Cougars go cold in loss to Beavers

Good morning, Cougar fans. Hopefully those of you in Western Washington didn't lose power Saturday night, as was feared. If there ever was a time that a power outage could be beneficial, it would have been during the WSU-Oregon State game. After three consecutive wins, the last of which was a highly-entertaining shootout, the Cougs went ice cold against OSU, the guards in particular. Unlike previous games, such as at UW, the supporting cast couldn't keep WSU afloat until DaVonte Lacy got going, and WSU dug a hole it couldn't overcome.

Led by the likes of Langston Morris-Walker, Gary Payton Part Deux and Olaf Schaftenaar, OSU built a double-digit lead and it was pretty clear that WSU wasn't coming back. Aside: what is it about legacies at OSU? The Rodgers brothers, the Paytons, the Schaftenaars etc. all seem to wind up in Corvallis. Olaf has a ways to go if he wants to catch his brother in the hair department, however. After having some difficulty at times with Oregon's zone Thursday, I figured WSU would adjust and perform better against the zone last night, but that wasn't the case. It didn't help that every time WSU gave us a sliver of hope, the Beavers answered with a dagger three-pointer.

As both Ernie Kent and our own Kyle Sherwood pointed out, the team we saw last night looked a lot like the team we saw at the beginning of the season. I guess that's to be expected, as very few teams turn in eye-popping performances every night, but a little more consistency wouldn't hurt. Now the Cougs head out on the mountain swing through Utah and Colorado, which isn't exactly a panacea for a team still trying to find itself.

There was some very good news on the football front, as the Cougs hired a well-regarded assistant coach. Roy Manning comes from Michigan, and has a reputation as a very good recruiter. Pair that with our new defensive coordinator's recruiting reputation and WSU should, at the very least, bring in some pretty talented players. By all accounts, Manning is a significant upgrade from his predecessor.

We also learned that Mike Breske is reportedly headed down the road to run the defense at Idaho. I don't know if there has ever been a more highly-anticipated WSU-Idaho game than the one that will take place in 2016, provided Petrino is still there. Needless to say, there will be a hard feeling or two on the Idaho side. Like the great Bart Scott once said...Can't Wait.

Basketball

Oregon State’s defense clamps down on Cougars - Spokesman.com - Jan. 18, 2015
"They controlled tempo pretty much the entire game," Kent said. "We never got an opportunity to play the pace we wanted to play at. When I look back on the game, we were a little bit stagnant. We looked like a Washington State team of old. What I mean by that, the way we looked early on in the preseason."

OSU men's basketball: Morris-Walker has big game to lift beavers past Cougars : Basketball
The Beavers led 25-16 at the half after holding WSU to 25 percent shooting from the field. In the first half of their 108-99 overtime win over Oregon on Thursday, the Cougars scored 57 points and shot 72.4 percent.

WSU Wraps Up Road Trip Sunday at Oregon - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Cougars face the Ducks at 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.

Football

Washington State hires former Michigan defensive assistant Roy Manning - College Football - SI.com
A deft and energetic recruiter, Manning, 33, is expected to help the Cougars’ current recruiting class that is ranked as highly as 28th nationally by one service. New Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had not retained Manning as one of his assistants.

Track and Field

Dodig and Felix Win at Nampa - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State’s Dino Dodig won the men’s heptathlon and Kristine Felix won the women’s pole vault Saturday at the Ed Jacoby Invitational and Multis meet at the Idaho Center/Jacksons Indoor Track at Nampa.

Beer

How craft beer has set struggling pubs free from the nachos | Life and style | The Guardian
While Whitelock’s was revived, pubs are still closing their doors at an alarming rate. According to the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), 1,661 closed in the first six months of last year – 31 each week. Many have become supermarket convenience stores, some have been turned into homes or restaurants and others stand empty.

Non-Sports

How to Make Yourself Go to the Gym - NYTimes.com
This is a great premise. If you have trouble working out, just set aside some money that will go to the Tyee Club if you don't exercise at least three times per week.