Washington State's Issac Terrell forces a fumble in the first half against No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday. (Photo: Petre Thomas, USA TODAY Sports)
THE BETTING LINES CLOSED with the Washington State football team was a 30-point underdog against the fourth-ranked team in the nation and a favorite to win the National Championship, Ole Miss. Pound-for-pound, punch-for-punch and it took all 60 minutes for the final to hang in the balance. Close only counts in horseshoes, but what the Cougs showed on Saturday afternoon in Oxford is a game that was this close towards a ginormous upset.
Playing the lateral game only worked for a bit and the final whistle blew when Leo Pulalasi was tackled at the Ole Miss 40-yard line and that put the finality of Wazzu's 24-21 loss to the Rebels in a game that had everything. Yet understanding how Jimmy Rogers is wired, the two stats that stick out could have resulted in a victory. The Cougars were 2-for-10 on third down and they were whistled for eight penalties. Still, as the play-by-play commentator for the SEC Network stated in the final moments, speaking about Wazzu:
"Players, coaches and fans have to be overwhelmingly proud today."
THE ACTUAL TURNING POINT: What has been the issue all season long? Tackling. Especially in open space against opposing running backs. Well, that issue was personified on the first play of Ole Miss' scoring drive that put it up two scores. Kewan Lacy and the offensive line of the Rebels literally carried the Washington State defense multiple yards down the field that ended up going as a 23-yard gain. A simple wrap up and not allowing the big boys to swarm and push the self-created pile. Ole Miss scored three plays later and staved off the upset.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE TURNING POINT: Disaster nearly struck the Cougars early in the fourth quarter. Kirby Vorhees got a direct snap on 3rd-and-1, shot out of the backfield like a cannon and fumbled the snap before he could even get back to the line of scrimmage. He recovered and the defense forced a three-and-out, but that could have went the other way in a hurry and made the margin two scores.
RUN OF THE YEAR: Vorhees had the running play of the season to this point, primarily because it was the first touchdown by a tailback this season. It took six games for the ground game of the two South Dakota State transfers of Angel Johnson and Vorhees to find paydirt. It was a heckuva run by Vorhees to boot, waiting for two offensive linemen to pinch in, open a gap and coupled with some poor angles by the Rebels, he scooted down the sideline for a 46-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half.
FUN WITH CREATIVITY: It's not often in modern college football that two quarterbacks will lineup in the backfield together. One will usually be out wide then come back in, but pre-snap to see both next to each other was unique. And it clearly fooled the Rebels' defense since Landon Wright was left wide open in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown, the first of the afternoon. Julian Dugger flipped to Zevi Eckhaus, then with a defender barreling down, launched a ball right to Wright. Who knows how many times that was repped in practice? Or how many times it worked? Doesn't matter since it worked to give the Cougs an early lead.
WELCOME TO THE BACKFIELD: The Washington State defensive line hasn't been world-beaters when it comes to sacks, but unlike last year, that group aren't a bunch of slouches. Isaac Terrell was the leader of the front-four on Saturday with a forced fumble, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Against a mobile quarterback, one of the better ones the Cougs have faced, that unit held their own. Darrion Dalton, the San Diego State transfer, also notched a sack in the second half. Wazzu finished the day with three sacks and six tackles for loss.
HE GONE: Cale Reeder, one of the stalwarts in the secondary for Wazzu, was called for targeting in the third quarter that set up Ole Miss' go-ahead score. The safety had a helmet-to-helmet hit that was initiated on review by the booth and was ejected for the penalty. As a result, Reeder will miss the first half of the Virginia game next weekend.
MORE INJURIES: Outside of the Bryson Lamb and Raam Stevenson ailments in the first half, Lamb returned and Stevenson didn't, two more Cougs went down in the second half. Star linebacker Caleb Francl seemed to be in good spirits and drinking water while the trainers were working on his leg for potential cramps. He returned on their ensuring defensive possession. Meanwhile backup right tackle Jaylin Caldwell, who earned the start in place of the injured Christian Hilborn, was working on his knee on the sideline.
UP NEXT: Washington State will head east and play another ranked opponent for the second time in as many weeks, taking on No. 19 Virginia in Charlottesville. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and The CW will broadcast the contest.
(Photo: statbroadcast.com)