The day after Auburn

WSU opened its season with a 31-24 loss. We have reaction, videos and more.

By Mark Sandritter Sep 1, 2013, 5:00am PDT

Me at 4 p.m.: "Yes! Cougar football is back!"

Me at 8 p.m.: "Ugh"

Me at 1 a.m.: "F**k I hate writing these posts after losses"

Without a doubt, the worst part of writing the morning links is doing them the day after a loss. Hey, WSU just lost a game it probably should have won against a team who probably isn't very good. What do you want to do next? Read thousands of words about it!

There are reasons to be encouraged by Saturday's game, maybe even a lot of them. But for now, another loss is another loss. Last year I may have been encouraged by the performance and maybe I even will be next week, but right now it just feels like a huge missed opportunity.

That said, there are some interesting links, especially the post game videos from Christian.

Football:

Cougars come up just short in SEC country - Spokesman.com - Sept. 1, 2013
Visited again by disappointment and chances blown, Washington State’s football players were angry as they left this muggy southern town, that attitude reflected by the few who stopped by a stuffy room beneath Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium to talk about it.

Cougars show improvement in running game - Spokesman.com - Sept. 1, 2013
Washington State under coach Mike Leach will never engage in a smashmouth, grind-it-out game with anybody, let alone a team like Auburn that prides itself on how it rushes the football.

Cougars nipped by Auburn - The Lewiston Tribune: Home
The Washington State football team held its own in a visit to SEC country, but couldn't quite come up with a victory Saturday.

WSU at Auburn - Postgame Quotes - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
On offensive improvement… "I think we improved. I thought we played really hard the whole game. The biggest thing that plagued us was turnovers. I am really proud of our effort, I thought we had great effort. We just need to polish up and be sharper."

Cougars Fall at Auburn in Opener, 31-24 - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Tre Mason returned a kick-off 100 yards and Corey Grant scored on a 75-yard run to lead Auburn to a 31-24 victory over Washington State Saturday night in Gus Malzahn's debut as the Tigers coach.

2-minute drill: Auburn 31, Washington State 24 | al.com
Why Auburn won: It wasn't pretty, but Auburn gained control when it mattered most – the second half. After leading 25-21 at halftime, the Tigers held the Cougars to only 3 points in the second half. They ran for 297 yards, led by Corey Grant's 146, and intercepted Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday three times, holding him to 80 yards passing in the second half after giving up 264 in the first.

Washington State's Leach complementary of Tigers; players have mixed reviews - OANow.com: AU Football
New Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn brought his hurry-up, no-huddle offense back to the Plains on Saturday night in a season-opening win over Washington State.

Cougars come up short at Auburn, 31-24 | Bud Withers | The Seattle Times
Twenty-five hundred miles from Pullman, in a Southeastern sauna with 85,095 crammed in, the Mike Leach regime might just have taken flight here Saturday night.

Washington State cranks up running game against Auburn | Cougar Football | The Seattle Times
Of all the developments in Washington State’s 31-24 loss to Auburn here Saturday night, the emergence of a running game by the Cougars against an SEC defense might have been the most surprising element.

AUBURN, Ala.: Washington State falls 31-24 to Auburn | WSU Cougars | The Bellingham Herald
AUBURN, ALA. — Washington State left Southeastern Conference country stinging from a loss but hardly feeling outclassed.

Instant analysis: Auburn Tigers 31, Washington State Cougars 24 - ESPN
AUBURN, Ala. -- It wasn't easy, but Auburn used big plays in the first half and key stops in the second half to earn a victory over Washington State in Gus Malzahn's debut as head coach Saturday.

Tale of the tape: Auburn 31, WSU 24 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Aug. 31, 2013

FROM AUBURN — It's a long drive back to Atlanta from here, and an early flight awaits tomorrow. So we'll try to keep this semi-brief. Here's our first tale of the tape of the season.