Cougar Chalk Talk: Reviewing the Cougs’ season at the halfway mark

October 27, 2022 1:21 PM

Alex Crescenti,

Posted: October 27, 2022 1:21 PM

by Alex Crescenti

PULLMAN, Wash. — The Jake Dickert era got off to a stressful start to say the least.

The team had to escape a late scare from Idaho just to start 1-0, but after seeing what’s going on in Moscow, maybe it really was a good test.

“Guys we won the game,” Dickert said after the game.

However, the next week presented a much stiffer opponent in the Wisconsin Badgers, but the defense rose to the occasion. The offense was just good enough to come out of Madison with an upset win and put the Cougs back on the national map.

Then a win against Colorado State gave Wazzu their first 3-0 start since 2019 to wrap up nonconference play.

Transfer quarterback Cam Ward came into the season with a lot of hype from national media outlets, but struggled to put together complete games, as the offense sputtered and the Cougs dropped three out of their last four. Of course, it doesn’t help when two of your top-skill position players go down with injuries.

The once-saving grace has been the defense, which continues to be one of the best in the country and has kept the team in all of their games.

So, while 4-3 isn’t going to cut it to get into the College football playoff, things certainly could be much worse and bowl eligibility is just two wins away.