Washington State Football: 6 takeaways from 31-7 win over Colorado
By Ed Stein
Special Teams doing their job
Usually, special teams get recognized when something goes horribly wrong, or when something extraordinarily good happens. Today we recognize an all-around good job. Blake Mazza was four of four on extra point conversions and added a 39-yard field goal. 200 yards on four punts is a pretty good day at the office for Oscar Draguicevich. He had a 50-yard gross average and 43-yard net average.
Jack Crane kicked off six times all into the end zone. The one time Colorado tried to return a kick, Ronnie Blackmon couldn’t even reach the 20-yard line due to WSU’s good coverage. Travell Harris returned one Colorado kickoff for 22 yards. The special team’s good work in all aspects gave both the offense and defense chances to succeed.
The D deserves some props
Mike Leach coached teams are known for their offense. His dynamic wide open system identifies and creates stars who excel within it. The 2018 team has a pretty good defense too. Saturday they held Colorado to under 300 yards of total offense and one score. Running back Travon McMillian, had 73 yards on nine carries. Aside from one run for 64 yards, he was held largely in check.
Leviska Shenault Jr. may be the most dynamic receiver in the conference. After missing a few games due to turf toe, he was eager to re-prove himself and he pretty much did, catching 10 passes for 102 yards in addition to an 18 yard gain on a reverse. Shenault, however, didn’t make a play over 18 yards and Washington State’s undersized secondary kept him out of the of the end zone.