Washington State Cougars: 4 thoughts from disappointing 45-28 loss to Utah
Saturday, the Washington State Cougars blew a big halftime lead and lost to Utah 45-28. Here are four points to ponder about the game.
The Washington State Cougars looked like world-beaters in the first half against Utah. After a slow start on their first two offensive possessions, Wazzu scored touchdowns four of the next six times they had the ball. There was a great mix of run and pass plays as the offense operated like a high-performance car.
Defensively, the Cougs hard-hitting defense was superb. They allowed 217 yards of offense, but 91 of them came on one play. Additionally, the WSU defense forced three Utes turnovers. The Cougs went into halftime with a 28-7 lead. It was so bad for Utah QB Jake Bentley that he was benched at the break.
Then came the second half. Let me put it this way, on ESPN’s gamecast, they show a win probability forecasting chart during the game. At the start of the third quarter, Wazzu had a 95.4 percent probability of winning the game. The rest of the half looked like a rock starting down the top of a snow-covered mountain until it became a full-fledged avalanche by the end.
At halftime, the Washington State Cougars had a 95.4 percent chance to win the game
It was a complete reversal of the first half. Suddenly Utah was able to run for big plays and effectively throw the ball all over the field. Conversely, the Cougars were stuck in neutral. Then the car went into reverse as they turned the ball over on four straight fourth quarter possessions.
The Washington State Cougars final game of 2020 should be put into the same scrap heap as the entire year of 2020. It’s best forgotten as the calendar changes to 2021.
I wanted to share some thoughts about the game with a hopeful eye to the future.
.@max_borghi coming at ya for 37 yards!
WATCH | @FS1#GoCougs | #LetsRoll pic.twitter.com/tBvy3XCI9N
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) December 19, 2020