Aside from the Cougars’ most recent opponent, San Diego State, Washington State’s 2024 opponents are 4-6 in Week 9.
Portland State: No Game
The Vikings didn’t play a game last weekend.
Texas Tech: Lost to TCU 35-34
Texas Tech held a 17-point lead in the third quarter, but was unable to protect it as TCU battled back against the Red Raiders, handing them their second loss of the season. Josh Hoover threw two touchdown passes in the final nine minutes, sealing the deal with the Horned Frogs. Texas Tech QB Behren Morton was injured, and true freshman Will Hammond had to take his place under center. Hammond both threw for 121 yards and no scores on 10 completed balls. Taj Brooks also ran for 121 yards, but two ill-timed fumbles on the Red Raiders’ final two drives ended any chance of a victory.
Washington: 31-17 loss to Indiana
#13 Indiana proved to be too much for the visiting Huskies, and hosting “College Game Day” in town only made the crowd even more excited, making it even more difficult for UW. Will Rogers threw two interceptions, but couldn’t inspire much on the ground either. The Hoosiers took the lead on D’Angelo Pons’ long pick-six and never looked back. Washington fell to 4-4 on the year, but only 2-3 in Big Ten play. Indiana remains undefeated with the win.
San Jose State: Lost to Fresno State, 33-10.
SJSU had a tough day in Fresno. Three different players attempted passes throughout the game against the Bulldogs, but all three were picked off at least once, with usual starter Walker Eggett throwing two interceptions. The Spartans scored their only touchdown just 56 seconds into the game and did little the rest of the night. The defense gave up over 400 yards and stayed on the field too long. San Jose State is currently 5-3, but is 3-2 against the Mountain West and on the verge of bowl eligibility.
Boise State: Defeated UNLV 29-24.
Other than its only loss against Oregon, #17 Boise State faced its biggest test of the season against UNLV, but it passed Friday night. Ashton Giunty ran for 128 yards on 33 carries (a relatively quiet night by his standards) and found the end zone once. Starting the fourth quarter with a one-point deficit, the Broncos’ defense held strong and held the Rebels scoreless for the final 15 minutes. The offense finally put together a nice game-ending drive that took over eight minutes and BSU was now up 6-1.
Fresno State: Won against San Jose State 33-10.
The Bulldogs’ defense was at its peak Saturday night against the visiting Spartans, forcing four turnovers (all interceptions) and holding SJSU to just 101 rushing yards. Mikey Keene threw for three touchdowns and gained 275 yards. Jalen Moss led the receivers with two scores and 85 yards on six tackles. Fresno State is currently on a two-game winning streak, improving its season record to 5-3.
Hawaii: Won against Nevada 34-13.
Hawaii finally picked up its first win against an FBS opponent with an impressive victory over visiting Nevada on Saturday night. The Rainbow Warriors’ defense was excellent and kept the Wolfpack off the scoreboard until the third quarter. Brayden Shager ran for 120 yards and scored all four of the team’s touchdowns while throwing for an additional 153 yards. The win snapped Hawaii’s three-game losing streak and marked its first win in the Mountain West.
San Diego State: Lost to Washington State 29-26.
The Cougars scored 15 points in the final 12 minutes and battled back to defeat the Aztecs. San Diego State signalman Danny O’Neal made an ill-timed pick on WSU’s Tariq Al-Uqdah to set the stage for a comeback. Marquez Cooper had two TDs and Nate Bennett had another, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t help that the Aztecs allowed three sacks to Cougs D lineman Ancel Din Mbou. San Diego State fell to 3-4.
Utah: Beat Wyoming 27-25.
It took the Aggies nearly two months, but they finally added a second one to the win column. Utah State came off a big night beating Wyoming, led by running back Rasul Faison who ran for 131 yards and a touchdown. Spencer Petras was a steady thrower through the air, throwing for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. A 40-yard Tanner Cragan field goal as time expired gave USU a 2-6 lead.
New Mexico State: Lost to Colorado State 17-6.
The game against CSU remained at a standstill for quite some time until the Rams broke things up with two big plays in the second quarter. Kobe Johnson’s 82-yard punt return proved too much to overcome for the Lobos, whose winning streak ended at three. Devon Dampier threw two picks and fumbled twice. New Mexico State never crossed the goal line and the game was never out of hand. The Lobos fell to 2-2 in conference play and 3-5 overall.
Oregon State: Lost to California 44-7.
It was another downright ugly game for Oregon State signal-caller Jevani McCoy against former Pac-12 foe Cal, and it appears a QB change is in the works. McCoy completed just two passes and received a pick before being benched in the second quarter. However, OSU didn’t do much better with Ben Gulbranson in, and still couldn’t score until it was already out of reach in the fourth. The Beavers’ defense gave up nearly 500 yards but never got to Golden Bears QB Fernando Mendoza. Oregon State is currently 4-4.
Wyoming: Lost to Utah State 27-25.
It wasn’t the best performance for Wyoming on Saturday night at home against Utah State. The game appeared to be won with two games remaining when kicker John Haoiland made a 31-yard field goal. However, the Aggies were within striking distance of kicking the actual game-winner when the clock hit zero. Evan Svoboda didn’t play much, and when he did, he wasn’t very good, throwing an interception and only throwing two pitches. Sam Scott ran for 115 yards, but that was all the Cowboys did. Wyoming is 1-7.
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