Serving Whitman County since 1877

Washington State loses heartbreaker to Oregon

Ducks score 29 points in fourth quarter to secure first Pac-12 win of the season

The Washington State University Cougars opened their Pac-12 conference schedule Saturday, Sept. 24 against the #15-ranked Oregon Ducks and were looking to continue an, at that point, undefeated season.

The Cougars were 3-0 (0-0) coming into the game and the Ducks were 2-1 (0-0) with their only loss coming in a Week 1 blowout against defending national champions Georgia Bulldogs.

Washington State looked to be on its way to its first conference win of the season (and a possibility of being ranked in the Top 25) through three quarters of the game.

Oregon outscored Washington State 29-14 in the fourth quarter and the Ducks secured the win 44-41.

“Well I think credit goes to Oregon,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “They played a tough 60-minute football game. You know, I think that’s where it starts and the Cougs win together and the Cougs lose together. I think that was the message in the locker room and it wasn’t just one thing. It was them out-executing us in the fourth quarter and them coming away with the win.”

The Cougars opened the game with a five-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Cam Ward, and the defense held strong at the goaline on the Ducks’ ensuing possession, holding quarterback Bo Nix and company to a field goal.

Washington State scored a field goal of its own in the first quarter to head into the second frame with a 10-3 lead.

Oregon began the second quarter with the ball in another goal line situation, before the Cougar defense held strong yet again and held them to a field goal.

The Ducks had another chance at a touchdown near the goal line but a Nix pass was intercepted and returned for a 95-yard touchdown by Washington State linebacker Francisco Mauigoa. Oregon scored a field goal on the following possessions and the Cougars went into halftime up 17-9.

“It was all part of the game plan,” Mauigoa said. “We practiced it the whole week and I saw it coming and executed it well.”

Coming into the third quarter, Oregon scored its first touchdown of the game on the first possession, with Nix completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to running back Bucky Irving to shorten the WSU lead to 17-15.

WSU scored the final 10 points of the quarter to go up 27-15 heading into the final quarter.

The Cougars and the Ducks went back and forth, with Jordan James finding the endzone on a one-yard rush for Oregon, Ward finding receiver Robert Ferrel for the one-yard touchdown grab for Washington State and Nix finding tight end Cam McCormick for the one-yard touchdown grab, shortening the gap to a 34-29 Cougar lead with 3:48 left in the game.

Oregon took its first lead of the game with 1:21 to go in the game with a 50-yard touchdown grab by receiver Troy Franklin. Nix ran the ball in on the ensuing 2-point conversion to go up 37-34.

Ward threw a pick-six to the Ducks’ Mase Funa for Oregon to take a 44-34 with 1:01 left in the game.

WSU didn’t go away. Running back Nakia Watson found the endzone with one second left in the game to shorten the lead to 44-41, but at that point it was too late and the Ducks came away with the win between the two Pacific Northwest teams.

“(I can’t) turn the ball over,” Ward said regarding things he can improve on following the loss. “That’s really all I got to say. Can’t have a pick-six to end a two-minute drill to try and beat a Top-25 team. Just can’t do that.”

Ward finished with 37/48 passing for 375 yards, three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and two interceptions.

Washington State will have a chance to bounce back and get its first Pac-12 win of the season at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 in its Homecoming game against California in Pullman.

Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected], by phone at 509-397-4333 EXT: 0004, by cell at 208-305-1814 or on Twitter @tkseahawk13

 

Reader Comments(0)