7 Takeaways from Washington State Cougars 28-9 win over Cal
Takeaway #4 – Attack of the Mighty Mites
Some might say that a 5’8″, sub-180-pound player is too small for major college football. I that’s true, they forgot to send Cougs running back Jaylen Jenkins and receiver Robert Ferrel.
As mentioned earlier, Ferrel caught one of Ward’s three touchdown passes on Saturday. That was part of the receivers’ 6-catch, 79-yard day. In addition, Ferrel returned 4 punts for 60 yards, giving him 139 all-purpose yards.
Meanwhile, Jenkins made the most of his limited opportunities. The diminutive back from Allen, Texas, carried 5 times for 41 yards (8.2 YPC), including the Cougs’ first score of the day.
The lone touchdown of the first half belongs to Jaylen Jenkins (@D1_Jay5) from a yard out to give Washington State the lead over Cal pic.twitter.com/nKeMFOYsiD
— Alex Crescenti (@alex_crescenti) October 1, 2022
Takeaway #5 – Call Him 7-11
The Washington State Cougars Sports Information Department should start calling Renard Bell 7-11 because he’s always open. After missing last season with a knee injury, Bell is back and playing like he did before tearing his ACL.
Against California, Bell caught eight passes for 115 yards and one touchdown. Bell has 20 catches so far this season and is becoming one of Washington State’s most reliable receiving targets.
Of course, the Cougars have many receiving threats, and several of them can beat an opponent on any given day. But it is good to see Bell back and playing at a high level. He’s certainly making his case to play on Sundays next year.