Cougars crushed 39-13 by Oklahoma St.

This wasn't the start Paul Wulff envisioned.

The new Washington State Cougars coach, who promises to restore toughness to a battered program, watched helplessly on the sidelines at Qwest Field as the visiting Oklahoma State Cowboys held his retooled no-huddle offense scoreless in the first half.

Truth be told, the Cougars had as much to do with the offensive ineptitude and the 39-13 defeat as the Cowboys.

Too many penalties, dropped passes and shoddy special-team performances spoiled Wulff's debut and made him the first Cougars' coach to lose his debut since Jackie Sherrill in 1976.

"We didn't put ourselves in a position to win the game because of the mental mistakes made," Wulff said. "It doesn't surprise me that we made the mistakes. The best thing that we can do is take this film and this game and build on it. We'll get better."

Not until late in the third quarter did the 50,830 sun-drenched Cougars fans finally get a glimpse of WSU's potential. Fifth-year senior Gary Rogers completed a 75-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson near the back of the end zone.

By then, the Cowboys had raced to an 18-0 lead and controlled nearly every aspect of the game. And if the Cougars had any ideas of a dramatic comeback, Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox took those away seconds after Gibson's touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Cowboys' returner fielded the kick at the 10 and zigzagged through the middle of the Cougars' kickoff coverage for a 90-yard return that punctuated a miserable day for Washington State special teams.

In the third quarter, strong safety Ricky Price returned a low-trajectory punt from Dan Wagner and raced 68 yards before cornerback Tali Talakai saved a touchdown with a shoestring tackle at the Cougars' 18.

These aren't Mike Price's Cougars. Heck, they aren't even Bill Doba's Cougs. WSU finished with just 196 total yards and surrendered 367 to the Cowboys. The Cougars were trounced in every meaningful category.

The Cowboys had more first downs (22 to 14), more passing yards (193 to 82), more rushing yards (174 to 114), more return yards (252 to 154) and held the ball longer (33:06 minutes to 26:54).

It was an awful start offensively in the first half as the Cougars unveiled a hurry-up attack. Dwight Tardy led WSU with 59 yards on 18 carries, Christopher Ivory ran six times for 32 yards and Gary Rogers had eight carries for 11 yards and an 11-yard touchdown run.

A makeshift offensive line, anchored by junior center Kenny Alfred and working in three new starters, created a few holes for the backs. But Rogers, starting his first game, had very little time early to make any connections.

"I think coach is right when he says that we only have about 50 percent of the offense in right now," said Rogers who completed 12 of 24 passes for 82 yards. He also had an interception and was sacked twice.

Said Alfred: "I expect us to be so much better in Game 2 than we were today. You can't put this all on Gary. He needs time to throw, and we've got to give it to him."

Rogers was also the victim of several dropped passes from a young receiving corps. Wulff estimated between five and seven drops. Even Gibson, the All-Pac-10 first-team receiver, mishandled passes, including one in the end zone.

Gibson failed to make a reception in the first half, but hit his stride in the third quarter and finished with six catches for 53 yards and the touchdown. Sophomore Daniel Blackledge (two catches, 4 yards) was the only other receiver with more than one reception.

"Obviously, we didn't do enough," Blackledge said. "This offense is so much better than what we showed today."

The day wasn't a total loss for the Cougars. Despite allowing Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson 193 yards on 20-for-27 passing and giving up 119 rushing yards to running back Kendall Hunter, WSU yielded just two long scoring drives and forced three field goals.

"I felt like the scoreboard doesn't really tell the story," cornerback Chima Nwachukwu said.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com