Oregon too much for WSU

PULLMAN — Washington State football coach Paul Wulff trudged into the postgame media interview session, stepped to the microphone and waited.

For once Wulff wasn't worried the questions would be about another blowout. Or why his team couldn't stop the run. Or a million other points he's dealt with the past couple seasons.

No, this time the questions would concern a missed opportunity. A chance for a signature upset of the third-ranked Oregon Ducks, which seemed so near with seconds left in the third quarter.

But that's when it slipped away.

In the end, Wulff and his players would answer questions about another defeat, their fifth in six games, this one 43-23 in front of a homecoming crowd of 24,768 at Martin Stadium.

And, to Wulff and his players, the idea of close isn't enough.

"We are getting close, but it just gets old hearing that," said senior defensive end Kevin Kooyman. "We were right there in this game.

"There were just plays out there that needed to be made, and we left them on the field."

None loomed larger Saturday afternoon than the one that came with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

The Cougs, a 36-point underdog, had outhit the defending Pac-10 champs, had overcome some big plays by the Ducks — including a 67-yard punt return and an 84-yard pass — and moved the ball, if not consistently, at least often enough to trail just 36-23.

Quarterback Jeff Tuel and the offense, coming off an 80-yard touchdown drive, returned to the field following a LaMichael James fumble at the WSU 30.

Mixing a series of power runs with a 35-yard fade pass to Jared Karstetter, Tuel, who would finish 25 of 40 passing for 245 yards despite Oregon's intense pressure, guided the Cougars to the Oregon 12-yard line.

Then ...

"I got a little greedy, a little excited," Tuel said. "I wanted to get into the end zone. Took a shot I probably shouldn't have. Should have probably thrown it outside."

Instead he tried to force the ball into Daniel Blackledge — the recipient of the touchdown pass four minutes earlier — at the goal line. Middle linebacker Casey Matthews stepped in, grabbed the ball and brought it out to the 9.

"Hell of a drive," Wulff said. "We have an opportunity to go down, get this thing (to) 36-30, and (we) turn the ball over down there."

"That hurt," Tuel said. "That hurt big-time after that drive, to shoot ourselves in the foot like that."

And it hurt even more when Oregon, behind backup quarterback Nate Costa — playing in place of injured starter Darron Thomas, who played into the second quarter and finished 8-for-12 passing for 153 yards — took the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Pac-10) 91 yards in 3:46 to finish the scoring (a 34-yard screen pass to Jeff Maehl capped it) and the Cougars' upset hopes.

Washington State (1-5, 0-3) showed from the first Oregon possession its game plan was predicated on whacking the Ducks in the mouth.

Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis set the tone with a crunching sack of Thomas on the game's second play.

"We practiced all week getting off blocks, being physical and beating our guy," said linebacker Myron Beck. "At times we did that. We're improving."

But Oregon coach Chip Kelly showed his disdain for the WSU defense on the same possession, going for it twice on fourth down — including one from the WSU 43 that was successful by inches.

Oregon's Kenjon Barner, one of the nation's best kick returners, felt the Cougs' physical play when he suffered a serious injury on a kickoff return.

Freshman Anthony Carpenter — one of 15 freshmen WSU played — crashed into Barner, knocking the ball loose and Barner out. Barner stayed down for nearly 10 minutes before finally getting up.

"(Oregon) is the measuring stick for us," Wulff said. "They're the defending (Pac-10) champions, they're leading the conference right now. They may be the best team in the country. We went out, fought, played hard, and grew up in some areas."

One of those areas, Wulff said, is something he's been trying to grow for a while.

"(We're) believing we're playing Pac-10 football," he said, "and we can now play in the Pac-10 and compete."