WSU Football
Cougars' bowl hopes dashed in loss to Oregon State

By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter

MARK HARRISON / THE TIMES Oregon State return man Sammie Stroughter fights off Eric Frampton of Washington State.

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CORVALLIS — Instead of Washington State football fans heading south for a fourth consecutive bowl game, this season appears headed south.

In a matchup of teams suddenly moving in different directions, Oregon State completed its first sweep of WSU and Washington since 1974 by using big plays to thrash the Cougars 38-19 before 36,265 in Reser Stadium.

What kind of day was it for the Cougars? Awful.

The Beavers led 24-3 at halftime and 31-5 in the third quarter. The Cougars were a woeful 1 for 14 in third-down conversions.

The game was significant because it was viewed as pivotal for the Cougars' hopes of getting to a bowl game for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.

The defeat was the Cougars' third straight and marked the first time WSU (3-4, 1-3 Pac-10) has been under .500 since the 4-7 season of 2000.

"It's getting frustrating," said WSU defensive end Adam Braidwood. "You can see it on a lot of guys' faces."

Until yesterday, the Cougars' No. 1 problem had been inconsistency. Yesterday, there weren't enough good plays to be inconsistent.

The Cougars' meager highlights included junior running back Jerome Harrison rushing for 98 yards on 20 carries and scoring on a 19-yard run, and Braidwood, the defensive end, making three sacks.

It was the second straight win for the Beavers (3-4, 2-2), who at least have the consolation of losing to four Top 25 teams.

The Cougars will be underdogs for three straight weeks as they face top-ranked USC in Pullman and then UCLA and Arizona State on the road before the Apple Cup in Pullman.

In addition to dealing a big blow to WSU's bowl hopes, this was the Cougars' first defeat of the season of more than eight points. It was the first time the Cougars have been out of a game since the 34-14 Rose Bowl loss to Oklahoma at the end of the 2002 season.

"We didn't play well," said WSU coach Bill Doba. "We dropped interceptions, weren't making good plays on the ball and just played poorly."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Brink completed 15 of 41 passes for 201 yards, including a 19-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to Greg Prator, who sprained his ankle on the play. Brink was intercepted twice.

	MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES Oregon State cornerback Aric Williams intercepts Washington State quarterback Alex Brink's pass in the fourth quarter. Brink, a freshman, made his first start for the Cougars.

Brink was sacked four times and hit on numerous occasions but emerged from the game with his health intact. That's significant considering WSU is down to two scholarship quarterbacks.

"Alex Brink did a good job for his first start," said Doba.

The other quarterback — OSU senior Derek Anderson — took advantage of a leaky Cougars secondary to have a much better day.

Anderson threw three touchdown passes in an 18-for-39 afternoon for 270 yards. He was intercepted once.

Anderson's 44-yard TD pass to Marcel Love in the second quarter was one of the biggest plays and gave the Beavers a 24-3 lead.

Another big play in the third quarter — a 79-yard touchdown run by OSU sophomore Ryan Cole — built the lead to 31-5.

"My fault," said WSU defensive coordinator Robb Akey. "I called blitz. I was trying to make something happen."

It was the first collegiate touchdown for Cole, who starred at South Kitsap High School.

Akey said "the disheartening thing" about the loss was that the Cougars had practiced well.

"I was surprised with the way we played," Akey said. "I expected us to play well today."

Safety Eric Frampton said, "Big play after big play after big play deflates a team a little bit ."

Frampton added, "It's our whole secondary that isn't functioning properly."

In addition to passing for 270 yards, the Beavers rushed for a season-high 171, with Cole leading the way with 104.

One of the Cougars' best weapons had a quiet day. Receiver Jason Hill's streak of games with a TD ended at five. He caught one pass for 39 yards.

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

Evergreen sweeps
The Beavers beat WSU and UW in a season for the first time since 1974 and only the 14th time ever. The 11 OSU sweeps since World War II:
Year	WSU score	UW score	OSU coach
1946	13-12	21-12	Lon Stiner
1949	35-6	7-3	Kip Taylor
1955	14-6	13-7	Tommy Prothro
1956	21-6	28-20	Tommy Prothro
1961	14-6	3-0	Tommy Prothro
1964	24-7	9-7	Tommy Prothro
1966	41-13	24-13	Dee Andros
1968	16-8	35-21	Dee Andros
1969	38-3	10-6	Dee Andros
1974	17-3	23-9	Dee Andros
2004	38-19	28-14	Mike Riley

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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