Cougars Get It Done Quickly

PULLMAN, Wash. —  Washington State’s offense treated the football like a ticking time bomb, scoring touchdowns on its first six possessions, and five of those drives lasted less than two minutes.

Even though they held the ball for only about eight minutes in the first half, the No. 13-ranked Cougars jumped to a 42-6 lead en route to a 63-37 thrashing of California Saturday. They have never scored so many points in a Pacific 10 game.

“I was amazed,” Cougar linebacker Steve Gleason said. “I was sitting there shaking my head.”

California (2-4, 0-3) lost its fourth consecutive game, despite piling up 460 yards and leading in time of possession and turnovers.

“I was surprised they jumped on us so quickly in the first half,” Cal Coach Tom Holmoe said.

“It’s a lethal combination to come in here against a team that’s hot and very talented, and play poorly,” Holmoe said. “There’s quite a bit of difference between WSU and Cal right now.”

One major difference is that with six wins over Division I opponents, the Cougars (6-0, 4-0) have qualified for a bowl. Defensive lineman Dorian Boose said the Cougars are focused on gaining their first Rose Bowl berth since 1931.

“At this point, winning is a lot easier for us,” Boose said. “We’re a team that knows how to win now.”

Boose and linemates Leon Bender, Rob Meier and Jonathan Nance each sacked Cal quarterback Justin Vedder once. Gleason got 10 tackles.

Washington State Coach Mike Price said this team is better than the 1992 team that opened 6-0 and finished 9-3.

“Let me start out by saying that we played like a top 10 team today,” Price said. “We put it together today.”

Quarterback Ryan Leaf, playing just three quarters, was 13 for 21 for 332 yards and a school-record-tying five touchdowns without an interception.

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NEXT FOR UCLA

WHO: California

WHERE: Rose Bowl

WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

TV: None

RADIO: AM 1150