Washington State Is on Firm Ground in Victory

Washington State running back David Minnich looked up at the scoreboard Saturday and saw an unfamiliar statistic: the Cougars had more yards rushing than passing in beating Oregon State.

“That’s the first time that’s happened since I’ve been here,” Minnich said after gaining a career-high 195 yards in Washington State’s 34-27 victory.

Actually, the Cougars rushed for two more yards than they passed against Utah last year. But that couldn’t compare to the 243-137 rushing to passing differential Saturday.

Washington State (5-0, 3-0 Pac-10) won five games for the first time since opening 7-0 in the Rose Bowl season of 1997. The victory sets up a showdown of unbeaten teams Saturday at No. 22 Stanford.

Washington State players are thinking of bowl games and a possible Top 25 ranking.

“We deserve [the ranking], but we can’t really worry about it,” said safety Billy Newman, who recovered an Oregon State on-side kick at the end of the game.

Washington State took a 31-0 lead in the first half before its offense sputtered. The Beavers (1-3, 0-2) outscored the Cougars, 24-3, in the second half, even though leading rusher Ken Simonton was held to a career-low 19 yards.

“We came up big when we had to,” Newman said. “When we needed a stop, we got it.”

The same could not be said of the Beavers, who gave up 243 yards rushing and 137 yards passing. Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser completed 12 of 22 passes for 93 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times.

Gesser was quick to credit Minnich, a 27-year-old former Marine who had a career-high 34 carries, caught a touchdown pass and threw a touchdown pass on his first collegiate pass attempt.

“We rode his back and he carried us through the whole game,” Gesser said.

Oregon State, ranked 11th before the season, lost its second consecutive game.

“Their offensive front really got a lot better since last year,” Coach Dennis Erickson said of the Cougars, who were pounded last season by the Beavers, 38-9.

He was at a loss to explain a first half in which the Beavers produced just 102 yards and gave up 275.

“There were some decent things in the second half,” Erickson said. “But to play like that [first half] and then come out and play real well for a period of time boggles my mind.

“We’ve got seven games left, a lot of games against a lot of good team. I’d like to think we are better than 1-3. I’m leaving here a lot more encouraged than I did at halftime.”

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Erik Coleman intercepted a pass by Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith on the fourth play of the game and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown.

On Washington State’s first possession, Gesser hit Minnich on a swing pass and Minnich bulled seven yards for a 14-0 lead.

Drew Dunning added a 37-yard field goal for the Cougars late in the first quarter.