While not often, we have been favored a few times ( some double digit) the last several years and struggled in those games, particularly late in the game. Colorado, Colorado St, Rutgers, Nevada, PSU (Cal last yr?) I don't get it, each of those represented a missed opportunity to take a big step forward each time. I don't get it, can someone explain it?
Curious about a concern
- Thread starter Geoduck12
- Start date
This team has been AWFUL spanning the last two administrations whenever they got a whiff of favorable press.
It seems like nothing makes this team play bad like the idea that they can win without being top of game. Should have been wiped out by now.
Leach has not proven to be a great motivator of men thus far.People are tired of his slickness with the press. WSU has literally poured millions into his salary and the program. So far,they have not gotten their moneys worth.They tore up the campus to put the new football buildings in and destroyed the character of the campus. What for,to loss to a Portland State? who is a very bad football team.Damn if he cannot do it,then hire another coach who can.Easier said then done as he has WSU over a barrel. as far as finances are concerned.
OK, this is just stupid. Guess we'll bring the portapotties back for ya, huh?
Geoduck, this is my 02 worth. As one with dual loyalties, and one who was solidly inside the culture of what is means to be a coug, and also, after many years, how it looks from a more external viewpoint....and combined with being inside a little on SC culture....I remember this feeling of dread would come over me when the cougs had a lead....I remember one game in Joe Albi with the dawgs. We were up I think 14-0 and forced them to punt....I knew if we scored again, they wouldn't come back. Sure enough we muffed the punt, huskies recovered and went on to score and eventually win. Call it a group psychology, a culture, a mindset, even use the c****** it phrase. Whatever. It fuels fans and players alike, and I know it influences players--how much I don't know.
But that is missing with the trojans. I remember watching them play Notre Dame in 05....and I remember feeling not exactly like we would win, but that we sure as heck might, even when we started way back on the field. Call it the confidence of a winning tradition, whatever. I was starting to think that maybe Mike Price was on the way to banishing that feeling, but it has proven too strong. Sorry for the long post.
I look at this as "TV money", not WSU money. Also, we overlooked our opponent, in addition to a downpour of rain with Air Raid receivers. If we played Portland State in sunshine, it would be a blowout. Granted, PSU also played in the rain, but they're not a passing team.
Overlooking PSU and the weather took our game. We'll win games this year, and even some critical conference games, too.
A Setback is a Setup. 90% is how we react, right?
Overlooking PSU and the weather took our game. We'll win games this year, and even some critical conference games, too.
A Setback is a Setup. 90% is how we react, right?
Do you really think they overlooked the first game of the season? Oh yeah, here is the old "If only" argument....stock in trade
Maybe. It could have been a perfect storm (no pun intended) where everything that could go wrong went wrong.
- Falk was nervous starting the game
- Weather was poor
- Had a mobile QB who took advantage of the conditions and beat us with his feat not with his arm.
- No energy in the stadium = no energy on the field
- Played to the level of competition instead of playing how we can play
All those things add up to a loss. Will it be that way the whole season...hopefully not...I'm trying to be optimistic...but maybe it was a Fluke. Luke ... Falk.....Fluke...who knows.
Falk did not build upon the success he had v. Oregon State and in the first half of the ASU game a year ago. He looks timid and indecisive, and he appears physically weaker this season (very thin and, as we now know, not durable). I talked to a couple players after the game. They were surprised Falk got the start. Bender is going to make mistakes, but they feel he is the immediate future.
Well, if they're surprised....then there's a coaching-player conflict. He did look confused back there and it would be prudent to split time at the QB position for the next couple of games. Why? ....we lost to Portland State in the first half in spite of the bad coaching.
Any Pac12 team should be able to beat Portland State at any offense THEY want to play. If they want to run 80% of the time....any Pac12 team should be able to do the same...run 80 % of the time and come out with the victory. Portland State may do much better than predicted....but there's only 3 teams in the Big Sky who should come out with this victory and they still aren't it.
I don't agree that Falk looked confused. I didn't see him looking like he had an urgency to his play. Thus, the comment by Leach at halftime about tempo. WSU must have an attitude against everyone we play. We must play like an underdog.
So we disagree on the underlying reason as to why he didn't make the quick throw? I think they they need to open up the competition and let Falk prove he's the starter in game in front of everyone.
So seriously, how many dropped balls we're there, (I didn't count)? If it wasn't the rain, what was it?
I think there's a name for that phenomenon - but I've seen 100 games now where the fresh blood backup QB gets in there and absolutely lights it up... only to follow it up with an awful career. Too early to tell with Falk, but the arrow is certainly not pointing up.
This may be the most realistic decision we lost to a 30 point underdog. Falk was named starter earlier in the week and they were surprised AFTER the game that Falk got the start? If they don't like the coaches personnel decisions maybe this isn't the place for those couple of kids. To me get on board and play your ass off for whoever is playing next to you. Buckle up your pants kids, this is big boy football. If Bender gets the job he should win it, he hasn't done that through spring and fall camp and he shouldn't be "given" it until; A- he wins it by regularly outplaying Falk in practice and his game opportunities or B- Falk fails to perform well enough to keep the job.
As you might be able to tell I think this post and, if there truly are a couple of kids who actually said that and you appear to have validated their comments, that is total bull sh*t.
Sorry for the bad grammar
Not sure how you came to that conclusion. I said I talked to a couple after the game. Their surprise came with the announcement on a starter. I don't think that happened after the game. And you don't know they chose not to play their ass off. Calm down.
As for Falk, we've seen 10 quarters of fairly average play and not a lot of points scored. There's a trend there.
Dom WIlliams had 2, Cracraft had 1, Baker had 1... that's 4 off the top of my head...I think there were probably six that could have been caught.
I dont think we overlooked PSU. I don't think we came out flat either.
We came out and controlled the 1st half. It was looking like a game where we'd ougain them 550 yards to 200.
I think our players, along with the fans who showed up, got disheartened by the weather. After looking forward to opening day for months, we drew the worst weather day of the year. It was a major downer, and I can see how it affected the home favorite more than it did it the road underdog. The weather froze out our fans, and it crushed our passing attack. They ran the ball at will and the clock evaporated in the 2nd half. Nobody, including me, thought we might lose until Priester's muffed punt. Then it got real. Our throats tightened, everyone's hands were blue, the rain was relentless, and the momentum was all on their side.
I'm pissed off and embarrassed, but not to the level some people are. If the weather was even average, we would have scored 50, they would have a abandoned the run, and the rest would have been different. When our offense got stopped, it was due to drops. They sure as Hell weren't blanketing our receivers.
We came out and controlled the 1st half. It was looking like a game where we'd ougain them 550 yards to 200.
I think our players, along with the fans who showed up, got disheartened by the weather. After looking forward to opening day for months, we drew the worst weather day of the year. It was a major downer, and I can see how it affected the home favorite more than it did it the road underdog. The weather froze out our fans, and it crushed our passing attack. They ran the ball at will and the clock evaporated in the 2nd half. Nobody, including me, thought we might lose until Priester's muffed punt. Then it got real. Our throats tightened, everyone's hands were blue, the rain was relentless, and the momentum was all on their side.
I'm pissed off and embarrassed, but not to the level some people are. If the weather was even average, we would have scored 50, they would have a abandoned the run, and the rest would have been different. When our offense got stopped, it was due to drops. They sure as Hell weren't blanketing our receivers.
