NEXT GAME
Oregon at Washington State, 2 p.m. Saturday
TV: none.
Radio: AM 1330
Online: wsucougars.com
PASADENA, Calif. — On the surface, Washington State’s latest football defeat looked like so many others in recent years.
Too many points allowed. Too many yards allowed. Too many sacks allowed.
All of the above factors played pivotal roles in WSU’s 42-28 loss to UCLA on Saturday. What was unusual is that the Cougars carried a 28-20 lead into the final minute of the third quarter and would have led 34-28 early in the fourth quarter if not for failure to score on four tries from the 1-yard line.
“This game was ours to lose,” linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis said, “and that’s what we did.”
Hoffman-Ellis agreed with coach Paul Wulff that it was WSU’s best Pacific-10 Conference performance during the three-year reign of Wulff and his staff.
“We looked like a Pac-10 team. We hadn’t done that before,” Wulff said with a slight grin.
UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel also was impressed.
During his traditional post-game address to the crowd, Neuheisel said the Cougars deserve “unbelievable credit,” and UCLA fans responded with applause.
Later, when speaking to the media, Neuheisel said, “I just think it was a great effort by them, and I’m not saying that just because we won, but I’m saying it because I admire that kind of competition.”
“I’m very proud of our players’ effort,” Wulff said. “They came out and fought, fought real hard. They did a lot of good things.”
Missing from the “good things” list was run defense. The Bruins, playing without starting quarterback Kevin Prince (knee injury), piled up 437 of their 568 total yards on the ground.
Tailbacks Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman ran for career highs of 215 and 185 yards, respectively. All five UCLA touchdowns came on running plays, including a career-high three by Coleman.
Franklin scored twice, and sophomore quarterback Richard Brehaut scored once to supplement a career-high 123 passing yards (12 for 23) in his first college start.
Wulff said WSU’s defense wore down late in the game due partly to the 47 plays and 19-plus minutes the Bruins had the ball in the first half. Time of possession evened out in the second half, and Hoffman-Ellis refused to use weariness as an excuse for the defense’s problems.
“Bottom line, the offense put us up, and we didn’t stop them,” Hoffman-Ellis said.
If not for the Bruins’ brilliant goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, the Cougars (1-4, 0-2 Pac-10) might have knocked off a UCLA team (3-2, 1-1) that dominated then-No. 7 Texas the week before.
Marquess Wilson’s 50-yard reception gave WSU the ball at the 1-yard line. At least.
“I honestly did think I got it in,” Wilson said.
Two plays later, WSU appeared to have scored when quarterback Jeff Tuel dived into the right corner of the end zone. It was only after the extra-point kick sailed wide that it was discovered that the replay official decided just before the kick that Tuel’s “touchdown” should be reviewed. The official agreed with UCLA defenders that Tuel was downed 2 feet from the end zone.
A ferocious blitz forced Tuel to just get rid of the ball on third down, then star UCLA safety Rahim Moore stopped running back James Montgomery inches short of the end zone.
“It’s going to haunt me,” Montgomery said.
“That was the game right there,” WSU center Zack Williams said.
Coleman burst up the middle for 73 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown on a 99-yard drive. That helped spoil a fine performance by Tuel, who overcame five sacks to complete 20 of 37 passes for a season-high 311 yards (118 to Wilson) and two touchdowns. WSU gained just 73 rushing yards.
