Cougs overcome 21-point deficit

The+Cougs+pursue+Oregon+State+wide+receiver+Victor+Bolden+Jr.+during+a+game+on+Saturday%2C+in+which+WSU+secured+its+fifth+straight+win+in+conference+play.

The Cougs pursue Oregon State wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr. during a game on Saturday, in which WSU secured its fifth straight win in conference play.

After a slow start, WSU was able to escape Corvallis with a 35-31 win over Oregon State University on Saturday night for its fifth straight conference win.

The Cougars (6-2, 5-0) have been plagued with slow starts for much of the season, and this game was no different. The offense failed to find a rhythm in the first half, and the defense came out sloppy as WSU found itself in a 21-0 hole halfway through the second quarter.

Head Coach Mike Leach was visibly upset on the sidelines, calling a timeout in the second quarter to try to regroup the team.

“I thought, certainly, in the first half we got outcoached and we got outplayed,” Leach said.

The Beavers’ exceptional first-half play was highlighted by sophomore quarterback Marcus McMaryion, who had 16 completions for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the half.

Coming into the season, McMaryion was the string quarterback for OSU and was called into action against Utah after the Beavers’ backup went down.

McMaryion, who struggled against the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies, looked very strong against the Cougars in the first half.

OSU Sophomore running back Ryan Nall was also a big part of the Beaver’s offense, racking up 111 yards on nine attempts, including an 89-yard touchdown scamper.

A WSU rushing attack that has been heralded as the best ground game of the Leach era at WSU was held to just 26 yards on five carries in the first half. The passing offense, which is among the nation’s leaders in yards-per-game, was unable to crack 200 yards by the end of the half and only found the end zone once.

The lone bright spot of the half was the 33-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Luke Falk to sophomore wide receiver Tavares Martin Jr. to get the Cougs on the board.

After the game, Leach explained that Oregon State was playing harder and with more desire to win than WSU, leaving the Cougars with a gap to close.

A gutsy performance by Falk and an improved Cougar defense allowed WSU to not just close the gap, but nearly run away with the game.

The first WSU drive of the half ended with a turnover-on-downs after the Cougars failed a fake punt deep in their own territory, but the defense did not seem fazed by the short field.

The defense came up with a big sack on second down to push the Beavers out of field goal range and forced an incompletion on 3rd down.

OSU was forced to punt and the tide of the game seemingly began to turn.

The next Cougar drive would end with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Falk to redshirt junior running back Jamal Morrow, which would be the start of a 22-0 run by the Cougs.

The Cougars looked to be in the process of coasting to victory after an early scare. The offense was clicking and the defense had made five consecutive stops, but a muffed punt recovered by OSU at the Cougar two-yard line would shift the momentum to the Beavers.

A short touchdown run by Nall on the following play had the Beavers back on top and WSU would have to come from behind once again.

On the back of hard-fought plays by everyone on the field, including a dazzling catch by senior wide receiver River Cracraft, WSU drove 80 yards down the field for a touchdown to put the Cougs back on top 35-31, which would be final score of the game.

“(OSU) came out like they wanted it more,” Morrow said. “They punched us in the mouth, but the sign of a good team is finding ways to win games and that’s what we did.”

In the end, the Cougars racked up more than 550 total offensive yards with 417 coming through the air. Redshirt senior wide receiver Gabe Marks led the receiving effort for the Cougars, with eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The two touchdowns put Marks in sole possession of the WSU career touchdown receptions record.

While the first half did not go smoothly, the Cougars reached five straight conference wins, and six straight wins overall.

This is the best start to a conference season for the Cougars since 2003 and the first time both Pac-12(10) schools in Washington have started 5-0 since 1997.

An Apple Cup with conference championship and playoff implications looms in the distance, but the more immediate threat is the University of Arizona.

The Cougars take on the Wildcats next Saturday in Martin Stadium. Kickoff time is at 1 p.m. and will be televised live on Pac-12 Network.