Washington State Football: 6 takeaways from 19-13 win over Cal
By Ed Stein
Washington State football won a close game over PAC-12 North Division rivals, California,19-13 with a late touchdown Here are our takeaways from another big day.
It was another important victory for Washington State football on Saturday. The Cougars defended their home field with a 19-13 win over an upstart California Golden Bears team. Here are our top takeaways from the game.
Ow, my foot!
How many times did the Cougs just shoot themselves in the foot yesterday? Everyone who watches football with regularity knows that a given team can’t be “on” every week (with the exception of Alabama). That said, Washington State has been playing on borrowed time lately.
There have been too many physical and mental mistakes. For example, big props to defense back Willie Taylor III for his third-quarter pick of Cardinal quarterback Chase Garbers. Unfortunately, his fumble on the interception return, through the end zone, gave the ball back to Cal on a touchback. The Bears moved the ball downfield and kicked a field goal. It was likely a 10 point swing, and more importantly, failed to kill the momentum Cal had been building.
Toward the end of the second quarter, Cal went 45 yards to kick a field goal with 36 seconds remaining in the half. 30 of the 45 yards came on personal fouls. First was a late hit, out of bounds, by Jalen Thompson, that turned an 18-yard quarterback scramble into a 33-yard gain. Two plays later, Dominick Silvels hit Garbers on the helmet voiding an incomplete pass.
These mistakes have to stop.