NFL Cougs go 2-0 on Saturday

Jan 22, 2023 - 9:53 PM

The Washington State Cougars football team may have finished its Saturday activities back in December - one could argue that WSU hasn’t played since the 12th of November - but a few Cougar alumni are still hard at work in pursuit of a Super Bowl. Matter of fact, WSU has the most former players on active playoff rosters in the state!

I had to look that up, and sure enough, it ain’t wrong. Unbeknownst to me, former Coug Dezmon Patmon is also part of a playoff team, having been signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad on January 18.

You’re certainly aware of the three other Cougars still hoping to reach the sport’s pinnacle. Both Gardner Minshew and Andre Dillard are part of a Philadelphia squad that completely shredded the New York Giants on Saturday afternoon. Both Minshew and Dillard play reserve roles for the Eagles, but those playoff bonus checks cash just the same. One thing I thought of during the game, which I bet nearly everyone else already figured out: Minshew backs up former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts. Back in 2018, before Mike Leach called, Minshew was going to spend his final season at Alabama, where he would have played behind, yep, Jalen Hurts (and Tua Tagovailoa).

The former Coug spotlight on Saturday, however, belonged to defensive back Jaylen Watson. The Kansas City Chiefs corner has had a pretty decent rookie season, especially for someone who wasn’t picked until the 243rd slot in the NFL draft. After bursting on the scene with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in week two, Watson hadn’t picked another pass. Well, until Saturday, that is.

Watson’s magnificent, one-handed thievery came at a huge point in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags needed two scores in the game’s final 10 minutes to tie it up, and had the ball at midfield when Trevor Lawrence made a decision that will probably haunt him for a while.

So since my favorite team is eliminated from the title chase, I’m mostly rooting for the Eagles to win the whole thing, so we can maximize the number of former Cougs with Super Bowl rings (sorry, Jaylen).

On the current and future Cougar Football front, you’re aware by now that WSU has dates, though not times, for all of its 2023 opponents. What sticks out to me is how similar the conference slate seems to 2022, on virtual paper anyway, when WSU faced three straight teams near the bottom of the conference before the Apple Cup.

After several tough tests (Wisconsin, Oregon State, UCLA, Oregon) in the season’s first eight weeks, WSU’s path prior to the Apple Cup evisceration will seemingly ease a bit, with consecutive games against ASU, Stanford, Cal and Colorado, all of whom finished behind the Cougars in the 2022 standings. College Football News also formulated a quick reaction to WSU’s schedule debut. Mark me down for 6-6.

Basketball

Two big games for Coug hoops on Sunday, the most important of which is taking place on the women’s side in Pullman. Since I’m chronically tardy with my weekly exercise in tedium, the women’s situation is looking rather tenuous, as they trail by nine points late in the game. Hopefully you’re tuning into Pac-12 Los Angeles to cheer on the home team!

On the men’s side, WSU heads to Boulder to take on ninth-place Colorado. After a rather listless showing in Salt Lake City a few days ago, WSU could really use a victory, in a place where it’s seen precious little success over the years. You can watch Sunday’s contest on ESPNU. Tip time is scheduled for a little after 3 p.m. PST, and WSU is a 5.5-point underdog.

This Week in Parenting

Overheard while the kids were in the kitchen, getting some breakfast, “It’s not white bread. It’s sourdough!” This came amid their current craze of making avocado toast for either breakfast or lunch, which they caught on to after seeing Mrs. Kendall making some for herself about a month ago. I’ve lost whatever shred of control over these two that I’d been pretending to have left.

Elsewhere, we haven’t had the XBox in the house for a month yet, and both kids have miraculously taken to it with surprising acumen. It’s almost as if these two have been playing video games at their friends’ houses or something! You know who doesn’t have the first clue about how to play any games? This guy. Whether it’s Halo, FIFA or whatever, they are constantly having to provide instruction in an attempt to improve my complete lack of video game skill.

I used to be ok at Halo, having logged hundreds of hours while sitting in my plywood hut in northeastern Afghanistan, but those days are long, long gone, and I find myself harkening back to the old Atari 2600 days, when all I had to worry about was a joystick and one (ONE!!!) damn button. About the only semblance of assistance I can render - always summarily ignored - is when they’re playing Microsoft Flight Simulator. They always want to get in the F-18 and go as fast as humanly possible. Meanwhile, I’m sitting behind them going, “Get the landing gear up! You’re overspeeding the flaps!” Turns out the video game is much more forgiving on aircraft systems than real life is. I did take an Airbus A320 on a scenic tour of the Grand Coulee Dam, however. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

Non-Sports

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