WSU’s win over Portland State provides hope for a salvaged season

WSU racked up a school record 706 yards against Portland State, including 227 from Isiah Meyers. (AP)

The Cougars won their first game of the season Saturday, trampling Portland State 59-21 at Martin Stadium.

But it was a no-win game for Washington State – you beat Portland State, and everyone says: “Yeah, but it was just Portland State.”

But if you’d lost, everyone would have said: “Well, our season really is shot now.”

All in all, though, it was the best possible outcome. The Vikings might not be as bad as you think. It’s the same team that led the Beavers 14-13 at halftime in Corvallis and lost 29-14 after making five second-half turnovers.

There was nothing to complain about aside from a pick-6 thrown by Connor Halliday in the fourth quarter. Halliday completed 41 of 62 for 544 yards and six touchdowns.

If there’s a complaint with Halliday – and let’s call it a quibble at this point – he will be good enough to put us in position to pull off an upset or two this year. But right when we start thinking the Cougs just might do it, an interception is always lurking around the next corner.

Case in point, last year’s Apple Cup. At this point, in his senior season, I don’t think we’re ever going to see 60 minutes of consistently brilliant decision-making, particularly when you throw it as much as we do.

Counting last year’s New Mexico Bowl, Halliday has 1,875 passing yards in the last four games, an average of 469 a game. But Washington State is 1-3 in those games.

Isiah Myers headlined a big day for the receiving corps with 11 catches for 227 yards and three TDs, including a SportsCenter-worthy 55-yarder down the right sideline when he beat Aaron Sibley, then leap-frogged the Portland State cornerback on his way to the end zone.

It was also nice to see backup QB Luke Falk come in and throw a pretty pass to Dominique Williams for an 84-yard touchdown. I worry about where this team would be if Halliday gets hurt, so it was nice to see that one from Falk.

The defense played all right, too, but was certainly fortunate that Paris Penn dropped a touchdown pass on Portland State’s first play.

Most of the story was about the offense, which racked up a school record 706 yards, erasing the old mark of 693 yards set in an 84-27 win over Idaho in 1975.

As I may have mentioned last year, I was at that Idaho game in 1975 as a sophomore at WSU. I proceeded to drink too much 151 rum and thought my buddies were kidding when they told me we had 84 points. I also thought I was hearing things when the student section started chanting for us to score 100 points.

The only thing I remember after that was being carried back to Gannon Hall and put to bed in room 227, vowing to never have 151 rum again, and it’s one of the few vows I’ve never broken. Everclear, that’s another one I haven’t touched since college.

Now the Cougs host No. 2 Oregon Saturday night at 7:30 in a game that 99 percent of the fan base feels like we’re going to lose. If you’re in the 1 percent, you hope Halliday and his receivers have a big night while Marcus Mariota and the Ducks have an uncharacteristic off-night. That combination might lead you to think Washington State could win a shootout.

The 1 percent will remind you that the Cougs were in the game in Eugene at halftime last year, trailing 34-24. They will also tell you that Halliday threw it an NCAA-record 89 times in that game, completing 58 for 557 yards and four TDs.

The 99 percent will say that Halliday also threw four interceptions and is sure to connect with some Duck DBs this year, too.

But for now, the win over Portland State at least makes you feel like the season can be somewhat, if not completely, salvaged.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for SeattlePI.com and 710Sports.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.