HCA: The Good, Bad and Ugly of WSU’s win over Oregon State

PJ Kendall is off this Sunday, so I will be letting you guys know what went right and wrong in last night’s 56-37 win by the Washington State Cougars over the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. A pale imitation, to be sure, but here we go:

THE GOOD

Gardner Minshew

430 yards and 5 touchdowns with no picks? Yeah that’ll do.

Tay Martin

Tay’s back! After being trash talked by an obscure freshman Beaver cornerback, Martin went off with 8 catches for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Williams/Borghi backfield

As expected the Cougars found plenty of running room against the soft OSU run defense as James Williams and Max Borghi combined for 99 yards on 16 carries with 2 touchdowns.

Renard Bell/Travell Harris

With Jamire Calvin seemingly in a funk, Bell and Harris stepped up to catch touchdowns.

Easop Winston

Continues to be a revelation with 7 catches for 99 yards.

A blocked punt for touchdown!

Kainoa Wilson blocked it and Tristan Beck scooped it up for the first blocked punt touchdown since 2003.

Taylor Comfort

Forced a turnover as it looked like the Beavs were going to take the lead again.

THE BAD

The defense

Gave up 37 points to the worst team in the Pac-12.

Cornerbacks

Continually gave up completions on 3rd and long to a mediocre-at-best passing game.

Tackling

Way too many missed tackles against Jermar Jefferson, but he is the leading rusher in the country so that can be somewhat excused. The 56-yard run by Travon Bradford, however, cannot.

THE UGLY

Jalen Thompson

Trying to field a quick kick? Just no.

Links

Washington State receiver Tay Martin gets his touches in blowout win over Oregon State | The Spokesman-Review
Martin caught a team-high eight passes and finished with 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Cougars improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in Pac-12 Conference play.

Washington State offense surges in second half, defense puts clamps on Oregon State in 56-37 win | The Spokesman-Review
Washington State didn’t need to worry much about its offense Saturday night at Reser Stadium. In another prolific showing from their graduate transfer quarterback, the Cougars rode Gardner Minshew from start to finish, squeezing out five touchdowns and 430 yards from the fifth-year senior whose mustache has given him instant fame among WSU fans, and whose big arm and deceptive athleticism have given Mike Leach’s offense a potency it didn’t even have under Luke Falk.

John Blanchette: Oregon State’s hijinks-heavy attempt at upset of Washington State falls flat late | The Spokesman-Review
Any number of things are contrary to official Pac-12 policy, including football games that get you back home before midnight. Another one: Washington State and Oregon State being good in the same season.

Difference makers: Gardner Minshew hits milestones in Washington State win over Oregon State | The Spokesman-Review
Difference makers from Washington State’s 56-37 victory over Oregon State

TV Take: Cross-country viewing no easy task with Pac-12 Networks | The Spokesman-Review
It’s no secret the Pac-12 Networks don’t have the reach of some college football conference’s broadcasting arm. The biggest hole? There is no DirecTV connection and hasn’t been since the network began in 2012.

Recap and highlights: Washington State pulls away in second half to cruise past Oregon State 56-37 | The Spokesman-Review
The Cougars braved a few uneasy moments from the Oregon State Beavers and their highly-touted rookie running back Saturday night. Albeit, the hosts would’ve needed a lot more than the four touchdowns and 139 rushing yards Jermar Jefferson provided to truly make Washington State anxious in a late-night Pac-12 North battle at Reser Stadium.

WSU football notebook: Cougs eventually flex their muscles
After fits and starts, Washington State hits its stride