First game I've been able to watch most of

[random soul]

Since I had the day off from work, so I could see more than highlights. Quick impressions, feel free to correct me if you've seen more or see things differently:

1: The talent drop has certainly begun. We're not full-on MWC yet, but we're well on our way, particularly in the place that it shows up the most, up front. This was starting to become clear last year, but it's even moreso now.

2: Mateer has an accuracy problem. Whoever said he's a poor-man's Tebow has it just about right. Surround him with great talent and he's a Heisman contender because of his mobility and knack for improvisation, but he rarely hits anyone perfectly in stride or in a tight window, and he also takes a while to go through his progressions. He doesn't freeze up like Falk would, or play Tecmo QB like Ward, he just takes off instead. That often works, but somebody is going to have the personnel to smother him.

3: Not super impressed with blocking in general offensively. It shows up in spurts, but there is no consistent handling of the point of attack, and not just the linemen. Those outside screens are trash when your receivers are playing matador with the DBs.

4: I don't have a firm impression of the run defense, though lateral speed on that side of the ball seems fine. Getting off blocks or finishing tackles might be a bigger issue.

5: Janikowski is wild ride this year. Hope he can settle down.

6: Nobody in the secondary can play with their back to the QB, and this is a weakness that everyone on our schedule is going to pound on. Nobody gets their head around. It's a completion or a mugging every time.

Overall I'd say the running game and the offensive line looks a hair better, the passing game is iffy but as long as Mateer is running around it partially compensates. The defense looks fast enough to get by, but the corners are playing blind and without a pass rush it's going to be get picked apart in zone or bombed in man.

I will say that as a group they seem resourceful and persistent and emotionally tough, and that's not nothing. The 3rd quarter was ghastly, the secondary got cooked repeatedly, but they made plays and stuck with it instead of hanging their heads and letting it get away. This is also a better SJSU team than several I remember from prior years, and well-coached. They'll win more games. Grateful to escape with a win, but not super happy with the performance.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Don’t forget the head coach declaring he was bailed out by the kids because he was out coached.

This team struggles to win 6 in a usual Pac 12 schedule. But this isn’t a usual schedule. This is the weakest schedule ever for WSU. So we will see what happens.

So what you’re saying is Dickfore has
made the roster weaker and the program worse? Careful, this kind of reality won’t go over well around here.

 

[roses04]

Random soul,

I have to agree with most everything you said. Wish Mateer had Browns accuracy and touch. I do believe SJSU is much better than most people realize, they are well coached, and unfortunately, IMO they controlled the line of scrimmage and I think their DBs hit harder. Dickert was out coached, and our OLine couldn’t seem to figure out a lot of things they were doing

The big plus is, in a game WSU should have won by two scores, they won when down by 14, storm back to take the lead, give it up, the find a way to take a kickoff with just seconds left a kick a big field goal to tie it. In a game they should have won easily they found a way to win when they were down late. Georgia found a way to beat Kentucky last week, Notre Dame couldn’t find a way beat Northern Illinois. Oregon found a way to beat BSU, which will cause the Cougs a lot of problems next week. WSU needs play amuch better game, to even be in the game next week. BSU will bring more pressure than SJSU. Players and Coaches will have their hands full next week, both need their best game of the year to even stand a chance.

Unfortunately we are already becoming more of a MWC team than a former Pac 12 team, next week will let us know how far we have or have not fallen.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

You guys are freaking hilarious. We just beat a team that had gone 9-1 in their previous 10 games. It was a classic trap game and it showed. The key difference between this team and generations of other Coug teams is that we didn't phone it in when things went poorly. Mateer throws for almost 400 yards and rushes for another 111 yards and you can't see that because you are too busy bitching about things. Our team came from 14 points down in the fourth quarter against a team that plays with confidence. For the second straight week, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.....rather than the opposite that we used to "enjoy" on a regular basis.

And a little hint for you guys......we've always had the least amount of "talent" of the Pac-12 schools other than maybe OSU. We've always had to rely on scheme or the random year where we have enough upperclassmen for the talent gap to be covered. This is a typical WSU team when it comes to talent....there is no "decline".

Dickert isn't perfect and he needs to continue to grow as a coach. That said, for all of his talk about being "outcoached", your team doesn't come back in a game like they did last night if they are poorly coached. He says those things because he understands motivation and psychology better than you old farts. He's not a perfect coach, but he's perfect for us.

For the idiots that love Rolovich...San Jose State is a team like the 2021 Utah State team that came into Pullman and walked out with a win. You may not remember, but they beat us in every phase of the game. Passing, Rushing, Time of Possession, first downs.....we were behind the Aggies in every way. So let's not pretend that Rolovich was anything but a run of the mill coach who can't find a job. It's not unusual for Power 5 teams to struggle against good Group of 5 teams like SJSU. Ask Oregon about Boise State. Don't be surprised if the Spartans finish with 10 wins like that team. But hey, go back to bitching about things if you want.

It kind of reminds me of the crusty old fart that I met at Auburn bitching that they weren't even going to make a bowl game after they struggled to beat us in 2013. They played in the National Championship. It's a longtime tradition for fans to bitch and moan and you are living up to that standard.

 

[Coug90]

You guys are freaking hilarious. We just beat a team that had gone 9-1 in their previous 10 games. It was a classic trap game and it showed. The key difference between this team and generations of other Coug teams is that we didn't phone it in when things went poorly. Mateer throws for almost 400 yards and rushes for another 111 yards and you can't see that because you are too busy bitching about things. Our team came from 14 points down in the fourth quarter against a team that plays with confidence. For the second straight week, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.....rather than the opposite that we used to "enjoy" on a regular basis.

And a little hint for you guys......we've always had the least amount of "talent" of the Pac-12 schools other than maybe OSU. We've always had to rely on scheme or the random year where we have enough upperclassmen for the talent gap to be covered. This is a typical WSU team when it comes to talent....there is no "decline".

Dickert isn't perfect and he needs to continue to grow as a coach. That said, for all of his talk about being "outcoached", your team doesn't come back in a game like they did last night if they are poorly coached. He says those things because he understands motivation and psychology better than you old farts. He's not a perfect coach, but he's perfect for us.

For the idiots that love Rolovich...San Jose State is a team like the 2021 Utah State team that came into Pullman and walked out with a win. You may not remember, but they beat us in every phase of the game. Passing, Rushing, Time of Possession, first downs.....we were behind the Aggies in every way. So let's not pretend that Rolovich was anything but a run of the mill coach who can't find a job. It's not unusual for Power 5 teams to struggle against good Group of 5 teams like SJSU. Ask Oregon about Boise State. Don't be surprised if the Spartans finish with 10 wins like that team. But hey, go back to bitching about things if you want.

It kind of reminds me of the crusty old fart that I met at Auburn bitching that they weren't even going to make a bowl game after they struggled to beat us in 2013. They played in the National Championship. It's a longtime tradition for fans to bitch and moan and you are living up to that standard.

SJS is the best team we’ve played so far. They are well coached and have a really solid QB with some good athletes on both sides of the ball. Did we have opportunities to salt the game away? Sure. I guarantee you they would give UW all they could handle as well and can beat BSU and FSU.

We aren’t perfect but we never are. We need more speed in the secondary for starters. That seems to be the Achilles heel of this team.

I’m not sure SJS won’t be the best team on our schedule when all is said and done. Doesn’t always look that way when you first look at the schedule.

Anyone bitching about Dickert at this point is an absolute F’ing moron of epic proportions and knows jack shit about football.

 

[UberCougars]

Don’t forget the head coach declaring he was bailed out by the kids because he was out coached.

This team struggles to win 6 in a usual Pac 12 schedule. But this isn’t a usual schedule. This is the weakest schedule ever for WSU. So we will see what happens.

So what you’re saying is Dickfore has
made the roster weaker and the program worse? Careful, this kind of reality won’t go over well around here.

What he’s saying is that Jake Dickert, 35 games into being a head coach, is sporting a 19-16(.529) record, is undefeated on the season and currently in first place.

This, of course ranks Jake Dickert #1 as the the most successful Head coach in WSU history 35 games in, ahead of Price(15-20 .429), Leach(12-23 .343) and Walden (12-22-1)(source: Sports-reference.com)

Dickert has also won an Apple cup in Seattle and played in two bowl games.

Dickert is also the First WSU coach to start back-to-back seasons 4-0 since 1907(source CW network)

Are you mad at Dickert because you know there is zero chance he would have allowed you onto the practice field to watch the team play?

 

[ttowncoug]

Agreed that SJSU is a good team. We played terrible on defense most of the night.

This team - like last year - wins some big games and then thinks they are world beaters. That’s on Jake. He’s got to keep his emotions in check after big wins and keep the motivation going to make sure we are ready to go for every game.

Big test next weekend and we better be ready

 

[Coug90]

 

[Coug90]

At least we aren’t North Carolina. Another 3-0 team playing a “lesser” team, James Madison, at home. Currently down 25 and has given up 400 yards and 10+ yards per play with 2 minutes left in the half.

It could be much much worse folks.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

Don’t forget the head coach declaring he was bailed out by the kids because he was out coached.

This team struggles to win 6 in a usual Pac 12 schedule. But this isn’t a usual schedule. This is the weakest schedule ever for WSU. So we will see what happens.

So what you’re saying is Dickfore has
made the roster weaker and the program worse? Careful, this kind of reality won’t go over well around here.

Not much to add to the other replies. Dickert said exactly the right thing after the game, and it will resound with the team. That's called motivation. 4-0, on the cusp of the Top 25, 2 P4 wins, Apple Cup win, and here you are crying. No surprise that you failed as a coach.

 

[Coug90]

Really cool shot here. Right after the final play a bunch of Cougs go congratulate Emmett Brown on a helluva game. Respect. Dude balled out and I’m sure he wanted that one REALLY bad. He’s a damn good QB, didn’t even know before this week much about him or that he transferred there, but rooting for the kid going forward

 

[froropmkr72]

Agreed that SJSU is a good team. We played terrible on defense most of the night.

This team - like last year - wins some big games and then thinks they are world beaters. That’s on Jake. He’s got to keep his emotions in check after big wins and keep the motivation going to make sure we are ready to go for every game.

Big test next weekend and we better be ready

 

[froropmkr72]

I wouldn't agree that it's Schmedding's problem. He doesn't have the talent the work with.

 

[95coug]

Really cool shot here. Right after the final play a bunch of Cougs go congratulate Emmett Brown on a helluva game. Respect. Dude balled out and I’m sure he wanted that one REALLY bad. He’s a damn good QB, didn’t even know before this week much about him or that he transferred there, but rooting for the kid going forward

View embedded media

This is what CFB is supposed to be. I don’t care about the NIL BS, seeing our D run over and pat Brown on the back before they go celebrate is the play of the game.

 

[chipdouglas]

I do believe SJSU is much better than most people realize

Ugh, I was hoping we could coast for at least a few years in MWC2 before I started reading this kind of stuff on the boards (no offense)

Will we even be BSU/Utah-type over performers in the new non-Power league?

 

[COCoug]

Since I had the day off from work, so I could see more than highlights. Quick impressions, feel free to correct me if you've seen more or see things differently:

This team won Friday. They have won every game they have played.
I'm sure they will never compete with the mythical highlight real of Cougar football moments that lives in our minds, but this is what we got, and its pretty good.
None of the great Cougar teams of yore were pieced together with so many transfers and new players, none faced the conference upheaval.
And none of them won an Apple Cup in September.

This team and coach is learning with every game, and are still just getting to know each other. But if you look at the CML years, or really any era of Cougar football, these were the games we would lose.
Its a given that we can improve in every phase of the game, and every player has room for improvement.
We could tackle better, block better, throw better, catch better, coach better. Very insightful!
At some point we could just give the constant nitpicking of the players and coaches a rest and appreciate what we have this season.

 

[CougPatrol]

Random Troll has been saying this stuff for years.

 

[Coug90]

This team won Friday. They have won every game they have played.
I'm sure they will never compete with the mythical highlight real of Cougar football moments that lives in our minds, but this is what we got, and its pretty good.
None of the great Cougar teams of yore were pieced together with so many transfers and new players, none faced the conference upheaval.
And none of them won an Apple Cup in September.

This team and coach is learning with every game, and are still just getting to know each other. But if you look at the CML years, or really any era of Cougar football, these were the games we would lose.
Its a given that we can improve in every phase of the game, and every player has room for improvement.
We could tackle better, block better, throw better, catch better, coach better. Very insightful!
At some point we could just give the constant nitpicking of the players and coaches a rest and appreciate what we have this season.

Discussing what looks good and what needs improvement is normal football discussion regardless of the records.

Our non FCS opponents have a combined record of 9-3…those three losses to the Cougs. Bitching about how shitty the coaching is at this point is next level stupid.

 

[CougPatrol]

We played the in the fully stacked P12 last season, which was widely considered to be one of, if not the best conference in the Nation.

We lost Cam Ward, who is a likely Heisman finalist this season and replaced him with one of the best QBs on the West coast. We’ve upgraded the offensive line this year. We upgraded the WR group. We have one of the best young RBs we’ve ever had. Our defense has taken a step back due to the losses of 2 elite defensive ends and elite secondary players.

Is the schedule easier this season? Of course. We didn’t even have a schedule a few months ago. With that said, we play UW, TT, Oregon State, and 3 of the top-4 MWC teams this season. If we finish 10-2 with an Apple cup win, is that regressing?

 

[95coug]

We played the in the fully stacked P12 last season, which was widely considered to be one of, if not the best conference in the Nation.

We lost Cam Ward, who is a likely Heisman finalist this season and replaced him with one of the best QBs on the West coast. We’ve upgraded the offensive line this year. We upgraded the WR group. We have one of the best young RBs we’ve ever had. Our defense has taken a step back due to the losses of 2 elite defensive ends and elite secondary players.

Is the schedule easier this season? Of course. We didn’t even have a schedule a few months ago. With that said, we play UW, TT, Oregon State, and 3 of the top-4 MWC teams this season. If we finish 10-2 with an Apple cup win, is that regressing?

Any improvement on the OL is modest. They still can’t run block, they don’t identify blitzers well, and half the reason Mateer keeps taking off is that they can’t keep the pass rush out of the backfield for more than a couple seconds. They show some flashes, but consistency is a major problem, along with their penalties.

 

[random soul]

You guys are freaking hilarious. We just beat a team that had gone 9-1 in their previous 10 games. It was a classic trap game and it showed. The key difference between this team and generations of other Coug teams is that we didn't phone it in when things went poorly. Mateer throws for almost 400 yards and rushes for another 111 yards and you can't see that because you are too busy bitching about things. Our team came from 14 points down in the fourth quarter against a team that plays with confidence. For the second straight week, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.....rather than the opposite that we used to "enjoy" on a regular basis.

And a little hint for you guys......we've always had the least amount of "talent" of the Pac-12 schools other than maybe OSU. We've always had to rely on scheme or the random year where we have enough upperclassmen for the talent gap to be covered. This is a typical WSU team when it comes to talent....there is no "decline".

Dickert isn't perfect and he needs to continue to grow as a coach. That said, for all of his talk about being "outcoached", your team doesn't come back in a game like they did last night if they are poorly coached. He says those things because he understands motivation and psychology better than you old farts. He's not a perfect coach, but he's perfect for us.

For the idiots that love Rolovich...San Jose State is a team like the 2021 Utah State team that came into Pullman and walked out with a win. You may not remember, but they beat us in every phase of the game. Passing, Rushing, Time of Possession, first downs.....we were behind the Aggies in every way. So let's not pretend that Rolovich was anything but a run of the mill coach who can't find a job. It's not unusual for Power 5 teams to struggle against good Group of 5 teams like SJSU. Ask Oregon about Boise State. Don't be surprised if the Spartans finish with 10 wins like that team. But hey, go back to bitching about things if you want.

It kind of reminds me of the crusty old fart that I met at Auburn bitching that they weren't even going to make a bowl game after they struggled to beat us in 2013. They played in the National Championship. It's a longtime tradition for fans to bitch and moan and you are living up to that standard.

I'd take Dickert over Rolo every single time. He's a far more positive personality/face of the program at a time when positivity helps. But Mateer spent a lot of time running for his life against a team that 6 years ago would have struggled to make Minshew move around much at all, and our corners seem to have spent more time at the LeJuan Gibbons School of Ball Tracking than they have from anyone really committed to stopping anyone that can throw a ball more than 25 yards downfield. Getting pressure without blitzing was also a struggle now that those two rush ends are gone, and that's another thing we were better at in earlier times. To me one of those is coaching and the other two are talent attraction/management. I don't think Dickert is a terrible coach, and he seems like a good dude. But decent or not terrible might be insufficient to the moment. Not that the program is in any position to do anything about it. This seems like a good group to cheer for because they seem like good kids that really want it, and again, that's not nothing, but it's not P5 football either.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I'd take Dickert over Rolo every single time. He's a far more positive personality/face of the program at a time when positivity helps. But Mateer spent a lot of time running for his life against a team that 6 years ago would have struggled to make Minshew move around much at all, and our corners seem to have spent more time at the LeJuan Gibbons School of Ball Tracking than they have from anyone really committed to stopping anyone that can throw a ball more than 25 yards downfield. Getting pressure without blitzing was also a struggle now that those two rush ends are gone, and that's another thing we were better at in earlier times. To me one of those is coaching and the other two are talent attraction/management. I don't think Dickert is a terrible coach, and he seems like a good dude. But decent or not terrible might be insufficient to the moment. Not that the program is in any position to do anything about it. This seems like a good group to cheer for because they seem like good kids that really want it, and again, that's not nothing, but it's not P5 football either.

It is blind speculation to assume that the 2018 team would have had no problem with this SJSU team. We lost to a 5-7 USC team that year, barely beat a bad Cal team and got manhandled by UW.

SJSU may end up being the best team we play this year in the regular season.

In 2015, our team was a steaming pile of dogsh!t after two games but finished 9-4. Nobody really knows if anyone is any good or not.

We as fans have choices. We can enjoy our success when it happens or we can be negative bitches who complain relentlessly assuming that the other shoe is going to drop.

We know what kind of fan Biggs is, you have to decide what kind you want to be. KSU got crushed last night in Provo. Was that proof that Avery Johnson sucks or a miserable learning experience for a young player?

I choose to believe that this is a much better and more talented team than you and Biggs think. I think we get destroyed by a legit Top 5 type of team but I believe the same thing about the 2018 team. We will know a lot more about this team in two weeks.

If we are 6-0, regardless of how the wins look, only a clueless a-hole is saying anything negative about Dickert. And again, each one of us gets to choose what kind of fan we are in the meantime.

 

[CougPatrol]

I don’t see us beating Boise State, but how many teams out West could win there? Oregon was lucky to survive them at home. USC maybe beats them. Utah too. That’s it though.

That’s a pretty good testament to a MWC program that’s been recruiting G5 talent for over 20 years.

 

[COCoug]

Seriously, this is a different sport than 6 year ago.
We have 49 new players from last season. That is insane (but actually could have been a lot worse).
A lot of those new guys are playing or even starting.
To mold these guys into a respectable team and be sitting 4-0 with a Apple Cup victory is a friggin miracle.
This team will improve and the schedule will get a lot easier.
Just be thankful!

 

[dgibbons]

Since I had the day off from work, so I could see more than highlights. Quick impressions, feel free to correct me if you've seen more or see things differently:

1: The talent drop has certainly begun. We're not full-on MWC yet, but we're well on our way, particularly in the place that it shows up the most, up front. This was starting to become clear last year, but it's even moreso now.

2: Mateer has an accuracy problem. Whoever said he's a poor-man's Tebow has it just about right. Surround him with great talent and he's a Heisman contender because of his mobility and knack for improvisation, but he rarely hits anyone perfectly in stride or in a tight window, and he also takes a while to go through his progressions. He doesn't freeze up like Falk would, or play Tecmo QB like Ward, he just takes off instead. That often works, but somebody is going to have the personnel to smother him.

3: Not super impressed with blocking in general offensively. It shows up in spurts, but there is no consistent handling of the point of attack, and not just the linemen. Those outside screens are trash when your receivers are playing matador with the DBs.

4: I don't have a firm impression of the run defense, though lateral speed on that side of the ball seems fine. Getting off blocks or finishing tackles might be a bigger issue.

5: Janikowski is wild ride this year. Hope he can settle down.

6: Nobody in the secondary can play with their back to the QB, and this is a weakness that everyone on our schedule is going to pound on. Nobody gets their head around. It's a completion or a mugging every time.

Overall I'd say the running game and the offensive line looks a hair better, the passing game is iffy but as long as Mateer is running around it partially compensates. The defense looks fast enough to get by, but the corners are playing blind and without a pass rush it's going to be get picked apart in zone or bombed in man.

I will say that as a group they seem resourceful and persistent and emotionally tough, and that's not nothing. The 3rd quarter was ghastly, the secondary got cooked repeatedly, but they made plays and stuck with it instead of hanging their heads and letting it get away. This is also a better SJSU team than several I remember from prior years, and well-coached. They'll win more games. Grateful to escape with a win, but not super happy with the performance.

OL has been better than last year. The dropoff has been apparent since 2022.

On D, we're just mediocre honestly. When the D can produce turnovers, we can look pretty good. When it's not, it can be 66 yards with no one getting close to making a tackle Paul Wulff ugly.

SJSU had a matchup they could exploit, and kept doing it until the last play of the game.