What a Week 2 for Cameron Ward and the Washington State Cougars. Ward got the star treatment from the national Fox broadcast as his underdog Cougs went into Camp Randall and beat the heavily-favored Wisconsin Badgers.

There is much rejoicing, as the Cameron Ward Bandwagon makes the long trek home to Pullman. Ward is now 2-0 as the Washington State quarterback, and there’s nothing that can be done to stop him.

I can hear the doubters already. 

“But Dan, Ward’s stats aren’t even that good!” 

That is actually one of the most impressive things of this upset win. Ward’s numbers on Saturday don’t line up with the pinball scoring he used to put up at Incarnate Word.* But the fact that Ward could go into Wisconsin and get a win with defense and timely third down conversions is just as impressive.

*I keep accidentally typing “Incarnate Ward” when I write this article. Why hasn’t it changed the name of its school already? 

Wisconsin has a strong team that is always built on physicality and defense. Paul “Family Friendly Bret Bielema” Chryst has built a stingy stop unit up there, so Ward’s performance was impressive.

He’ll have plenty of time when he faces the hospitable defenses of the Pac-12 to accumulate Heisman numbers.

Sometimes you have to beat the bully at their own game. Ward did just that, putting up a vintage Wisconsin quarterback line while beating the Badgers. You don’t just waltz into “The House That Jim Sorgi Built” without playing some ugly football. And buddy, with Graham Mertz on the other sideline, the bar for ugly football was set high. (Or low?)

But Ward got the W. Not Mertz.

“Ward wasn’t even the most important Wazzu player!”

Oh, come on. I watched those leadership and intangibles in action. I know he didn’t PERSONALLY recover those fumbles, but Ward definitely willed his team to do it. That’s how quarterback leadership works, you know?

Who was possibly more important on Saturday for the Cougs? Running back Nakia Watson? Oh, come on. Yeah, and who played linebacker, Samsung Jones? Get outta here.

“Last week they almost lost to Idaho!”

That’s a regional rivalry. Throw out the record books when the Cougars and the Vandals get together. 

I won’t lie. I watched a lot of that Idaho game and got a little worried we chose the wrong Pac-12 quarterback to bandwagon. Michael Penix Jr. is giving Drew Lock a little hope that you can salvage a mediocre quarterbacking career by going to Seattle. Caleb “Golden Boy” Williams has put up the video game stats we were looking for from Ward. And while you know I’ve got love for the DC kid making it big, there’s no fun in bandwagoning a five-star at USC.

But that wandering eye was wrong. The Bandwagon is faithful to Cam, and he rewarded our faith by scoring the biggest upset in college football that happened in Week 2 (trust me).

We knew about Ward’s cannon arm and his mobility, but I am impressed with the way he places the shorter throws he has to make in the Air Raid system. He has impeccable timing on the “extension of the running game” plays the scheme requires; his receivers rarely had to break stride as they made the catch and run. 

What a win for Wazzu coach Jake “The Snake” Dickert in his native Wisconsin. He has built a salty little defense up there in apple country, and he turned the reins over to a transfer quarterback that is the apple of our eye. And he reaped the dividends with a huge road upset victory.

So now we must pack up the Bandwagon and drive back to the Palouse. We’ve got supplies for the road. Dave said he’s bringing the Gameday Wazzu flag, which is frankly embarrassing that I hadn’t packed it already. I thought I had it in the suitcase – oh, no wait, the only thing in there is a bunch of handles of Fireball. 

Liam said he’s bringing a TV so we can watch games on the trip. Unfortunately, many of Washington State’s remaining contests will be on the Pac-12 Network, which has yet to be proven to be a real TV channel. Josh is bringing some beer for the trip, which is important because we just left Wisconsin, the land where beer supplies dwindle dangerously low. 

Up next week is the Rams. Of Colorado State, not Los Angeles, good heavens. Cam will have a chance to put up some of those incredible Air Raid stats the doubters are waiting for, as Colorado State is accommodating on defense. So grab your seat on the Bandwagon now as it’s starting to fill up, and make sure to pack something good for the trip.