Well, that was rough. Not all that surprising, but still, not much fun to watch it unfold. We'll spare the heavy-duty analysis until tomorrow, but for now, the most glaring thing to these eyes? Boy oh boy, were we MANHANDLED TONIGHT. We're talking men vs. boys up front. I guess we could have sort of expected that, what with so many injuries on both sides of the lines, but wow, this was an eye-opener in terms of just how far away this group is from being able to truly slug it out with the big kids.
I don't know which was worse, to be honest - the defensive line that was getting blown off the ball so badly, with holes that seemed five to ten yards wide? Or the offensive line that just couldn't establish any kind of running game early nor give young Tuel time to pass, early on when it mattered? Take your pick, either side of the fence was pretty bad.
And on top of all that, a familiar refrain - lack of speed is beyond obvious now. When Notre Dame's backup tight end is running down Chima Nwachukwu from behind, when he's 15 yards behind him when Chima grabbed the blocked extra point? Wow. They just don't have wheels, really anywhere, defensively. In the old days, we used to be smaller than your average defense, but we always had "cats" who could fly around, make plays and most of all, could RUN with almost any offense out there. Quickness and speed was everywhere, from defensive ends to linebacker to the secondary. Those days are long, long gone.
In the "small wins" department, things that we try to hang our hat on right now because we quite honestly cannot compete otherwise? Nice to see Jared Karstetter's two TD catches, but those were his only two catches on the game. Can't complain about touchdowns, but you know the kid has ability. They need to find a way to get him involved beyond just throwing fades into the end-zone.
Dwight Tardy and Logwone Mitz had some decent moments, running the ball with some pop at times. But their chances to shine were far and few between, and non-existent early on.
Who knows what the answer is to all this. Keep recruiting BCS athletes who can come in and compete for immediate playing time, I guess that's one thing they'll keep doing. Otherwise, we wait and hope that all this youth can develop into something to be reckoned with.
Here's some video of Tuel's two TD passes, ripped from a Bay Area local news broadcast. Thanks to "Danzig" for the link!
Well, a 49-17 loss isn't ever much to crow about, is it? The defense was shredded, early and often, and it was 35-3 in a "haven't we been here before?" kind of way early in the 2nd quarter. But they did compete the rest of the way.
And of course....the kid QB. I know it is hard to analyze much when you can't actually see him, but, from all accounts, Jeff Tuel was THE REAL THING today. Checking out the box score, it's hard to miss:
28 completions for 354 yards and a couple of scores and zero interceptions, well, it's remarkable. Then you look at some of the other babies in the program right now? Carl Winston, 8 carries for 51 yards. The first-year WR's in Johnny Forzani and Gino Simone combine for over 200 yards receiving and two TD catches. Yes, I know Forzani is already a junior in terms of eligibility, but he is just a first-year player at WSU. Jared Karstetter added six catches for 66 yards (666, spooky!). So nice to see the kids play well.
It is also the 2nd-best passing day ever from a WSU frosh *(Bledsoe threw for 385 vs. AZ in 1990, WOW). But that is seriously great company. More than Leaf, Gesser, Mark Rypien, Jack Thompson, etc. I heard from Sutra, who had the Cal broadcast on down in the NorCal area, and he said even their announcers were impressed with him. Finally, after the game I heard Wulff on the post-game show sound very impressed with him, claiming he threw some really good balls today and played pretty well, as well as the offensive line giving him a little more time to get things done.
We have a long way to go, obviously. The defense was torn to shreds and Cal did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, especially early on. Given the Louis Bland injury and Hoffman-Ellis still recovering, I guess the writng was on the wall. The big plays were a major issue, the slow starts are still a problem (again, 35-3 early 2nd quarter), and the special teams were poor with big returns allowed and poor kickoffs.
But I don't want to dwell on the bad. Man, a 300+ yard game from our true frosh QB? FINALLY something to believe in! Have a "small win" beer tonight, for there is reason for a mini-celebration. We may have found the program changer in young Mr. Tuel.
Good morning Cougs. Still no better way to start a Saturday than popping on Gameday and seeing ol' Crimson 'n Whitey, week after week after week. I believe this is now the 86th consecutive Gameday show where the flag(s) have made it? It's been a great run, and thanks to all those involved.
No TV coverage this week, so of course, we aren't going to be able to watch the Cougs and Bears tangle today. Too bad too, as I know we are all curious to see how things look, post-bye week. The health news is pretty mixed, really. Per Grippi, Louis Bland won't play, and neither will Tyson Pencer (most likely). But again, Zack Williams is back at guard, and he will definitely provide a boost. And maybe even Steven Ayers will be available on a limited basis.
It's the same beat of the drum, week after week around here, but they sure need to get healthy, especially up front! Oh well. It's football, injuries happen when big kids run full speed into each other on a weekly basis. What can you do but hope for the best?
That's it for now. We will be back later this evening, after the game, to belly up with our post-game over-reactions. Feel free to stop by.
It's your old pal Longball here to lead things off today. Sorry I missed you all last week, but much like our Cougs I took a week off to gather my wits.
The bye week was kind to the Cougar nation... the Huskies lost and the Cougs... didn't. We'll take what we can get right? With half the 2009 season in the rear view mirror it's time to take stock of where this team is at heading into the home stretch.
As of now, the Cougs control their own destiny. Win out, they are bowling, but slip up along the way and it's home sweet home for the holidays. Paul Wulff and his young team need to stay focused and take one game at a time.... Ok, ok, ok, enough kidding around. This team is going to need a miracle to find another win on their schedule. With only 2 games left in the comfy confines of Martin Stadium, these Cougs will also need to be road warriors. Yeah, I don't like the sound of that either. So where oh where is that 2nd glorious victory to be found? I have no idea but the search for it starts this weekend against a schizophrenic Cal team that is due for one of their characteristic let downs after briefly righting the ship against UCLA. It's no secret that Jahvid Best and Shane Vareen can run the ball, so I expect the Cougs to stack the box with 10 men, leaving one man in coverage to intercept all of Kevin Riley's passes. I know that sounds like I'm kidding, but I'm not. There is no reason to defend against anything else. Of course, I am not sure we could stop Best if we had 15 men in the box, so this probably isn't the week to get your hopes up, Coug fans.
Read on for more, with the rest of our "takes", plus a Youtube video from this week's Cougars All Access show....
As for me, well, because I am an international man of love, mystery, fashion, and BLING, I decided that today would be a good day to introduce you to one of my long time best friends.
Yep, the Usher man and Sutra are tight--kind of like peas and carrots. And because we are such good friends, I thought I'd hit you all with what I think are some of Usher's freshest and most powerful lyrics:
When your feeling ain't the same, and your body don't want to, But you know gotta let it go, Cuz the party ain't jumpin' like it used to (Even though this might ruin you) Let it burn, Let it burn, Gotta let it burn!
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
Advertisers
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
Bloggers Wanted
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
RSS Feed 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 