What they're saying
Quotes and comments following the loss to Ohio State

By the Staff of Cougfan.com

From Seattle to Dayton: Read what they're saying about Washington State's painful loss to The Maurice Clarett, er, Ohio State University. And keep in mind: Four out of five sports therapists say reliving painful game moments--even losses to Big-10 opponents--can make for a healthier and happier life (but please, whatever you do, don't let your kids see you cry...again).

"This is the football OSU coach Jim Tressel learned from Earle Bruce, who learned it from Woody Hayes, who learned it from, uh, well, nobody's sure exactly. But we think it might have been Moses. Part the defensive line and march right through it. And when you're on defense, make the other guys feel like they've just been swamped." Bob Hunter, Columbus Dispatch

"And no one has more reason to be disappointed than Gesser, who has never quite found the rhythm to match his big games with the biggest victories...As resourceful and riveting as he has often been, this is a rarely voiced reality -- and it needs to be tempered somewhat because of the injuries which have dogged him at the end of each of the past two seasons. A young quarterback on a young team in 2000, Gesser was not able to steer the Cougars to victory in the swing games -- those overtime killers -- even when he was spectacular. A year ago, the Cougars won a couple big ones -- notably against UCLA and then Purdue in the Sun Bowl -- in which Gesser's numbers were dreadful. Only in the dramatic victory at Stanford has his performance been in sync with the Cougars' results." John Blanchette, Spokesman-Review

"Ohio State's Maurice Clarett isn't a tailback, he's a bulldozer. He's a sprinter. He's a runaway freight train. He's a 230-pound ballet dancer. No, he's all that and more. After only three college games, Maurice Clarett is a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy." Terry Pluto, The (Akron) Beacon Journal

"For a half, Maurice Clarett actually resembled a freshman...After halftime, he looked more like Superman...Facing a Washington State defense determined to stuff the run, Ohio State's freshman sensation carried 11 times for a rather mundane 36 yards in the first half. Not coincidentally, the sixth-ranked Buckeyes trailed the 10th-ranked Cougars 7-6 at intermission." Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com

"If only they could have ended this one after 30 minutes. Then the bloom would still be on Washington State's national rose and Jason Gesser would still be considered a Heisman contender. But football, as Ohio State so forcefully proved Saturday, is a game of 60 minutes." Pat Mitchell, Cougfan.com

"Until Clarett sprouted wings, the Buckeyes never left the runway. At halftime they were 0-for-6 on third down and had 109 yards total offense -- 33 of that coming on a pass from quarterback Krenzel to wide-open Michael Jenkins on the game's first play from scrimmage." Jon Spencer, Mansfield News Journal

"Smashmouth football slammed finesse. The run pounded the pass yesterday. The Big Ten blasted the Pac-10." Craig Smith, Seattle Times

"Maurice Clarett loaded his Buckeye teammates on his shoulders Saturday afternoon, and everyone is going to find out just how strong he is. The big, bruising freshman from Warren Harding was Ohio State's "bus" with a German engine under the hood. He left Washington State defenders as roadkill and punished them in the second half when they tried to tackle him." Todd Porter, Canton Repository

"He (Maurice Clarett) must have needed practice because they left him in there for the entire game." Mike Price, WSU coach

"Fact is, the Scarlet and Gray Sea may have parted yesterday for Ohio State. Washington State is legitimate, a top-10 team with an ace quarterback and a fast, talented defense. And with all of that the Cougars managed one whole touchdown and played second-half defense against Clarett as though they were running the streets of Pamplona." Ray Stein, Columbus Dispatch

"(Rien) Long and (Isaac) Brown said Oregon's Onterrio Smith might be the only running back they've played against who is better than Clarett. Smith ran for 285 yards as a junior last season against WSU." Craig Hill, The (Tacoma) News Tribune

"With Gesser scrambling, (Darrion) Scott fought off a block and had the WSU quarterback land right in his arms. With that the 270 pounder picked Gesser up and slammed him to the ground in big-time wrestling style. 'I couldn't believe my luck, he was right there,' Scott grinned. 'And then I just wanted to bury him. When he hit, I heard him grunt and then it was just kind of a groan. He got up and said some things to me I can't say in print. All you got to know though is that his voice was . . . a little weak.'" Tom Archdeacon, Dayton Daily News

"Of more concern to Gesser was the Big Ten officiating crew's seeming indifference to defensive pass interference, particularly on a takeoff down the left sideline to Devard Darling just before halftime. Darling got by corner back Dustin Fox, but free safety Donnie Nickey came across the field and collided with Darling before the ball arrived. No flag was thrown...In the possession before that, WSU receiver Scott Lunde was flagged for offensive pass interference, though it appeared he was being dragged down from behind by Fox." John Blanchette and Carter Strickland, Spokesman-Review

"Facing a 7-6 deficit that could have been worse if officials hadn't ignored a pass interference penalty deep in OSU territory, the Buckeyes answered the third-quarter bell with a ferocity that turned the outcome as quickly as it did irreversibly." Bruce Hooley, (Cleveland) Plain Dealer

"I started trash talking to the ref because he was talking trash to me.I wasn't even worried about Ohio State, I was worried about him." Jason Gesser, WSU quarterback

"The college football season is barely a fortnight old, but it already has been tough on would-be Heisman Trophy winners. Dave Ragone, Rex Grossman, Byron Leftwich, Jason Gesser their candidacies have all taken hits. By the end of the season, voters may be swayed to a guy originally not on any list." Bud Withers, Seattle Times

"Second-year Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel and his staff apparently crafted the metamorphosis at halftime, because their players went from sputtering before the break to splattering the 10th-ranked Cougars after it." Steve Junga, Toledo Blade

"(Washington State) was beating us up front on our blocks, especially early on. No. 88 (Rien Long) is pretty slippery and kept disrupting us in the backfield." Tim Spencer, OSU running backs coach

"Maurice Clarett is not a freshman. He can't be. Even his own teammates find it hard to believe." Jim Naveau, Lima News


























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Freight Train Flashback
Buckeyes, Clarett, Gesser comments deja vu of Oregon and Onterrio in '01

By JOHN C. WITTER
Cougfan.com Senior Editor

Maurice or Onterrio? The Mighty Mo or the Green Ghost? The comparisons began before the final whistle blew on Saturday. In fact, much of the Cougar Nation was probably experiencing some sort of unpleasant flashback before the third quarter of the Ohio State victory over Washington State had ended.

Yes, the running of Buckeye back Maurice Clarett was woefully reminiscent of that other rocket-powered anvil-on-wheels, Onterrio Smith, the Oregon phantom who left similar cleat marks on the chest of Cougar defenders last November.



For the record, two Cougar D-linemen - - Rien Long and Isaac Brown - - have stated Clarett is the best back they've ever lined up against...after Smith. And while no one is denying Clarett was scary good and the definitive difference maker for the Buckeyes, eye-witness accounts of Smith's 285-yard performance in a rain-soaked Martin Stadium last season have the air of UFO sightings about them.



But the other worldliness of Onterrio in '01 and the mauling moves of Maurice on Saturday aren't the only similarities between the Ohio State contest and the Cougar loss to Oregon last year.



For starters, a win in either game would've placed Wazzu on or around the No. 5 spot in the college football polls. A win over the Ducks last season would've given the Cougs an 8-0 record and the pre-game whispers of an undefeated season (and, gulp, a national championship) would've increased substantially in volume. A Cougar win last Saturday - - though early in the season and pre-conference play - - would certainly have generated similar talk.



And then there is the matter of Jason Gesser.



The quarterback's post game audibles last year following the emotional loss to Oregon were matched, if not exceeded, by his Ohio State vents on Saturday. The end result: A young man, who by all accounts is a wonderful human being and outstanding ambassador of the university, has ugly words like "whiner" and "cry-baby" attached to his name.



Like overprotective and ultra-sensitive parents, we feel the need to defend or, at very least, attempt to explain his less than appropriate post game comments following these heartbreaking losses. But privately, we bristle and wonder why the Cougar we love most hasn't learned to lose a little more - - if not graciously - - quietly.



And there exists yet another unfortunate side-effect from Saturday's setback that also reared it's ugly head after the Duck defeat last season: Fan panic, or more aptly referred to as "Sky is Falling Syndrome."



Hey, it's hard not to feel a little uneasy after witnessing a freight train run over and around our Crimson Soldiers. Backs like Clarett and Smith do more than just rack up yards and score touchdowns; they demoralize, humiliate, embarrass, and belittle. It's hard to stay positive when your missed tackles show up on the ESPN highlight reels.



But let's stop and flashback a little further into the '01 season, just seven days after Onterrio Smith ran so convincingly over the Cougar defense and their psyche. The Cougs faced another "next-level" runner, UCLA's DeShaun Foster and a Bruin team that had spent most of the season in the top 10. The same Foster who early in the season ran for a season's worth of yards against the University of Washington.



Turned out the sky wasn't falling after all.






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