Encouraging signs for Cougars in close loss to No. 2 Oregon

It no longer feels like a lost season for the Cougars after they hung with No. 2 Oregon in a 38-31 loss. (AP)

I know we lost 38-31 to the Ducks, but that was far and away the best Cougars game I’ve seen in a long time.

We had the ball and a chance to tie or win with 5 minutes left in the game. And if the officials hadn’t blown it with a non-call on an obvious pass interference by Oregon at the Ducks’ 25-yard line, we might have won or forced overtime at least (I was hoping we’d go for two if we scored and was already envisioning a 39-38 victory). How can Isiah Myers have a chance to catch that pass when his arms are locked up by Oregon’s Dior Mathis?

But still, the game was encouraging on a million different levels. The Cougars fell to 1-3 but look like they are good enough to win five out of their last eight games to make it to a bowl game.

You could justifiably wonder where the team that showed up Saturday night at Martin Stadium was against Rutgers and Nevada. But if the team that faced Oregon shows up for the rest of its games, it could go 5-3 the rest of the way, maybe even 6-2.

Then again, in the next two pivotal games, you’re facing a 3-0 Utah team coming off a 26-10 win at Michigan and a Cal team that’s a Hail Mary at Arizona away from being 3-0, too.

The offensive display by Connor Halliday and his receivers wasn’t surprising, particularly against an Oregon defense that was allowing 297 passing yards entering the game. River Cracraft in particular impressed with eight catches for 107 yards, and Dominique Williams had two first-half touchdown receptions.

What qualified as surprising – and encouraging – was the play of the offensive line, giving Halliday plenty of time to throw all night long. Well, most of the night anyway, until a sack on the Cougars’ last play. And the Cougs generated a running game with Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks combining for 69 yards.

A defense that looked pretty weak against Rutgers had what I’d call a good night against the explosive Ducks, sacking Marcus Mariota seven times. If I were a Ducks’ fan, I’d be worried about my O-line.

As a Coug fan, I’m excited about the future. After repeatedly expressing concerns in the past, I admit that I might be wrong about coach Mike Leach. The Cougs played hard, and with their talent and that kind of effort, a season that looked like it was headed nowhere still has promise.

If you can hang with the No. 2 team in the country for 60 minutes, you can beat the rest of the teams on your schedule, or so you’d think.

One more thing: I loved the all-white look of the helmets and uniforms and hope we’ll see them again for the Apple Cup.

After the game, Leach said: “I thought we took a step forward.” Hopefully he’s right.

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.