Cowboys Pummel Cougs

The Washington State University Cougar football team came into the 2010 season seeking a new beginning after suffering several blowout losses in 2008 and 2009, but the Cougars got a familiar result instead as the Oklahoma State University Cowboys used a big first half performance from senior running back Kendall Hunter and pummeled the Cougars, 65-17 in Stillwater, Oklahoma in the season opener for both teams.

The game began ominously for the Cougars as sophomore quarterback Jeff Tuel and senior running back James Montgomery botched a handoff exchange on the very first offensive play of the game, resulting in a fumble which the Cowboys recovered and turned into a 7-0 lead just 30 seconds into the game.

Things went from bad to worse for the Cougars as true freshman running back Rickey Galvin broke his forearm on the Cougars' third possession of the game and Hunter scored on the Cowboys next possession for a 14-0 lead. After an exchange of field goals - including a 56-yarder from senior Nico Grasu - Wazzu appeared to grab the momentum back when Tuel hit true freshman receiver Marquess Wilson on a 48-yard touchdown pass to cut the Cowboys' lead to only 17-10 in th second quarter. But that would be all the Cougars' offense could manage as the Cowboys rode Hunter and quarterback Brandon Weeden for three more first half scores and a 38-10 halftime lead. Hunter rushed for an incredible 209 yards in only 18 attempts in the first half alone - finally finishing with 21 carries for 254 yards and four touchdowns.

From there, Oklahoma State cruised in for the easy victory, adding four more touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters - including a blocked punt returned for a TD - while Wazzu got one more touchdown from a one-yard scoring run from Logwone Mitz.

NOTES:

- True freshman running back Rickey Galvin is expected to be out for the season with a broken right forearm.

- The Cougars have not scored in the first quarter since 2008 - in the 10th game of the year against Arizona - a stretch of 16 games.

- Grasu's 56-yard field goal is the sixth-longest field goal in Wazzu history

- The Cougars punted on five of their first nine possessions of the game while the Cowboys scored on five of their first nine possessions.

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