If you would have told me yesterday morning that we were going to lose 22–20 — and that we’d be in the game until the very end — I would’ve taken that every time. That being said, this was a really tough loss. Coach Jimmy Rodgers had the defense absolutely on fire through 3 quarters. When it was 20–10 in the fourth quarter and Virginia got the ball back, their vaunted No. 8-ranked offense had sputtered to just six first downs. Little did we know that from that point on, our Cougs would fall apart in just about every phase of the game.
I don’t want to be negative — the last ten minutes spoiled what would’ve been a signature win for Jimmy Rodgers and what had been a really well-played game up to that point. Here are my main takeaways:
1. Last Week Was Not a Fluke
Thank you to the national media for completely dismissing every part of our performance last week, because apparently if a team is playing Georgia in a week, they can’t stop thinking about that for three hours to play the game on their schedule. Two offenses I worried we wouldn’t have a shot at slowing down, two defensive fronts I thought would wreck our offensive game plans — the result? Two very winnable games. Jimmy Rodgers is doing a great job; the team is getting better every single week. Yes, this loss stings, but I’d much rather be stung by a two-point loss than be numbed by a 40-point blowout.
2. Jimmy Rodgers Knows How to Coach a Defense
I can’t comprehend how our defense has gone from giving up 59 points in back-to-back weeks to shutting down two of the premier offenses in college football the last two games. Ole Miss just hung 35 on the road at Georgia, and Virginia came into this game averaging 43 points per game! Clearly, during the bye week, the coaches made some adjustments and absolutely transformed this team. Caleb Francl and Tucker Large have stepped up in a big way, and our tackling seems to get better every game. I only wish we could go back and play North Texas and the Huskies today.
3. The Turnover Battle Tells the Tale
I ran through the numbers in the game preview: when we’re even or positive in the turnover margin, we’re 3–1. When we lose that battle, we’re now 0–3. Zevi’s first interception — he just misread the coverage; that happens. The second one came on 3rd and 20 when he was trying to make a play. Overall, I thought Zevi played really well and was hurt by mistakes from those around him. False starts, holding penalties, and fair catches at the two-yard line forced us to play behind the sticks all fourth quarter and ultimately led to our downfall.
4. Josh Meredith Was Awesome
Seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown is a great game. But it goes deeper than that — nine other Cougs had a reception, yet when a big catch had to be made, Zevi went to Josh. Last week it was Tony Freeman stepping up; who knows who it’ll be next week, but for this one, great game, Josh.
5. Kirby Vorhees Is Our Running Back
Angel Johnson played his best game as a Coug — had a couple of nice runs that we just haven’t seen much of from him in the first half of the season. Vorhees has proven all season to be the more effective runner, and in this game, the coaching staff finally made it clear who the starting running back is. Vorhees got 16 carries to Johnson’s 5. It wasn’t Kirby’s most productive game on the ground, but I appreciate that the coaches continue to refine the team based on who’s playing the best.
Losing two games on the road, on the East Coast, to two ranked teams by a combined five points is absolutely excruciating for the coaching staff and players. Last week felt like a moral victory — this one doesn’t. We outgained the Cavaliers, dominated time of possession, and held their elite offense to 20 points, so this one is nothing more than a tough loss on the road to an overrated ACC team.
What I will confidently say is that Jimmy Rodgers is the right man for the job. Unlike recent seasons, I’m seeing players and units improve every week. Rather than peaking in September, I feel confident this team is going to peak in November — a clear sign of good coaching.
Thank you for being well-prepared. Thank you for playing your butts off. Thank you for representing WSU so well on the other coast. Go Cougs!