PULLMAN, WA – OCTOBER 15: Gabe Marks #9 of the Washington State Cougars attempts to catch a pass in the end zone against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at Martin Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Pullman, Washington. Washington State defeated UCLA 27-21. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)

UCLA vs. Washington State doesn’t exactly stoke the fires of rivalry for most college football fans. But for the second straight year the Bruins warmed up on WSU’s side of the field in a weak effort at intimidation.

Washington State wide receiver Gabe Marks didn’t mince any words when asked his thoughts on the stunt after his team’s 27-21 victory. He called the move “douchey” and accusing the Bruins of “trying too hard to be tough.”

As Lindsay Joy notes, the best part is clearly Marks asking whether he can say “douchey”, being told they’ll cut it, and then Marks saying “don’t cut that”.

As for UCLA, there’s even an internal debate about the “toughness” of the team. There’s head coach Jim Mora, who accused past teams of not being tough enough.

There’s also former head coach Rich Neuheisel, who took issue with Mora’s idea of UCLA being soft before he got to town. Neuheisel took to SiriusXM radio this offseason to drop a verbal bomb on the Bruins of today:

“All he did was go and paint the walls black and wear black on the sideline, and thinks that that’s tough,”

Clearly there is something going on with the perception of this team, and Mora and Co. are starting to get inside their own heads.

How about just going out and playing physical, smash-mouth football for 60 minutes to shut up the critics?

[Today’s U]

About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!