Film Study: Washington State
Brandon Weeden and the offense shined against WSU.
By John Helsley
follow me on twitter @jjhelsley
A pregame stroll through the Boone Pickens Stadium tailgating crowd confirmed the obvious Saturday.
All eyes were on the offense.
That was the buzz among those grillin’ and chillin’ anticipating the kickoff to the 2009 season.
And, oh, did it deliver, with the Cowboys producing the program’s most points in an opener since the school went by Oklahoma A&M back in 1916.
Dana Holgorsen’s take on the spread has provided the predominant chatter since his hiring last January. Finally, Saturday, Holgorsen’s attack was unveiled. And it came with the expected (Kendall Hunter dazzling), the unexpected (a full-house backfield) and a nod to Tailback U. (a heavy dose of running) during a 65-17 romp past Washington State.
With a thumb on the rewind button, a second look at the game through the DVR, we offer a second helping of analysis, which will be a regular feature during the season. And here at the blog, we’ll bring you an expanded version from the one that appears in the paper.
Call of the Game
Following a Cougars touchdown that cut what once was a 17-0 lead to 17-10, a young OSU squad’s resolve was on the spot in the second quarter. The defense had already lost both starting defensive tackles – Shane Jarka and Chris Donaldson – to injuries and Wazzu had gained momentum.
After picking up two first downs, the Cowboys had a first-and-10 from WSU 42. Operating out of the three-back set that had sprung several of Hunter’s big runs, Holgorsen used the setup to go play-action.
With the Cougars crowding the line of scrimmage in hopes of slowing down Hunter, creating one-on-one matchups outside, quarterback Brandon Weeden faked to the Hunter, dropped back and delivered a textbook throw, in stride, to Justin Blackmon in the end zone.
Touchdown. Momentum seized back.
Game Ball
Who else, but Hunter, who would have made a run at Barry Sanders’ single-game school rushing record if he’d been needed beyond the first series of the second half.
Hunter’s stats were obviously impressive: 21 carries, 257 yards, a 12.2 per-carry average, four touchdowns.
But also impressive his tough running, bringing some attitude to a young offense.
Unsung Heroes
OSU’s wide receivers regularly roamed downfield on running plays, providing blocks that helped spring Hunter’s runs for bigger yardage.
The best example came on a 66-yard jaunt by Hunter to the Cougars 1, when Bo Bowling was his wingman for the final 50, blocking and shielding would-be tacklers. And Bowling wasn’t alone, with Tracy Moore also along as an escort.
Break of the Game
On the game’s first play from scrimmage, a bad exchange between Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel and running back James Montgomery left the ball on the turf.
Ugo Chinasa angled in from his right defense end spot to pounce on it, setting up OSU at the Wazzu 15.
Two Kendall Hunter runs later and half a minute into the contest, the Cowboys led 7-0.
It was a shot of adrenaline and comfort for the Cowboys. It was a shot in the mouth for the Cougars, who are trying to climb out of a hapless state that had seen them go 3-22 the previous two seasons.
Formation Check
The Cowboys broke out a full-house backfield – “Diamond” – on Saturday, utilizing a formation that featured Hunter with two fullbacks, Bryant Ward and David Paulsen.
Not surprisingly, they used it in the red zone. But they used it frequently overall and were in that look on Weeden’s first TD pass to Blackmon.
The Cowboys think so much of what Ward and Paulsen can offer, they drew the formation up over the summer.
See That?
After Weeden’s final TD connection with Blackmon – and Weeden’s final pass of the night – the two went for a down-low hard five to celebrate, resulting in obvious pain for Weeden and sending him to the locker room briefly, apparently to check it out.
Weeden had actually hurt his right thumb when he struck it on a Cougar helmet following through on a pass.
But the slap didn’t help. Maybe another form of congratulations is in order.
Welcome, Rookies
True freshmen Justin Gilbert and Joseph Randle provided plenty of highlights in the preseason and figure to be impact players going forward.
But their “Welcome to Division I” moments weren’t so fond.
Gilbert, making a tackle, sort of, was run over by Montgomery on a sweep around right end. And on his first punt return, he was hammered down to the turf for no gain.
Randle dropped a pass while absorbing a hit on his first touch. When he did hang on for his first reception, he was pounded for a 2-yard loss by Myron Beck.
Gun Show
When discussing his favorite attributes in a quarterback, Holgorsen ranked arm strength at about No. 8 on his list.
There are times, however, when it’s a major asset.
Weeden showed off his gun a couple times against the Cougars, with one throw made possible by his zip.
Late in the first half, with 29 seconds left from the WSU 28, Weeden sidestepped trouble from behind the pocket, then threw across his body while avoiding pressure from the front, firing an out route that went for 14 yards to Blackmon.
Scouting Report
Wulff inherited very little two years ago and the rebuilding process continues at Washington State.
Still, the Cougars appear to have a keeper in true freshman wideout Marquess Wilson.
The speedster from California finished with a team-high 108 receiving yards on four catches, with a 48-yard touchdown.
On the scoring catch, he ran through a bump at the line from Devin Hedgepeth, then caught the ball in a seam in the zone, cutting inside a late-arriving Victor Johnson.
Kicking Game
The Cowboys suffered no busts in the kicking game, but offered little excitement either.
Dan Bailey did connect on his only field goal try, from 40 yards out. And Quinn Sharp averaged 45.7 yards on seven punts, with a long of 61 yards.
Sharp’s best work, however, came on kickoffs. All 10 of his kickoffs carried at least five yards deep into the end zone, resulting in nine touchbacks with no attempted return.
When the Cougars did dare to take one out, Chantz Staden barely reached the 20 and the return was taken back to the 10 due to a holding call.
-------------Email John Helsley here and follow him on Twitter @JohnHelsley. Visit John's website here.
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