CougCenter Player(s) of the Week: Max Borghi and Boobie Williams

Welcome back. Another game, another win, several more Washington State Cougar players who are worthy of recognition. Heck, the entire day could take top honors this week, beginning at about 4am and rolling for about 16 straight hours. But as spectacular as the College GameDay experience was, we wouldn’t feel nearly as great this week if WSU had lost to Oregon Saturday evening.

I wasn’t really sure how to approach this one, given the disparity in performances between the halves. If we look at the first half only, this decision is almost impossible, given the way the offense sliced and diced Oregon’s defense. Not to be outdone, the defense allowed a total - A TOTAL - of 39 yards. Sweet Jesus, what are we supposed to do with that? Nonetheless, we shall plow ahead.

Dishonorable Mention: #Pac12Refs

Didn’t take long for these idiots to show up. I’ve been watching football longer than many of you have been on the planet. Never, in those 1000s of hours, have I ever heard “illegal shift that was converted into a false start” uttered by anyone. A receiver moving forward prior to the snap is a false start. The Oregon receiver was moving backward. That is an illegal shift, which does not kill the play. Why am I still mad about this???!!!

Then, with 4:25 left in the third quarter, Justin Herbert throws to Dillon Mitchell along the WSU sideline. As the ball is clearly rolling on the ground, #Pac12Refs run in and rule it a catch. To make things worse, it wasn’t even reviewed! Not to mention the non-PI call on Travell Harris late in the game, and the garbage PI call on Darrien Molton on a throw that Manute Bol couldn’t have touched. I shouldn’t be this upset. Moving on...

Honorable Mention: Gardner Minshew II

This is more a reflection of Minshew’s performances to date than his overall game Saturday. He has set a very high bar. Minshew’s first half, interception aside, was nearly perfect. 31 completions on 36 attempts for two touchdowns and the aforementioned interception. Have you ever heard of someone completing 31 damn passes in a half? I certainly haven’t. That is otherworldly.

Like the rest of the offense, Minshew struggled for a large part of the second half. The interception wasn’t his fault, but he darn near threw another one until Travell Harris stole the ball from the Oregon DB. The clinching touchdown to Dezmon Patmon, though, was an NFL throw. If Yogi Roth were on the call, he would’ve needed a cigarette after this one.

2nd Runner-Up: Jalen Thompson

This may have been clinched based upon that last series alone. First, he absolutely drilled an Oregon receiver to break up a pass. Then he knocked away two passes on Oregon’s last gasp attempts to score. And sure, one of them should have been intercepted, but Thompson was everywhere on that final drive.

This game reminded me of how talented he is, and how much of an impact he can have. He led the team in tackles, and was credited with three passes broken up. WSU needs this kind of performance from Jalen every time, for the rest of the season.

1st Runner-Up: The Crowd

If you watched the YouTube highlights, you probably noticed the deafening roar when Dezmon Patmon caught the final touchdown. That was just one snapshot from an entire day when Cougar fans were at their absolute best. I talked in Sunday’s post about the roar I heard when walking toward the GameDay set. Well, despite the fact that it had been about 17 or more hours since Cougar fans went to the set, y’all were on point for the entire game.

After Minshew threw that first interception, it would have been understandable if the crowd deflated a bit. Instead, it was the exact opposite. The Oregon offense was completely discombobulated, due in large part to the noise, and should have been docked two points until those idiot refs stepped in. And in contrast to most games, the north side stayed at capacity the entire time. If you want to know whether it’s a big game, there’s your barometer.

Cougar fans deserve a boatload of credit for amping up the atmosphere on Saturday, from before dawn to well after sunset. Amazing job, folks.

Winners: James Williams and Max Borghi

Who led WSU in rushing? Boobie, who averaged 5.9 yards on only nine carries, including this gem.

Tim Brando’s call was almost as good as the run itself!

Not to be outdone, Max Borghi wanted to embarrass the Oregon defense as well. He picked preseason All-American Troy Dye as his victim. I wonder if this play took Dye to tears like the Easop Winston touchdown did. Yes, that actually happened.

It’s obviously no surprise that Boobie and Borghi led WSU in rushing. However, they were also the top two pass catchers on Saturday, at seven apiece. In all, Boobie and Borghi gained 93 yards on the ground and 93 yards through the air. They scored those two spectacular touchdowns in the process.

All that’s missing is a nickname for the duo. Morrow, Wicks and Boobie had Earth, Wind and Fire. What are these two? And no, Killer B’s will not get the job done. Let’s hear your suggestions in the Comments.

Congratulations to Boobie Williams and Max Borghi for being two of the many critical cogs in Saturday’s fourth straight win over Oregon.