Stanford proved to be too talented and physical for the Cougs

Stanford held Connor Halliday to under 300 yards passing for the first time this season. (AP)

From everything I saw and everything I’ve read the morning after, Stanford was more physical and more talented than the Cougs.

It’s why the Cardinal was favored by 17 points and won by 17 points – just like the oddsmakers thought it would – 34-17 Friday night in Palo Alto, Calif.

The most disappointing part of the game happened in the fourth quarter. Washington State still had a chance to win, trailing 24-17 after Connor Halliday found River Cracraft in the back of the end zone on fourth down with 13:02 remaining. (I could swear that Halliday was trying to hit Vince Mayle and thought the ball was overthrown but was happy to see Cracraft there in the back of the end zone.)

Stanford had three third downs on the ensuing drive, two that were third and long, and converted them all. Each time, I was down in a three-point stance in front of my TV, trying to dig in and help the defense while Willie, my golden retriever, jumped on my back.

I swear to God he was “fixed” when he was six months old but 11 years later, he still does his dog thing from time to time.

Like every other Coug, I was hoping we could get the ball back and have a chance to tie the game and force overtime.

Stanford drove far enough to get a field goal and take a two-score lead, which it padded with another touchdown, irritating anyone who bet on the Cougs plus-17 and downright annoying anyone who had the Cougs plus-16.5.

A week after he broke the NCAA passing record with 734 yards against Cal, Halliday threw for 292 yards against Stanford and seemed like he was getting hit all night long.

The bright spot for me was seeing Quentin Breshears hit a 46-yard field goal the week after he missed a 19-yarder that would’ve given the Cougars a 62-60 win over Cal.

This game was another example of the Cougs in 2014. We appear to be good enough to beat every team on the schedule but bad enough to lose to every team, too.

Forget the crimson-and-gray bias, I truly believe we could win our next five games against Arizona, USC, Oregon State, Arizona State and Washington.

Three of the five are at home – Arizona, USC and Washington. Oregon State is a so-so team and could be had in Corvallis. ASU, well, we always play poorly in Tempe, but maybe we’d have momentum with a three-game winning streak going into that game.

Or maybe that would be the one final loss we can take and still be bowl eligible at 6-6.

But let’s be honest, we could also go 0-fer the rest of the year and finish 2-10. After all, we’ll be underdogs in every game the rest of the way or maybe a slight favorite in the Apple Cup.

I don’t know what to make of the Cougs. We’re 2-5, but we seem like we’re better than that. It’s too bad we’re blowing Halliday’s senior season. Next year we’re bound to be a better team overall, but we’ll be breaking in a new quarterback, and whoever it is, he’s sure to make rookie mistakes.

Next Saturday we’ve got a bye, which is great for everybody. The players get a rest and a chance to recover from their injuries.

And the fans get a break from the anxiety caused by the ups and downs of Cougar football.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for SeattlePI.com and KitsapSun.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.