The Day After: Washington State gets smoked by Cal

Admit it, everybody: Deep down, you knew the Washington State Cougars weren't the eighth best team in the nation.

You knew they weren't a threat to creep into the College Football Playoff, no matter what pundits that needed to fill air and space said.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to be ranked that high. And you can make a case that they earned it, based on their resume.

But they aren't the eighth best team in the nation—somebody had to be ranked eighth. We knew that before getting smoked last night (pun!), even if we didn't want to admit it.

And yes, Washington State should have won this game. The Cougs came in with the better team, the better record, the better stats, blah blah blah.

But they didn't. They couldn't. Not when Luke Falk throws five interceptions, the Cougs turn the ball over seven times, punt the ball one yard, give up tremendous field position and generate a measly three points.

But remember: the Cougs are 6-1 and it's October 14. That's still good. Exceeding expectations, even. At least overall.

Let's own this. The Cougs played bad, the Bears played well, and the Internet piles on:

This is the kind of treatment good teams get.

Highlight of the Game

So apparently a girl ran onto the field with a toy pig to protest....eating meat, I suppose? This is Berkeley, so this isn't abnormal to the folks down there.

But please, pass the BBQ sauce.

It Was Over When....

You just KNEW it'd be a long night when you heard the defense's bus broke down on the way to the game. Of course, it wasn't the defense that lost this game. They were put in terrible positions thanks to the offense's screw ups. But a bad omen is a bad omen.

There will be all sorts of "Beau Baldwin dominates WSU again!" narratives because that's an easy storyline. A lazy one, if you will.

But Tim DeRuyter's defense schooled the WSU offense today. Give that man the Oregon State job.

Wave the Flags

Things seemed to be just fine when Renard Bell ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. But an obvious holding penalty on Daniel Ekuale negated that big play and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the game.

The other touchdown taken off the board was, shall we say, iffy. Tavares Martin Jr. was called for offensive pass interference on his would-be touchdown reception.

Discuss.

Salt in the Wound Moment

This is actually impressive, to be honest.

Your Homework Assignment

Next week is Homecoming, which has kind of lost its original purpose since every home game is a homecoming, but anyway, the Cougs will take on Colorado under the lights.

The most important thing is to vote on the uniform combination, and don't you dare vote for no. 3.

Links

Football

Here are all the ways No. 8 Wazzu played its worst possible game in Cal's 37-3 rout - CBSSports.com
Absolutely nothing went right for the Cougars in this mystifying loss Friday night.

No. 8 Cougars cough up seven turnovers, nine sacks, in 37-3 drilling at California | The Seattle Times
WSU had twice as many turnovers — seven — as it had points, and it marked the first time since a 19-6 defeat against Oregon State in 2012 that the Cougars have been held without a touchdown.

Ex-Cougar safety, current Oakland Raider Shalom Luani attends Washington State-Cal game | The Spokesman-Review
Luani, who played for WSU in 2015 and 2016, was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Highlights: Cal 37, No. 8 Washington State 3 | The Spokesman-Review
Do you really want to watch these?

Difference makers: Hercules Mata’afa a rare bright spot for Washington State in loss at Cal | The Spokesman-Review
The difference makers in Washington State’s 37-3 loss at Cal on Friday, Oct. 13.

Vince Grippi’s three takes: Tim DeRyuter’s aggressive Cal defense thwarts Cougars | The Spokesman-Review
When Justin Wilcox was hired as California’s head coach last January, one of his first calls went to Tim DeRuyter. Friday night in the 37-3 upset of No. 8 Washington State, DeRuyter’s defense did what it does best: force turnovers.

Behind seven turnovers, No. 8 Washington State loses at California 37-3 in major upset at Memorial Stadium | The Spokesman-Review
Buried beneath a pile of their own mistakes, the Cougars mercilessly saw their unbeaten season come to an end, losing 37-3 to the Golden Bears, who stole their first Pac-12 win Friday evening in the Bay Area.

Volleyball

Volleyball Suffers Heartbreaking Five-Set Loss to No. 15 Oregon | Washington State University Athletics
The volleyball team didn't win either.