The Good, Bad and Ugly of WSU’s 31-7 Buffalo suffocation

It was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves, it was a half of dominance, it was a half of frustration, it was a half with several yards, it was a half with several empty possessions, it was a half with lots of important conversions, it was a half with too few conversions, the Cougars had everything in front of them, the Cougars had nothing in front of them, they were staying in first place, they were going to the Redbox Bowl.

Then the second half started, and Jahad Woods decided he and his team weren’t going to be a part of any Dickensian sequel. In what would turn out to be a dominant performance, the Washington State Cougars dispatched of the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder, turning in the kind of beatdown that was both impressive and necessary. Impressive because going on the road and winning by 24 is always noteworthy, and necessary because everyone else ranked near the Cougs in the CFP standings also won.

How did everything unfold? Less importantly, what is our interpretation of said unfolding? Let’s get to it.

The Good

• Mike Leach is no longer 0-for-Boulder.
• I’m very rarely on the time of possession bandwagon, but Saturday was an exception. Despite only leading by three points, WSU held the ball for more than 20 minutes in the first half, and ran 49 plays to Colorado’s 23. When you’re playing at a high altitude with a defense predicated on speed over size, that is a huge advantage, and it set the tone for what would be a dominant second half. It was clear that, by the fourth quarter, the Buffaloes were cooked, and wanted nothing more to get back to the locker room.
• A week after struggling mightily on third down, the offense converted 11-20 in this game. Much, much better.
• EDIT: Thank you to klokkins and Jesse Cassino for unwittingly pointing out my dereliction. Max Borghi’s touchdown was a thing of beauty, but what I liked most about the play was Easop Winston, Jr.’s hustle to lay out a potential tackler.
• +3 in the turnover battle. Winning games is much more likely with a ratio like that.
• The Cougs were also +3 in sacks, getting to Steven Montez three times and, once again, not allowing any. There were several plays where Gardner Minshew II stood in the pocket for what seemed like minutes.
• Speaking of sacks, that Dominick Silvels blitz in the fourth quarter was a huge one. I’m sure Colorado was going to go for it on fourth down until Silvels got to Montez. Goodnight, Buffs. Goodnight.

• Aside from one explosive run in the first quarter, Colorado averaged 4.4 yards-per-play. That, my friends, is some dominant defense.
• Fumble luck may not have been with WSU in the first half, but it sure was in the second. That Renard Bell recovery was kind of important!
• One fumble that didn’t require luck occurred early in the third quarter. Jahad Woods turned in a man’s play, just deciding that he wanted the ball more than Travon McMillian. That strip/recovery was the beginning of the end for Colorado.
• Speaking of Jahad - if his strip of McMillian was the beginning of the end, knocking the ball from Laviska Shenault Jr. provided the last shovel-full of dirt on Colorado’s grave. Funny thing is, if Woods hadn’t knocked the ball out, Willie Taylor III probably would have when he walloped Shenault from behind right afterward.
• It may not have been a long field goal, but that was still a solid effort by Blake Mazza, given the wind conditions.
• I know he wasn’t 100%, but the defense did an admirable job of bottling up Shenault. He had his moments, but never turned in the kind of game-breaking play we’ve seen so many times this year.
• Hell of a play by Minshew to tuck that ball inside the pylon.
• What a catch by Jamire Calvin on the sideline.
• Great tackle by Kainoa Wilson on that kick return.
• Boobie Williams pulls off some of the greatest two-yard runs I’ve ever seen. Marshawn Lynch probably even thinks so.
• What a beastly catch-and-run by Dezmon Patmon. Coulda sworn what he did to that poor defender was a penalty but I’ll take it.
• How ‘bout my man Oscar with a 50-yard average on four punts?!
• Gordo sighting!
• Colorado’s final 11 possessions: punt, punt, punt, punt, end of half, fumble, punt, punt, punt, fumble, interception.
• Looked like WSU played lots of young guys at corner, and they held their own.
• Reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyy glad Jalen Thompson won’t miss the first half next week. It was clear that he was trying to do the right thing on that hit, but that doesn’t always matter.
• The clearly audible “Go Cougs” chant during the fourth quarter.
• That postgame Leach interview/Minshew cameo was the stuff of legend. Just the best.

The Bad

• If third down went well, fourth down was the opposite. That many empty first half possessions could come back to hurt the Cougs against better teams.
• Not sure where it goes so I’ll put it here - WSU ran more gadget plays Saturday than I ever recall under Leach. They were clearly the better team, so I wonder why Leach felt the need to do that.
• As well as the offensive line protected Minshew, they seemed to have a really tough time getting a push on several running plays.
• Looked like the wind got into Minshew’s head, especially in the first half, and he stubbornly kept going for the lower-percentage kill shots instead of taking what was there.
• That said, you have to catch that ball, Jamire.
• Max Borghi, you are awesome, but you should trust your blockers a little more.
• I know it was a really close call, and I thought the refs did a decent job over all, but that “illegal man down field” flag was, well, let’s just call it extremely ticky-tack. By rule, maybe it was a penalty, but man, that never ever gets called when it’s that close.
• Brock Huard is one of the best analysts in the sport, but his anecdote about Borghi “flipping to WSU at the last minute” doesn’t marry up with the facts.
• Nice taunting nut grab, Aaron Maddox. This isn’t the WWE. We all appreciated the extended drive, though.
• Nobody knows what targeting is. Evergreen.
• Another game, another errant PAT snap. Nice job by Trey Tinsley to get it down.

The Ugly

• If I’m Mike McIntyre, I sure don’t want to know what’s being said this week in the AD’s office.
• The immature part of me really wishes I’d been at the game, in the same seat I occupied two years ago, so I could see the old tough guy’s reaction. Then again, he was probably on the road shortly into the fourth quarter.

As always, I’m sure I missed a lot of stuff. This week was likely worse than normal due to the jet lag. You’re encouraged to pitch anything and everything in.

Now comes a shot at payback for last year’s loss in Tucson, and a chance to get 10 wins for the first time in 15 years. What a season it has been. What a season it can be. Go Cougs

Football

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No last-drive, last-minute flourishes were needed. This one was over with a quarter still to play.

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It was about time the Cardiac Cougs had a week off.

Beer

Best beer I had this week: The Cougs continue to make this easy.

Regarding the article, this is possibly the greatest invention in the history of ever. I am breathlessly awaiting my Mikkeller Advent Calendar.

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Non-Sports

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