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It was a very light day for WSU Athletics on Saturday, as both basketball teams debuted Friday night, the soccer team saw it season end on the same day and the football team remained home on its final bye of the season. WSU's football players were treated to quite an entertaining day of football-watching, however, as the conference once again provide its standard amount of crazy endings. So, since the WSU landscape is relatively barren today, let's take a quick look at what happened around the conference.
We would be remiss if this roundup didn't start with what happened in Tucson. The game, while statistically dominated by Washington, was only close because of some UW special teams gaffes and a litany of penalties. Still, the Huskies seemed to have the game wrapped up when Cyler Miles ran for a first down with just over two minutes remaining, and Arizona holding just one timeout. Sound familiar Coug fans?
That is when Chris Petersen inexplicably chose to hand the ball off instead of taking a knee. Had he told Miles to kneel, UW would have faced fourth down near midfield with no more than five seconds remaining. Easy call, right? Not according to some chart that Chris Petersen referenced (and probably should have burned following the game). Instead, Petersen left it up to the fumble gods, who promptly gave the ball to Arizona. Petersen decided to compound his error by icing the Arizona kicker. Turned out that, like most coaches who use this dumb move, it served only to give the Arizona kicker a freebie. So of course he missed the practice kick and made the one that counted.
Since we lived through a very similar situation last year, and since WSU fans took a heaping helping of crap from UW fans as a result, let's revel in a little schadenfreude, shall we?
I need to cool down for 5 minutes. I go on air right now I'll be fired
— Dave Softy Mahler (@Softykjr) November 16, 2014
I never knew how much UW fans love punts. This is stupid.
— UW Dawg Pound (@UWSBN) November 16, 2014
Why are they not kneeling!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Dick Fain (@dickfain) November 15, 2014
What if I told you that you could completely dominate a game and still lose? ESPN 30 for 30 presents: the 2014 Washington Huskies.
— McJazzy™ (@jazzorion) November 16, 2014
Over in Corvallis, we once again learned that trap games are a very real thing. ASU was riding high, coming off a 24-point win over Notre Dame. On the opposite end of the spectrum were the Beavers. We all know what happened to them last weekend. ASU was suddenly in the College Football Playoff discussion, while OSU was seemingly listless, injury-riddled and unlikely to get to six wins. Easy call, right? RIGHT!? Wrong.
OSU came out with a renewed emphasis on the running game (Terron Ward and Storm Woods piled up 273 yards on just 30 carries) and jumped out to an early lead. ASU struck back before halftime and seemingly took control. Then Taylor Kelly apparently decided to pack it in, going 9-20 in the second half. Still, ASU had the ball with plenty of time left, needing only a field goal to win. It was then that OSU ninth-year senior Michael Doctor put the game away, ending any hope of ASU making the playoff.
Oh, and down in Palo Alto, Stanford and Utah combined to put up a whopping 14 points in 60 minutes of regulation, to the surprise of absolutely nobody. Needing only one score to almost assuredly ice the game in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal embarked on a 14-play drive that consumed nearly nine minutes and ended in...a punt. David Shaw has become the master of such things this season, and regulation ended with the teams tied at seven. The Utes scored a touchdown in the second overtime to take home a win, and Stanford's slide back to Pac-12 mediocrity continues.
The Cougs will re-enter the fray next weekend, as they head to the Valley of the Sun to face the Sun Devils. It goes without saying that as far as WSU is concerned, it should be called the Valley of Death. Still, the results of the conference's games yesterday tell us that, once again, we never really know what will happen.
Football
What we learned in the Pac-12: Week 12 - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
Coming back fresh: Four teams had a bye in Week 12: Colorado, Oregon, UCLA and Washington State. All four have varying degrees of importance for which to play.
Get your next haircut in a Pac-12 barbershop. - ESPN
Ok, it's time for a caption contest. Take a look at the WSU picture and give us your best shot.
Basketball
TCU notches first regular season win in ugly game | Dallas-Fort Worth Sports News - Sports Ne...
Here is a little taste of what WSU will be facing Monday.
Women's Basketball Hosts Idaho State Sunday - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State continues its season-opening four-game homestand Sunday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Idaho State University.
Cross Country
Cougars 13th at NCAA West Regional XC Champ - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Washington State women’s and men’s cross country teams both finished 13th at the NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships at the Stanford Golf Course under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s Friday morning.
Beer
Clown Shoes Pecan Pie Porter Is A Sloppy Good Time
Be right back. I'm headed to my local craft beer store to request this immediately.
Non-Sports
A father’s scars: For Va.’s Creigh Deeds, tragedy brings unending questions - The Washington Post
He lies in bed a few minutes more, trying to conjure specific images. Gus dancing. Gus playing the banjo. Gus with the puppies. Any images of Gus other than the final ones he has of his 24-year-old, mentally ill son attacking him and then walking away to kill himself, images that intrude on his days and nights along with the questions that he will begin asking himself soon, but not yet. A few minutes more. Gus fishing. Gus looking at him. Gus smiling at him. Time to start the day.