5 Takeaways from Washington State Cougars 24 -17 win over Idaho
Ed Stein
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It wasn’t always easy, but the Washington State Cougars came out of their 2022 season opener with a 24-17 win over Idaho. Here are our 5 biggest takeaways.
The Washington State Cougars won their season opener 24-17 in the 2022 Battle of the Palouse. It wasn’t the overwhelming victory most Cougs fans were anticipating before kickoff. And they were very nervous when WSU was down 10-0 with under 4 minutes left in the first half, but they turned it on from there. At the end of the season, it’s still a checkmark in the “W” column.
Ward Can Play
First up is the “elephant in the room.” The biggest question on the minds of Coug’s fans coming into the game was about new quarterback Cameron Ward. To sum up his performance in a few words: it was a nice start.
The transfer from Incarnate Word is clearly comfortable with Eric Morris’ offensive scheme. He just has a few wrinkles to iron out.
Ward completed 62.5% of his passes for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns (to 3 different receivers). He was comfortable in the pocket and made some nice throws.
It felt like he should have been even better. Hopefully, that comes with time and more reps with his teammates.
Washington State takes the lead vs Idaho! Cameron Ward to De'Zhaun Stribling for the 14 yard TD! #Cougars pic.twitter.com/ayG9uwLEJZ
— ?????? @???????? (@FTBeard7) September 4, 2022
The Basics
The good news was that the Washington State Cougars were able to move the football. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good night for holding on to it. Wazzu fumbled the ball away three times.
Idaho forced two first half fumbles, including one run back for a touchdown, on the opening drive. It was somewhat ironic when Cougars Head Coach Jake Dickert said to WSU sideline reporter Jessamyn McIntyre at the break that his team was “all about ball security.” Then three positions later, the Vandals stripped running back Nakia Watson for their third turnover.
Needless to say, the Washington State Cougars need to do a much better job in the ball control department.
Defense Steps Up
While their offense treated the ball like a wet banana peel, the Washington State Cougars’ defense was rock steady for three-and-a-half quarters. When the D needed to make a big play, they did.
Wazzu teed off on the Vandals backfield. They had a dozen tackles for loss with 7 sacks and another 4 QB hurries. With the exception of a few sporadic plays, the Cougs stymied Idaho’s run game.
They also did a strong job in coverage until the secondary started running out of gas late in the game. Even then, they got an interception at crunch time. Linebacker Daiyan Henley picked off Giovani McCoy with 12 seconds left as Idaho was driving for a game-tying score.
Dr. Rush and Mr. Fumble
How much can the Washington State coaching staff trust running back Nakia Watson? On the one hand, he was productive with 20 touches for 134 yards. On the other, he fumbled twice while WSU was in good field position, costing his team scoring opportunities.
It’s not easy to replace impact players like Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh, but Watson has to do better.
Big Test Ahead
Next week Washington State takes the show on the road as they take on 18th-ranked Wisconsin. The Badgers pummeled their FCS opponent, Illinois State, 38-0 yesterday. The Cougs must learn from their opening night mistakes to stay in the game.
What were your big takeaways from the Washington State Cougars’ 24-17 opening night win over Idaho? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.