intentional grounding
Wazzu keeps intentional grounding in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “One win in nine games says more about decisions than talent”, “Owen Eshelman's third start: a few bad throws, a lot of poise”, and “Cougs fall in San Diego rain as another fourth-quarter push falls short”. One win in nine games. Owen Eshelman threw a pick in the second quarter and an intentional grounding penalty in the third that killed a scoring drive. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every intentional grounding story on Wazzu, newest first.
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One win in nine games says more about decisions than talent
One win in nine games. That's where we're at, and it stings. The Cougars' 26-20 loss to San Diego State was winnable, and that's what makes it hurt worse. This isn't about a talent gap. It's about decisions. Football is both impossibly complex and painfully simple. The schemes are postgraduate-level stuff. But some calls aren't that hard to understand. And those are the ones killing us. Take Owen Eshelman's intentional grounding penalty in the third quarter. He chucked the ball to nobody to avoid a sack. That's a snap-decision mistake, and it turned a manageable third down into a disaster. Whether that's on the player or the coaches for not drilling situational awareness is an old debate, but it needs emphasis. Then there's the end of the first half. Down 17-14, 52 seconds, two timeouts. We could have tied it. Instead, we ran a QB draw and let the clock die. San Diego State got the ball to start the second half, and we were suddenly down two scores before we touched it again. The worst call, though? Kirby Moore used his last timeout to save ten seconds on a false start with 1:18 left. We had plodded from our own 14 to the 42 over four minutes. Saving ten seconds cost us the ability to stop the clock on a deep completion we'd need. For more on that final drive, check out "Cougs fall in San Diego rain as another fourth-quarter push falls short.
Owen Eshelman's third start: a few bad throws, a lot of poise
Owen Eshelman threw a pick in the second quarter and an intentional grounding penalty in the third that killed a scoring drive. Those are the mistakes you remember. But the rest of it? Thirty completions on 42 attempts, 299 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a fourth-quarter comeback that just ran out of time. For a redshirt freshman in his third start, that's a lot of poise. He looked like he belonged. The loss stings, and if you want to know exactly how it slipped away, go read "The three plays that undid WSU in San Diego." Eshelman wasn't one of them. The kid kept fighting. Meanwhile, SDSU's Javion Kinnard spent the night being a problem. Five-eight, 175 pounds, and he ran like he was bigger. Seventeen carries, 5.1 yards a pop, two touchdowns. He and Lucky Sutton combined for over 200 yards on the ground. That's a tough backfield to deal with when you're trying to close out a win. Eshelman is still figuring it out. He's making freshman mistakes. But he's also making plays. That's the kind of guy you can build around. Go Cougs.
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Cougs fall in San Diego rain as another fourth-quarter push falls short
The rain in San Diego didn't wash away the same problem that keeps showing up: Washington State can't close. Down six with the ball and under five minutes left, the Cougars couldn't reach midfield. Ten plays. Two sacks. A false start. A turnover on downs. The final drive was a summary of the season. This one stings a little more because the defense finally gave the offense a shot. They forced a three-and-out on SDSU's last possession, got the ball back, and the offense did nothing with it. Managing only 20 points against a defense ranked 133rd in the country is hard to explain. It's not like the Aztecs suddenly got stingy. They came in giving up 36 points a game. The Cougars just couldn't take what was there. Owen Eshelman threw for a career-high 299 yards and ran for two scores, but the running game is basically gone, 34 yards on 14 carries. That's not a ground game. That's a suggestion. And the defense, usually a strength, got gashed on the ground again. 202 rushing yards allowed. 5.5 per carry. Seven runs over 10 yards. That's three straight games over 200 yards rushing allowed. It's getting dark. One-win seasons are possible. If you want to know which plays broke this one, our piece "The three plays that undid WSU in San Diego" walks through the exact moments. It's not a fun read, but it's honest. Go Cougs.