1. That was brutal. If I didn't already think this team was no good and had little prospects of having a good season that would have really stung. It still stung, as that end of game sequence was an awful case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It has major implications for the season as that was one of the three easiest games we had left. Even just making a bowl looks difficult now. Most alarmingly, the ways in which we are mediocre (being less than the sum of our parts and not competing up front) leave little optimism for it getting better. The downward spiral continues.
2. That was the definition of a team loss, miserable in all three phases. On offense, 5.2 yards per play was the worst we've done in Pac-12 play other than against Oregon, which has a superior defense compared to WSU, and stingier than the Cougs have been against anybody other than Cal. The offense is as much of a problem as the defense. We're not even a top 50 offense. We're playing somewhere in between the Nunes/Hogan 2012 offense and the Burns/Chryst 2016 offense, which is extremely sobering since we have had a good QB all season save the opening game. On defense, 6.8 yards per play allowed was 1.4 yards per play worse than the Coug average heading in and the worst we've done against anybody since that opener. On special teams, well, more on that below.
3. The second half showed grit but also the glaring weaknesses that make us capable of losing to anybody, even a fairly weak team like Washington State. This game, especially the end of game sequence, shows the limitations of our resilience/Road Dog narratives. You can blow leads when you're not very good. Many fans rightly cite the end of game sequence and Shaw's decisions but I put even more of the blame on things he's done to the program generally. We lost because we got beat up front. We get beat up front even by teams that aren't good up front (they have serious weaknesses on the interiors of both lines) because our strength and conditioning has taken a step back, we tolerate gaps in recruiting, and we haven't been able to retain players for fifth and sixth years. All that's on the head coach.
4. Regarding that end of game sequence, the turtling approach to run out the clock ended up backfiring because we didn't drain enough clock to prevent a drive to take the lead but drained too much to avoid the stressful need for a comeback drive with one and a half minutes left. To some degree that was predictable and yet another example of Shaw trusting Anderson's defense too much. Shaw royally botched clock management, most insanely in not calling timeout after McKee got sacked and letting so much time run off the clock. [Not so incidentally, I think this crystallized the worst of Shaw: he made a costly mistake by not calling timeout immediately but then rather than cut his losses after 10 or 15 or 20 seconds he just kept letting the clock run, lest he be seen as admitting his error.] That said, to some degree the end of game failure was also about execution independent of Shaw's decision-making. If we had converted on 3rd and 6 rather than give up a sack we could have kept turtling for the win. If Sanborn hadn't screwed up we could have put the Cougs in a stressful situation. If Kelly hadn't given up a 41 yard pass to set up the winning touchdown maybe the defense could have gotten off the field. If good pass protection the bulk of the game hadn't devolved into a complete breakdown allowing McKee to go down consecutively on the four climactic plays we could have set up a game-tying field goal. That Shaw screwed up and the players screwed up was fitting. This was a team loss and they all lost it together at the end.
5. This team would suck so bad without McKee. This was another excellent game by him. He had a 164.16 passer rating and 8.5 yards per attempt (both the third best of his season). He was #25 of 94 QBs this week in Total QBR. He also was a weapon on the ground, running for three first downs, including a touchdown, as well as adding a two point conversion. [I think the commentary that McKee isn't a threat running and that his pocket presence is bad is half right (the second sentiment)] These accomplishments are impressive but even more so when you consider the degree of difficulty. Pass defense is what WSU does best on either side of the ball, #26 in the nation in pass efficiency defense heading into this game on the strength of a very strong secondary. On top of that McKee was playing without Wilson, Tremayne, Humphreys, Smith, and Fisk. And on top of that he was victimized by numerous drops (Higgins the most egregious violator but a few other passes were also on the money without being caught). Given these factors, McKee was facing hurricane-strength headwinds. He is such an absolute stud.
6. The run game, on the other hand.....woof. 2.2 yards per carry is worse than all but one Coug opponent and neither of the backs averaged more than 2.7 yards per carry. The way Jones plays in the passing game and Peat plays in the return game (not to mention how Peat has looked based on the eye test) suggests the problem lies with the OL. If we can't run against WSU (#109 in yards per carry allowed) we're not going to be able to run against anybody. Between these bleak facts and how good McKee has looked in two-minute drills this season, the disastrous end of game sequence yesterday notwithstanding, it's hard to see the rationale for continuing to bang our head against the wall and go for "balance" in the offense. Passing only 48 percent of the time, as was the case yesterday, is nuts given our circumstances.
7. This game reversed our usual fortunes on defense. We held them to only 100 yards rushing and 3.7 yards per carry allowed, our stingiest game in run defense yet this season on both counts. In relation to how teams do on average we were more effective against Oregon and UCLA but this was above-average for us in a relative sense too. Alas, the wheels came off for the passing defense. They allowed a 170.59 passer rating and 9.6 yards per attempt, by far the worst game of the season for our pass defense and the best game of the season for Wazzu's passing game. I think two things account for this. First, we had to play more dime in this game as having 4-5 WR sets necessitated that DBs played more snaps for us than our norm. I suspect that Wyrick having to play safety rather than nickel was a problem. Second, the 4-5 WR sets gave LBs matchup problems. Damuni and Miezan gave up the most back-breaking pass plays other than Kelly getting roasted on the 41 yarder (Kelly has now given up a 39+ yard pass in four of the last six games).
8. Booker did multiple things that changed the scoreboard, most obviously the blocked extra point. With better execution by others that could have been the difference in the game. For instance, it gave us a chance on the last drive to tie with a field goal. Booker also had a QB hurry on 2nd and 7 followed by a run stop on third down followed by Rolovich giving us a gift by going for it on 4th and 4 to keep points off the board at a crucial time. Booker also had a run stop in the third quarter. It's not his fault he doesn't have help. A defensive lineman playing 91.3 percent of our snaps on the season is probably not ideal for his freshness when you're trying to make a last stand with a four point lead late in the fourth quarter. I'm quite disappointed that the off-season hype on Booker was empty, but he was solid. Williamson had a good 2nd and 6 tackle on a pass play, two second quarter run stops, and an important pass breakup in the fourth quarter when we were defending the lead. I'm starting to get Buncom vibes here - not enough big plays but if we don't get a fifth year from him that's a big loss. Damuni's game was the best of times and the worst of times. He had two tackles for loss and was in the backfield a lot by his standards, including the QB hurry that led to intentional grounding and a punt as well as a fourth quarter hurry also leading to a punt. On the other side of the ledger, unfortunately, was getting roasted for three passing first downs, including two 25+ yard passes (one WSU's first touchdown, a pivotal moment for keeping it a multiple score game mid-way through the second quarter that likely would have been too much for them to overcome).
9. Yurosek is a beast. As a second year player he is the level of weapon Smith, Ertz, and Fleener were at their peaks. Incredible superstar. Elsewhere in the passing game Jones is an enormous weapon and it was very nice to see Farrell, who more than doubled his career receptions, and Starr both getting multiple first downs (three for Farrell if you count the bogus pass interference in our favor). Those are very big steps for them.
10. I don't know if we can call that the worst special teams game ever given Karty making all three field goal attempts, including a 51 yarder, and Filkins having a very nice punt return. Nonetheless, wow did it suck. Sanborn's punts netted 41, 41, 32, and 25 yards. We're now #115 in the nation in net punting. What sucked the most were the FIVE penalties: illegal formation on the punt coverage giving Wazzu new life on its first drive, offsides on two kickoffs, an unnecessary roughness on a punt, and a hold on a punt return. That kind of performance is a gut punch by units that usually give us incremental advantage.
11. Game balls: McKee, Booker, Karty, Kennedy (a hold my nose week to pick a coach, with Kennedy, Pritchard, and Gould all having plausible but uninspiring cases)
12. I view the bye week somewhat akin to mid-season bowl preparation insofar as I think the season is on the line against Washington. Well, the season is already mediocre at best but I think we're playing for a bowl and any semblance of a decent season. If we lose to Washington that's consecutive losses in games we needed. It's probably another tossup.
2. That was the definition of a team loss, miserable in all three phases. On offense, 5.2 yards per play was the worst we've done in Pac-12 play other than against Oregon, which has a superior defense compared to WSU, and stingier than the Cougs have been against anybody other than Cal. The offense is as much of a problem as the defense. We're not even a top 50 offense. We're playing somewhere in between the Nunes/Hogan 2012 offense and the Burns/Chryst 2016 offense, which is extremely sobering since we have had a good QB all season save the opening game. On defense, 6.8 yards per play allowed was 1.4 yards per play worse than the Coug average heading in and the worst we've done against anybody since that opener. On special teams, well, more on that below.
3. The second half showed grit but also the glaring weaknesses that make us capable of losing to anybody, even a fairly weak team like Washington State. This game, especially the end of game sequence, shows the limitations of our resilience/Road Dog narratives. You can blow leads when you're not very good. Many fans rightly cite the end of game sequence and Shaw's decisions but I put even more of the blame on things he's done to the program generally. We lost because we got beat up front. We get beat up front even by teams that aren't good up front (they have serious weaknesses on the interiors of both lines) because our strength and conditioning has taken a step back, we tolerate gaps in recruiting, and we haven't been able to retain players for fifth and sixth years. All that's on the head coach.
4. Regarding that end of game sequence, the turtling approach to run out the clock ended up backfiring because we didn't drain enough clock to prevent a drive to take the lead but drained too much to avoid the stressful need for a comeback drive with one and a half minutes left. To some degree that was predictable and yet another example of Shaw trusting Anderson's defense too much. Shaw royally botched clock management, most insanely in not calling timeout after McKee got sacked and letting so much time run off the clock. [Not so incidentally, I think this crystallized the worst of Shaw: he made a costly mistake by not calling timeout immediately but then rather than cut his losses after 10 or 15 or 20 seconds he just kept letting the clock run, lest he be seen as admitting his error.] That said, to some degree the end of game failure was also about execution independent of Shaw's decision-making. If we had converted on 3rd and 6 rather than give up a sack we could have kept turtling for the win. If Sanborn hadn't screwed up we could have put the Cougs in a stressful situation. If Kelly hadn't given up a 41 yard pass to set up the winning touchdown maybe the defense could have gotten off the field. If good pass protection the bulk of the game hadn't devolved into a complete breakdown allowing McKee to go down consecutively on the four climactic plays we could have set up a game-tying field goal. That Shaw screwed up and the players screwed up was fitting. This was a team loss and they all lost it together at the end.
5. This team would suck so bad without McKee. This was another excellent game by him. He had a 164.16 passer rating and 8.5 yards per attempt (both the third best of his season). He was #25 of 94 QBs this week in Total QBR. He also was a weapon on the ground, running for three first downs, including a touchdown, as well as adding a two point conversion. [I think the commentary that McKee isn't a threat running and that his pocket presence is bad is half right (the second sentiment)] These accomplishments are impressive but even more so when you consider the degree of difficulty. Pass defense is what WSU does best on either side of the ball, #26 in the nation in pass efficiency defense heading into this game on the strength of a very strong secondary. On top of that McKee was playing without Wilson, Tremayne, Humphreys, Smith, and Fisk. And on top of that he was victimized by numerous drops (Higgins the most egregious violator but a few other passes were also on the money without being caught). Given these factors, McKee was facing hurricane-strength headwinds. He is such an absolute stud.
6. The run game, on the other hand.....woof. 2.2 yards per carry is worse than all but one Coug opponent and neither of the backs averaged more than 2.7 yards per carry. The way Jones plays in the passing game and Peat plays in the return game (not to mention how Peat has looked based on the eye test) suggests the problem lies with the OL. If we can't run against WSU (#109 in yards per carry allowed) we're not going to be able to run against anybody. Between these bleak facts and how good McKee has looked in two-minute drills this season, the disastrous end of game sequence yesterday notwithstanding, it's hard to see the rationale for continuing to bang our head against the wall and go for "balance" in the offense. Passing only 48 percent of the time, as was the case yesterday, is nuts given our circumstances.
7. This game reversed our usual fortunes on defense. We held them to only 100 yards rushing and 3.7 yards per carry allowed, our stingiest game in run defense yet this season on both counts. In relation to how teams do on average we were more effective against Oregon and UCLA but this was above-average for us in a relative sense too. Alas, the wheels came off for the passing defense. They allowed a 170.59 passer rating and 9.6 yards per attempt, by far the worst game of the season for our pass defense and the best game of the season for Wazzu's passing game. I think two things account for this. First, we had to play more dime in this game as having 4-5 WR sets necessitated that DBs played more snaps for us than our norm. I suspect that Wyrick having to play safety rather than nickel was a problem. Second, the 4-5 WR sets gave LBs matchup problems. Damuni and Miezan gave up the most back-breaking pass plays other than Kelly getting roasted on the 41 yarder (Kelly has now given up a 39+ yard pass in four of the last six games).
8. Booker did multiple things that changed the scoreboard, most obviously the blocked extra point. With better execution by others that could have been the difference in the game. For instance, it gave us a chance on the last drive to tie with a field goal. Booker also had a QB hurry on 2nd and 7 followed by a run stop on third down followed by Rolovich giving us a gift by going for it on 4th and 4 to keep points off the board at a crucial time. Booker also had a run stop in the third quarter. It's not his fault he doesn't have help. A defensive lineman playing 91.3 percent of our snaps on the season is probably not ideal for his freshness when you're trying to make a last stand with a four point lead late in the fourth quarter. I'm quite disappointed that the off-season hype on Booker was empty, but he was solid. Williamson had a good 2nd and 6 tackle on a pass play, two second quarter run stops, and an important pass breakup in the fourth quarter when we were defending the lead. I'm starting to get Buncom vibes here - not enough big plays but if we don't get a fifth year from him that's a big loss. Damuni's game was the best of times and the worst of times. He had two tackles for loss and was in the backfield a lot by his standards, including the QB hurry that led to intentional grounding and a punt as well as a fourth quarter hurry also leading to a punt. On the other side of the ledger, unfortunately, was getting roasted for three passing first downs, including two 25+ yard passes (one WSU's first touchdown, a pivotal moment for keeping it a multiple score game mid-way through the second quarter that likely would have been too much for them to overcome).
9. Yurosek is a beast. As a second year player he is the level of weapon Smith, Ertz, and Fleener were at their peaks. Incredible superstar. Elsewhere in the passing game Jones is an enormous weapon and it was very nice to see Farrell, who more than doubled his career receptions, and Starr both getting multiple first downs (three for Farrell if you count the bogus pass interference in our favor). Those are very big steps for them.
10. I don't know if we can call that the worst special teams game ever given Karty making all three field goal attempts, including a 51 yarder, and Filkins having a very nice punt return. Nonetheless, wow did it suck. Sanborn's punts netted 41, 41, 32, and 25 yards. We're now #115 in the nation in net punting. What sucked the most were the FIVE penalties: illegal formation on the punt coverage giving Wazzu new life on its first drive, offsides on two kickoffs, an unnecessary roughness on a punt, and a hold on a punt return. That kind of performance is a gut punch by units that usually give us incremental advantage.
11. Game balls: McKee, Booker, Karty, Kennedy (a hold my nose week to pick a coach, with Kennedy, Pritchard, and Gould all having plausible but uninspiring cases)
12. I view the bye week somewhat akin to mid-season bowl preparation insofar as I think the season is on the line against Washington. Well, the season is already mediocre at best but I think we're playing for a bowl and any semblance of a decent season. If we lose to Washington that's consecutive losses in games we needed. It's probably another tossup.
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