Yesterday’s game against UCLA was a great one; one that saw the Cougars lead almost all game long; one that saw the Cougars fail to capitalize on a lot of opportunities. From my perspective, there were a few questionable decisions by the head coach, but what was funny to me was how often, and quickly, the fans jumped to yelling “f*&^ you Doba!” on any failed play. What was even more strange was that most were criticizing his “playcalling”. Considering that the Cougars held UCLA to 267 total net yards - and 50 of those coming on one play, three plays in - I think that Doba, who acts as the head coach and defensive coordinator, did a great job with his playcalling. Results speak for themselves.

So I have to assume that fans were critiquing the head coach’s offensive playcalling? Strange, stupid, and very uncool. That’s not being cool like Fonzie, and those fans - you know who you are - who curse Doba’s name on each failed play, really need to cut that crap out. Sure the Cougars aren’t having the season they expected, but they are getting better every week. And let’s really not forget that in the offseason WSU lost two very important coaches to other job opportunities… not to mention that Doba does not make each and every decision during a game, that’s what assistants and coordinators are for. If you think the offensive call on third and 1 was bad… blame the offensive coordinator… or better, yet, don’t blame anyone at all, just enjoy the game and cheer on the Cougs.

Ultimately, if you want to question his going for it on 4th down - or not - that’s fine, but Doba should be judged on the performance of the team, and in a game when WSU dominated on both sides of the ball there was no reason to curse Doba’s name… really there was no reason last night to curse at all.

I think a lot of fans, students and alumni want Doba’s head on a stick as payment for a disappointing season - which is not finished I’d like to mention - but I don’t think his job is necessarily on the line, mainly because the AD probably realizes, as I do, that losing part of your coaching staff when he did is very difficult to overcome early. Let’s also not forget that four of WSU’s losses to date came at the hands of ranked teams; three were ranked in the top 10 when they beat the Cougs. Given that, the loss to Arizona is the only loss so far that should be considered to be disappointing, and WSU is 3-1 against non-ranked, “beatable” opponents. That’s really not that bad, and certainly not bad enough for Doba to lose his job and get disrespected by his home crowd. So please Coug fans, cut Doba a break, and let’s support our Cougs in the final stretch of the season that, out of four games, probably has three very winnable games.

The season ain’t over folks, and neither is - or should be - Doba’s tenure.