston, 8-51, Receiving: Jeffrey Solomon, 7-81
California: Passing: Kevin Riley, 12-18, 229 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jahvid Best, 13-159, 2 TD, Receiving: Marvin Jones, 3-48, 1 TD
What It All Means: The mistakes just keep on coming. Wazzu is struggling too much on both sides of the ball to keep screwing up, and while there weren’t any turnovers against Cal, there were 13 penalties for 114 yards. The offense actually worked, for a stretch, finishing with 440 yards as Jeff Tuel threw well, but it was too little, too late. If it’s possible to be blown out and improve in the same game, the Cougars might have done it. Unfortunately, it’s not going to get much easier with Notre Dame up next followed up by Nick Foles and the Arizona passing game. 

Oct. 10
Arizona State 27 …. at Washington State 14
ASU got up 19-0 helped by a nine-yard Kyle Williams touchdown catch and a seven-yard Danny Sullivan run, and then the defense did the rest. A failed fake Washington State punt led to a ten-yard Cameron Marshall touchdown run for a 27-7 lead, and then came the biggest highlight of the day with Johnny Forzani taking a pass 99 yards for a Cougar score. However, the Cougars only gained 82 yards the rest of the game. Arizona State turned it over six times, and Washington State gave it up four times.
Player of the Game: Arizona State WR Kyle Williams caught 13 passes for 126 yards and a score.
Washington State: Passing: Jeff Tuel, 11-22, 175 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Reid Forrest, 1-15, Receiving: Daniel Blackledge, 5-37
Arizona State: Passing: Danny Sullivan, 19-29, 169 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dimitri Nance, 21-113, 1 TD, Receiving: Kyle Williams, 13-126, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Cougars aren’t good enough to beat anyone in the Pac 10 straight up, and they have absolutely no chance if they make mistakes. They were in the game against Arizona State, but six turnovers and no offense whatsoever meant yet another loss. Nothing is working in the passing game thanks to an offensive line that’s getting the quarterbacks killed. Wazzu finished with a net -54 yards rushing, and there isn’t enough pop in the passing game to pick up the slack. The was the last home game until mid-November.

Oct. 3
at Oregon 52 … Washington State 6
Oregon dominated on both sides of the ball getting out to a 42-0 halftime lead and holding Wazzu scoreless until late in the third. LaMichael James ran for two first quarter touchdowns and Jeremiah Masoli threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ed Dickson and ran for a one-yard score before leaving the game with a sore knee. Washington State was outgained 514 yards to 158 and came up with just four first downs.
Player of the Game: Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 14-of-18 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, and he ran seven times for 52 yards and a score.
Washington State: Passing: Marshall Loebbestael, 7-13, 48 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Carl Winston, 7-56, Receiving: Jared Karstetter, 2-12
Oregon: Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 14-18, 116 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: LaMichael James, 13-81, 2 TD, Receiving: Ed Dickson, 7-103, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Cougars are trying to find something that works offensively, but Marshall Loebbestael wasn’t the answer throwing for a mere 48 yards. The offense couldn’t move the ball, the defense couldn’t get off the field, and it was yet another disastrous performance in another lost season. To have any chance at home against Arizona State, Wazzu has to find one thing it can do well and hope the pass defense, currently the nation’s worst, can finally come up with a big play or five.

Sept. 26
at USC 27 … Washington State 6
Matt Barkley returned from a shoulder injury and connected with Brice Butler for a 29-yard touchdown and hit Damian Williams on a 57-yard scoring pass on the way to a 20-0 first quarter lead. The Trojans coasted from there as the defense forced three turnovers and came up with eight sacks. Stafon Johnson ran for a six-yard score in the fourth for a 27-0 USC lead. Wazzu didn’t get on the board until Dwight Tardy ran for a two-yard score with 22 seconds to play.
Player of the Game: USC WR Damian Williams caught five 100 yards and a score.
Washington State: Passing: Jeff Tuel, 14-22, 130 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 16-44, Receiving: Gino Simone, 8-83
USC: Passing: Matt Barkley, 13-22, 247 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Allen Bradford, 6-55, Receiving: Damian Williams, 5-100, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The Cougars were never in it against USC, but they weren’t truly awful. Jeff Tuel threw the ball well and kept the chains moving under a heavy pass rush, and considering he didn’t get any support from the running game, he wasn’t bad. The offensive line has to get a lot better in a big hurry or else there won’t be any hope of pulling off any Pac 10 upsets over the next few weeks. The pass defense is currently the worst in America, but it’ll have to be the defensive front that tightens up with Oregon up next.

Sept. 19
at Washington State 30 … SMU 27 OT
SMU’s Bo Levi Mitchell was picked off in overtime and Wazzu’s Nico Grasu connected on a 39-yard field goal to give the Cougars the win. The Mustangs held a 24-7 lead in the third quarter, but the Washington State defense sparked the comeback with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown from Alex Hoffman-Ellis, and Myron Beck added to the defensive fun with a 67-yard pick six in the fourth. But it wasn’t until Jared Karstetter caught a seven-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds to go to force overtime did Washington State have any control in the game, Mitchell threw two touchdown passes to Terrance Wilkerson, but he threw four interceptions.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, SMU WR Emmanuel Sanders caught 18 passes for 178 yards.
SMU: Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 40-57, 424 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Shawnbrey McNeal, 22-83, Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 18-178
Washington State: Passing: Marshall Lobbestael, 24-52, 239 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 8-33, Receiving: Jared Karstetter, 5-63, 1 TD
What It All Means: Washington State shouldn’t have won this game, but the defense saved the day and QB Marshall Lobbestael came through when he absolutely had to. The running game was non-existent and the passing attack was spotty, with Lobbestael throwing for 239 yards on 52 passes, but it was a win for a program that needed something positive to happen with road trips to USC, Oregon, Cal an and Notre Dame before the end of October.

Sept. 12
Hawaii 38 ... at Washington State 20
Greg Alexander threw three touchdown passes including a 23-yarder and 73-yarder to Rodney Bradley, and Alex Green tore off a 44-yard touchdown dash as part of a 35-0 run to start the first 20 minutes. Washington State turned it over seven times, but mounting a little bit of a comeback pulling within 15 in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Kevin Lopina run, but wouldn't get any closer.
Player of the Game: Hawaii QB Greg Alexander completed 26-of-36 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns
Hawaii: Passing: Greg Alexander, 26-36, 453 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Alex Green, 9-59, Receiving: Kealoha Pilares, 8-69
Washington State: Passing: Kevin Lopina, 18-32, 191 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: James Montgomery, 17-118, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeffrey Solomon, 6-71
What It All Means: Yeeeeeesh. Wazzu isn't just bad; it's playing poorly, too. Seven turnovers, seven penalties, no defense ... it's all bad. This is a painfully slow team that's looking like it's running in mud, while there's nothing from the defense to think there will be any sort of improvement going forward. Offensively, Kevin Lopina wasn't awful for the passing game, outside of his two interceptions, and James Montgomery ran well, but the Cougars couldn't overcome their mistakes. After the way Greg Alexander and the Hawaii passing game did whatever it wanted to, SMU has to be licking its chops.

Sept. 5
Stanford 39 ... at Washington State 14
Andrew Luck had a decent debut as the Stanford starting quarterback with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Chris Owusu, but the game belonged to Toby Gerhart and the running game that went for 288 yards. Gerhart started off the scoring with a one-yard scoring run, and a two-point conversion, and he ended the fun with a 39-yard scoring dash late in the fourth. Washington State pulled within 22-10 on a five-yard Jared Karstetter touchdown grab, but Owusu answered with a, 85-yard kickoff return for a score.
Player of the Game: Stanford RB Toby Gerhart ran 23 times for 121 yards and two scores.
Washington State: Passing: Kevin Lopina, 10-16, 122 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 13-58, Receiving: Daniel Blackledge, 6-67
Stanford: Passing: Andrew Luck, 11-23, 193 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Toby Gerhart, 23-121, 2 TD, Receiving: Ryan Whalen, 4-74
What It All Means: Is there any real difference this year after last season's disaster? It didn't seem that way in the home opener without any pop to the offense, no run defense, and yet another blowout. The Cougars need playmakers on both sides of the ball and there has to be a lot more production on third downs. Wazzu only had the ball for 3:53 in the fourth quarter, when the offense needed to be trying everything to scramble back. In comes Hawaii next week, and if the Cougars can't pull that off, it'll be time to back up the truck on the season.