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Good day, Coug fans, and welcome to this week's edition of our Player of the Week. I apologize for the tardiness of the column, as I'm sure you all have been rocking back and forth in your chair, constantly hitting the "Refresh" button and hoping to see whether we honored the same guy that you believe stood above the rest. Sometimes life gets in the way. Either that or I'm taking a passive-aggressive stance toward management, subtly hinting that it may be time for a raise.
As astute observers of WSU football in general, and last Friday's game in particular, you all probably realize that there weren't many, if any, standout performances against Stanford. That would be understandable on the offensive side, as it was made depressingly clear that Stanford's defense is outstanding. But heck, given Stanford's subpar offense, surely the defense would stand out and populate the list this week, right? Well, not exactly. If not for a couple untimely penalties and Taylor Taliulu's helmet making more plays than its owner, Stanford could have threatened to score 50. Ugh. On to the honorees.
2nd Runner-Up: Vince Mayle
Mayle didn't have a great game, but he did manage six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. He was also able to get free for WSU's lone explosive play of the night, a 41 yard catch. After that, the longest play of the night was a mere 14 yards. Yikes. Mayle also returned kickoffs, where he turned in WSU's longest return of the game at 39 yards.
1st Runner-Up: Kyle Sherwood's sports bar live tweets
For those of you smart enough to follow Kyle Sherwood on Twitter (@BigWoodWSU) you know he's a good source for some laughs, especially during Cougar and Seahawk games. Friday was no different, as Kyle overcame the always-tempting couch/sweatpants combo and ventured out to watch the game. While at the bar, he encountered a group of ladies trying to have a nice quiet night on the town. Kyle couldn't let that pass so easily.
A group of old ladies here for the Merlot are excited about the Fireball special for the Coug game. To be continued.
— Kyle Sherwood (@BigWoodWSU) October 11, 2014
"GIRLS, SHOULD WE ALL DO A FIREBALL? ITS CINNAMON!"
— Kyle Sherwood (@BigWoodWSU) October 11, 2014
I AM NOT DOING SOMETHING CALLED FIREBALL SHARON. pic.twitter.com/tIjSaZl31i
— Kyle Sherwood (@BigWoodWSU) October 11, 2014
FIREBALL LADIES ARE EXCITED ABOUT MADONNA'S "HOLIDAY"
— Kyle Sherwood (@BigWoodWSU) October 11, 2014
Come for the merlot ladies, stay for the cool guy playing Golden Tee with a glove. You won't be disappointed.
Winner: River Cracraft
Cracraft turned in another solid performance despite playing against probably the best secondary WSU will face all season. He caught 14 passes (six more than the second-highest total) for 100 yards, and caught WSU's only other touchdown, a three-yarder in the fourth quarter that got the Cougs within seven points. Both he and Mayle have had outstanding seasons and if they keep up their pace, both will merit postseason honors. Cracraft's performance was very good considering the competition, which bodes well for when WSU faces less-awesome secondaries.