SB Nation Seattle - SMU Smothers Washington State, 35-21, In Texashttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48997/seattle-fave.png2010-09-18T18:42:13-07:00http://seattle.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14512122010-09-18T18:42:13-07:002010-09-18T18:42:13-07:00Recap: SMU Pulls Away, Beats WSU 35-21
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<p>Dallas, TX (<a target="new" href="http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot/scores/final/W27928.htm">Sports Network</a>) – Kyle Padron threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns, leading the <span class="caps">SMU</span> Mustangs to a 35-21 win over the Washington State Cougars in non-conference play at Ford Stadium.</p>
<p>Padron also ran for a touchdown in the victory. Aldrick Robinson had a busy day in the passing game for <span class="caps">SMU</span> (2-1), finishing with 111 yards and three TDs on four catches.</p>
<p>Jeff Tuel threw for 284 yards and two TDs for Washington State (1-2), while Marquess Wilson posted six catches for 134 yards and a score.</p>
<p><span class="caps">SMU</span> opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run by Padron on the game’s opening drive.</p>
<p>The Cougars tied the score at 7-7 in the final minute of the first quarter, when Tuel found Jared Karstetter for a four-yard touchdown pass.</p>
<p>The Mustangs reclaimed the lead at the 3:30 mark of the second quarter, as Padron hooked up with Robinson for a 67-yard scoring strike.</p>
<p>The Cougars were forced to punt on their next possession, but <span class="caps">SMU</span> return man Darius Johnson fumbled it away, and Washington State’s Kyle McCartney scooped it up in the end zone to tie the score at 14-14.</p>
<p>Johnson atoned for his gaffe with a 10-yard touchdown reception from Padron with five minutes to play in the third quarter to put <span class="caps">SMU</span> on top, 21-14.</p>
<p>The Mustangs then began to pull away, as Padron tossed another touchdown pass to Robinson, this time from 16 yards to make it a 28-14 game with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter.</p>
<p>Padron’s fourth touchdown pass of the day came at the 2:08 mark of the fourth quarter, as he found none other than Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown.</p>
<p>The Cougars weren’t quite ready to go away as Tuel connected with Marquess Wilson for a 68-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the ensuing possession, which cut the deficit to 35-21 with 1:50 to play. However, the threat would end there, as <span class="caps">SMU</span> retained possession and ran out the clock.</p>
<p>Washington State has now lost 11 straight games to <span class="caps">FBS</span> schools dating back to last season.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1697074/wsu-cougars-smu-mustangs-game-recapBrian Floyd2010-09-18T16:02:51-07:002010-09-18T16:02:51-07:00Washington State Covers The Spread, Loses To SMU 35-21
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<p>The Cougars showed signs of life, hanging with the <span class="caps">SMU</span> Mustangs until faltering down the stretch and losing to <span class="caps">SMU</span>, 35-21.</p>
<p>Tied at the half, 14-14, <span class="caps">SMU</span> drove the field and took the lead, never looking back. A late touchdown pass from Jeff Tuel to Marquess Wilson made it 35-21 late in the fourth quarter, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by <span class="caps">SMU</span> and the Mustangs ran out the clock.</p>
<p>Jeff Tuel was inconsistent, completing 18 of 33 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Marquess Wilson continued his breakout season, catching six balls for 134 yards and a touchdown. It was his second 100 yard receiving performance of the year.</p>
<p>The Cougars open their Pac-10 schedule at home against the <span class="caps">USC</span> Trojans next Saturday.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696900/wsu-cougars-smu-mustangs-final-scoreBrian Floyd2010-09-18T14:25:21-07:002010-09-18T14:25:21-07:00Score Flash: WSU, SMU Tied At Half, 14-14
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<p>At the half, Washington State is tied with <span class="caps">SMU</span>, 14-14. The Cougars gave up a long touchdown to go down 14-7 before answering by recovering a muffed punt in the end zone.</p>
<p>The Cougar defense is holding up, but the offense needs to start making some plays in the second half.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696762/wsu-cougars-smu-mustangs-halftime-scoreBrian Floyd2010-09-18T11:57:08-07:002010-09-18T11:57:08-07:00Grippi: Chima Nwachukwu, Chantz Staden Out
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<p>As expected, Chima Nwachukwu will not play today against SMU. The senior safety is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/sep/15/texas-calls-chima-nwachukwu-hallston-higgins/?print-friendly">making his return to Texas</a>, but <a target="_blank" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/17/1694740/washington-state-cougars-smu-mustangs-eric-oertel-depth-chart-injuries">suffered a neck injury in practice earlier this week</a>.</p>
<p>Grippi <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24872103896">confirmed the news on twitter</a>.</p>
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<p class="bbpTweet">As I mentioned earlier, Chima Nwachukwu won't be playing. He's in street clothes. The on-field part of his homecoming is off.<span class="timestamp"><a title="Sat Sep 18 18:52:30 +0000 2010" href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24872103896">less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com" rel="nofollow">TweetDeck</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55"><img src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/147126485/grip_normal.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55">Vince Grippi</a></strong><br>vinceg55</span></span></p>
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<p>With Nwachukwu out, true freshman Deone Bucannon will get a chance to shine in his place.</p>
<p>Update: <a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24872693538" target="_blank">Chantz Staden is also out.</a></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696543/washington-state-football-injury-report-chima-nwachukwuBrian Floyd2010-09-18T11:47:08-07:002010-09-18T11:47:08-07:00Cougar Freshman Kristoff Williams Out
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<p>Kristoff Williams has been recovering from turf toe and was expected to make his highly-anticipated debut today against SMU. Vince Grippi is reporting Williams is not suited up and <a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24871533686" target="_blank">will not play today</a>, however.</p>
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<p class="bbpTweet">The offensive skill position players are on the field and Kristoff Williams is not suited up.<span class="timestamp"><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24871533686" title="Sat Sep 18 18:43:15 +0000 2010">less than a minute ago</a> via <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tweetdeck.com">TweetDeck</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55"><img src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/147126485/grip_normal.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55">Vince Grippi</a></strong><br>vinceg55</span></span></p>
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<p>The thought was Williams would redshirt if he couldn't play today.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696531/cougar-freshman-kristoff-williamsBrian Floyd2010-09-18T11:36:48-07:002010-09-18T11:36:48-07:00Cougars Wearing All White
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<p>The Cougs are on the field warming-up down in Texas right now and Spokesman-Review reporter Vince Grippi passes along a <a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24870836618" target="_blank">note about the uniforms on Twitter</a>.</p>
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<p class="bbpTweet">The Cougars are wearing all white today, which seems to be a good idea considering the weather.<span class="timestamp"><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55/statuses/24870836618" title="Sat Sep 18 18:32:06 +0000 2010">less than a minute ago</a> via <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tweetdeck.com">TweetDeck</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55"><img src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/147126485/grip_normal.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/vinceg55">Vince Grippi</a></strong><br>vinceg55</span></span></p>
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<p>It's about 90 degrees and humid at Ford Field, so white uniforms may not be a bad idea.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696520/washington-state-smu-football-uniformsBrian Floyd2010-09-18T10:57:40-07:002010-09-18T10:57:40-07:00Grippi: Pre-Game Notes From Ford Field
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<p>Vince Grippi checked in from Ford Field, home of the <span class="caps">SMU</span> Mustangs, with some <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2010/sep/18/some-early-wsu-pregame-thoughts/" target="_blank">pr</a><a target="new" href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2010/sep/18/some-early-wsu-pregame-thoughts/">e-game notes about a few Cougar injuries</a>.</p>
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<p>As for the game, I don’t believe Chima Nwachukwu will be able to play today, kept out by his neck injury. I talked with him last night and he said he was feeling well, but there are some worries there</p>
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<p>Mike Ledgerwood is also back in action and will play today. Grippi cleared up the <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/17/1695482/wsu-running-back-james-montgomery-arrest">situation with James Montgomery</a> last night, noting it was a <a target="new" href="http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sportslink/2010/sep/17/wsu-has-solve-smus-puzzling-defense/">minor infraction and that the running back will play against <span class="caps">SMU</span>.</a></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696464/washington-state-smu-football-pregame-notesBrian Floyd2010-09-18T09:25:30-07:002010-09-18T09:25:30-07:00Preview: WSU Cougars Hit The Road Against SMU
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<p><span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: normal; font-size: 10px;"> </span></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot/scores/live/pv27928.htm">The Sports Network</a></p>
<p>DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 18th, 3:30 p.m. (et)</p>
<p>FACTS & STATS: Site: Ford Stadium (32,000) -- Dallas, Texas. Television: CBSCSN. Home Record: WSU 1-0, SMU 1-0. Away Record: WSU 0-1, SMU 0-1. Neutral Record: WSU 0-0, SMU 0-0. Conference Record: WSU 0-0, SMU 1-0. Series Record: Washington State leads, 1-0.</p>
<p>GAME NOTES: The Cougars will invade the Lone Star State when Washington State takes on the SMU Mustangs this Saturday afternoon at Ford Stadium.</p>
<p>Last season the Cougars erased a 17-point deficit against SMU, to grab a 30-27 victory over the Mustangs in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.</p>
<p>Since taking over in Pullman, Paul Wulff's tenure at WSU has lacked victories, and even though the Cougars earned a 23-22 decision over Montana State this past weekend, it was only the fourth win for coach Wulff, who is in his third season at Washington State.</p>
<p>The Mustangs' 2010 campaign began with a tough, 35-27 setback to Texas Tech on the road. However, coach June Jones led his team to victory this past weekend, as the Mustangs defeated UAB, 28-7, in their Conference-USA opener.</p>
<p>The Cougars might have won this past weekend, but the team needed 16 straight fourth quarter points just to slide past Montana State.</p>
<p>Although it was not a dominating performance the Cougars still looked much better than they did in their opening loss to Oklahoma State. James Montgomery, who rushed for just 32 yards against the Cowboys, rumbled for 116 yards and one score on 20 totes against Montana State.</p>
<p>The ground game showed improvement in the second matchup, but the play of quarterback Jeff Tuel was still inconsistent. Tuel did throw for 204 yards and tossed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the signal caller also threw an interception and was sacked three times.</p>
<p>The Cougars surrendered 65 points in their season-opening loss, so clearly there was not much coach Wulff could take from that matchup. The defense was atrocious in every aspect, and was overmatched from start to finish.</p>
<p>The defense, however, performed better against Montana State, but the unit still had some issues overall.</p>
<p>After being gashed by Oklahoma State on the ground the Cougars still had some issues against the run, but managed to hold Montana State to just 123 yards on 4.1 yards per attempt.</p>
<p>The play against the pass was also inconsistent. On one end the Cougars allowed 284 yards and two touchdowns through the air, but on a positive note the team collected three interceptions, two of which came late in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>By the final whistle the Cougars were victorious, but the defense was not at its best, and if this unit does not sew up its weak spots then winning might be tough for Washington State in 2010.</p>
<p>The Mustangs were not at their best offensively in their opener, and it cost them in the win column. However, coach Jones' squad put forth a much better effort in their victory over UAB.</p>
<p>The ground game, which was maintained by Texas Tech in the opener, exploded against the Blazers, racking up 247 yards on a whopping 6.7 yards per attempt. Zach Line led the way for the Mustangs with 122 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Kyle Padron added 66 yards.</p>
<p>Padron also had a solid showing with his arm, tossing two touchdowns to go along with 145 yards. After a sub par first game, Padron looked much better against UAB, and should continue to improve throughout the season. His main target against the Blazers was Darius Johnson who hauled in both scores and finished 45 yards on seven receptions.</p>
<p>A big difference in the two matchups was the play of the defense. After surrendering 35 points in a loss to Texas Tech, coach Jones's defense came out against UAB with a tougher mentality and a better approach.</p>
<p>Texas Tech torched SMU's secondary in the opener, but the Mustangs put forth a better showing against UAB, limiting the Blazers to just 153 yards through the air. SMU also forced two turnovers in the victory and added three sacks as well.</p>
<p>The defense also did an exceptional job against the run, holding its conference foe to just 108 rushing yards, and after two games the Mustangs are limiting the opposition to just 90.0 ypg on a mere 2.9 yards per carry.</p>
<p>The Cougars have not been impressive offensively this season, despite coming off a victory. On top of that, Washington State has just one road win since the start of 2007 and it is unlikely coach Wulff's squad will corral a win in Dallas this weekend. Look for Padron to have his best start of the season, as he leads the Mustangs to the win.</p>
<p>Sports Network Predicted Outcome: SMU 27, Washington State 17</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/9/18/1696332/washington-state-southern-methodist-saturday-scoreBen Golliver