WSU Football
Cougars crumble in crazy quarter

By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES The winning score was one of six touchdowns for Oregon's Kellen Clemens (11).

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PULLMAN — Washington State's 16th-ranked defense turned generous yesterday and did a face plant in a winnable game.

The suddenly porous Cougars gave up 646 yards, fifth most in school history, and Oregon rallied with 27 fourth-quarter points to win 41-38.

"I was in disbelief," said Cougars defensive end Mkristo Bruce. "I've never been involved in what was going on. Six-hundred yards against us! Every time they were just driving down the field."

Oregon never led until 1:21 remained, when quarterback Kellen Clemens scored the winning touchdown on a 13-yard draw.

It was a dose of their own medicine for the Cougars (3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Pac-10), who had won two games with dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks.

But this one will sting and revive use of the dreaded term "Couging it," which re-enters the vocabulary when a WSU team blows big games or leads.

"I thought 38 points would be enough to win any game for us," said WSU coach Bill Doba. "We just didn't play well enough on defense."

Before taking a knee in victory on the final series, the Ducks scored touchdowns on four of their final five possessions.

Leading the charge for the Ducks (2-3, 1-1) was Clemens, whose progress this season until yesterday had been described by coach Mike Bellotti as only "satisfactory."

The junior completed 36 of 55 passes for a career-high 437 yards and three touchdowns. The junior also rushed for three TDs and 69 yards, but five sacks dropped the total to 36.

"We didn't plan on him (Clemens) moving around and running with the ball," WSU linebacker Scott Davis said. "They did a lot of crossing routes and we missed a couple of assignments."

The Cougars led 38-34 with five minutes to play but were forced to punt with 3:25 left. That set up Oregon's seven-play, 60-yard winning drive.

Clemens completed four passes on the drive, two of them to tight end Tim Day for 18 and 15 yards. Day, who hadn't caught a pass at halftime, caught eight in the second half for 152 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs of 10 and 14 yards.

"Things just clicked today. Those guys (his receivers) are phenomenal players. I can't play good when I'm stressed, so I was trying to calm everybody else down," Clemens said.

The Cougars got the ball back for one last drive. But Trandon Harvey, who had caught a 6-yard TD pass in the final period, dropped two passes on the possession.

Oregon won despite losing three fumbles and being whistled for 13 penalties for 104 yards.

The score was tied 14-14 at halftime, and both Cougars touchdowns were on first-quarter Josh Swogger-to-Jason Hill passes, the first for 39 yards and the next for 25. On both plays, Hill beat cornerback Marques Binns, who eventually was relieved of Hill-coverage duties.

Swogger and Hill have combined for seven touchdowns in the past three games, and Hill has a four-game scoring streak. Hill has eight TDs to show for his 17 catches this season because he caught a 60-yard score from Alex Brink against Colorado.

The Cougars went to Hill only three times in the second half as Swogger said he wanted to spread the ball around. None of the throws to Hill after intermission were successful. He dropped one pass in the end zone, but Harvey compensated on the next play by catching a 6-yard TD pass. Michael Bumpus caught a two-point conversion for a 35-21 WSU lead.

Swogger completed 13 of 36 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

WSU running back Jerome Harrison broke the 14-14 halftime tie to put the Cougars up 21-14 with a 1-yard plunge on fourth down. It capped an 80-yard drive to open the second half.

Harrison led the Cougars with 121 yards on 14 carries, including a long run of 43. The touchdown was set up by a diving catch at the 4-yard line by Chris Jordan for a 51-yard gain. Jordan finished with five catches for 128 yards.

Oregon paid a huge price for a penalty later in the third quarter. After an illegal-procedure penalty nullified a 66-yard punt, Oregon punted again and this time Bumpus, a true freshman, broke five tackles up the right sideline and scored on a 52-yard return.

The snap by substitute snapper Robbie Hyslop was high on the PAT attempt, and the score was 27-14.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Day scored on a 10-yard pass for the Ducks, and the comeback was under way. Harvey's touchdown catch equalized for WSU, then Marcus Maxwell scored on an 11-yard pass for Oregon to complete an 87-yard drive and make it 35-28.

Loren Langley's 34-yard field goal for WSU made it 38-28, but then Day scored again for Oregon to make it 38-34. Bellotti chose to go for two points, apparently so a field goal could win, but the effort failed. Bellotti's explanation: "We were going for the win."

Both teams then fumbled away the ball. Tyron Brackenridge fumbled on a kickoff return for the Cougars. But then Terrence Whitehead, who finished with 166 rushing yards, returned the favor at the Cougars' 14.

WSU got nowhere and had to punt, putting the Ducks in motion for the winning score.

A close win or loss in this tight and historic series surprises nobody because Oregon now leads the ledger 38-37-7.

The big surprise of the day was how the Cougars lost, because the defense had been stout.

"The defense has been saving us all season," Jordan said. "We still believe in our defense and think they are one of the best in the nation."

He may have trouble convincing others after yesterday.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com

Schedule
Date	Opponent	Time
Sept. 3	at New Mexico	Won, 21-17
Sept. 11	COLORADO	Lost, 20-12
Sept. 18	IDAHO	Won, 49-8
Sept. 25	at Arizona	Won, 20-19
Oct. 2	Bye
Oct. 9	OREGON	Lost, 41-38
Saturday	STANFORD	2 p.m.
Oct. 23	at Oregon St.	2 p.m.
Oct. 30	USC	4 p.m.
Nov. 6	at UCLA	TBA
Nov. 13	at Arizona St.	TBA
Nov. 20	WASHINGTON	5 p.m.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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