The Washington State Cougars fell to Utah State 17-16 in a game played on October 9. Both teams entered the matchup with 1-4 records, but the loss leaves the Cougars alone at 1-5 at the bottom of the Pac-12 standings.
Washington State established an early lead through kicker Jack Stevens, who converted a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter. Stevens later added a 43-yard field goal and a 50-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 9-3 lead. The Cougars extended this lead to 16-3 before halftime when Leo Pulalsi scored a 54-yard touchdown run following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Utah State.
Utah State began their comeback in the second half after WSU's Caden Pinnick fumbled during a fake end-around play. The Aggies responded with a 27-yard touchdown catch to cut the lead to 16-10. WSU's momentum continued to stall due to penalties and turnovers, including a second fumble by Jack Pedersen in the fourth quarter that gave Utah State the ball at the WSU 19-yard line. Utah State scored a touchdown three plays later to take a 17-16 lead with 6:22 remaining.
The Cougars' 1-5 start marks their worst beginning to a season since the 2010 season, when they started 1-9 and eventually finished 2-10. The team struggled with offensive consistency and penalties throughout the game, including a holding call that wiped out a 37-yard run by Maxwell Woods and another holding call that negated a positive play during a third-down attempt in the final minutes.
The Cougars will travel to Corvallis to face the Beavers on Saturday, October 17, for a 3 p.m. kickoff.
