Washington college football recap – week 8
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
Leo Pulalasi (20) stiff arms a Virginia defender to gain more yards on the ground. The Cougars were defeated by Virginia 22-20 on the road.
COURTESY PHOTO/GREG DAVIS/WSU PHOTO
The Eagles defense celebrates after getting a huge stop over the Vandals. The Eagles defeated Idaho at home 21-14 on Saturday. It was the Eagles first ranked win of the season.
Huskies defenders work together to tackle a Michigan ball carrier. The Huskies were defeated 24-7 by the Wolverines.
The Wildcats’ Kennedy McGill runs in for a touchdown against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Wildcats defeated TAMU-K 24-21 on Saturday.
MOSES LAKE – Week eight saw both outcomes of a game across Washington college football. Teams like the Eagles and the Wildcats continue to build momentum while the Cougars and Huskies hit a rough patch in their season. See below how your favorite teams fared and where they stand heading into week nine.
WSU (3-4) at Virginia
Virginia trailed 20-10 going into the fourth quarter. Harrison Waylee had a 2-yard touchdown run with 9:45 left, and Will Bettridge made a tying 34-yard field goal with 2:55 to go. Kirby Vorhees was tackled in the endzone for a safety, which gave Virginia a 22-20 lead to overcome the Cougars on Saturday.
Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus was 18 for 27 for 183 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 1-yard TD run, but he threw two interceptions. Receiver Joshua Meredith had seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
“They made one more play than us, we lost control at the end and that’s on me, all of this is on me. We’ll own it and we’ll get better,” head coach Jimmy Rogers said.
The Cougars host Toledo on Oct. 25 at 12:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE
WSU: 7-10-3-0: 20
UVA: 7-0-3-12: 22
EWU (3-4) vs Idaho
The Eagles earned a statement conference win when they defeated the 24th-ranked Idaho Vandals 21-14 on Saturday at Roos Field. Backed by a strong defensive effort, Eastern Washington scored enough to defeat the Vandals. The Eagles improved to 2-1 in the Big Sky and 3-4 overall.
“Our guys were focused and had a purpose. They had conviction, and they practiced for two weeks for this game. We'll enjoy this one a little bit more; for 24 hours. But our guys were dialed in, and there was a ton of confidence that was oozing from that defense. We won the last two games in a row on defense, and that's pretty impressive,” head coach Aaron Best said.
The game was a defensive battle throughout, with neither team separating. Eastern Washington University scored first, but Idaho had a quick response to get in front. The Eagles then scored 17 straight points between the second and fourth quarters. With a two-possession lead, Eastern held on for the win, despite a late score from the Vandals.
EWU's defense made everything difficult for Idaho, notching one interception, two sacks, seven pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.
Nate Bell threw for two touchdowns in the game, while leading the Eagles with 134 rushing yards on 23 carries, a 5.8 per carry average. He completed 18-of-31(58.1%) passes for 177 yards and one interception.
BOX SCORE:
UID: 7-0-0-7: 14
EWU: 3-10-0-8: 21
UW (5-2) at Michigan
The University of Washington Huskies suffered their first road loss and second overall loss of the season Saturday when the Michigan Wolverines defeated them 24-7.
Jonah Coleman scored the lone touchdown for the Dawgs on a one-yard run, his NCAA-leading 12th rushing touchdown of the season. The score tied the game at 7-7.
Demond Williams Jr went 20-32 passing for 209 yards while throwing three interceptions. Denzel Boston hauled in four catches for 71 yards.
The Huskies' defense made several key stops through the first three quarters of the game, including a fourth-down stop. However, the Huskies' turnovers proved to be too costly.
“We did not play well, we did not put our guys in the best position to succeed. When we had opportunities, we did not make them,” Head Coach Jedd Fisch said.
The Huskies return to Seattle on Oct. 25 to host Illinois at 12:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
UW: 0-7-0-0: 7
UM: 7-0-7-10: 24
CWU (6-1) vs Texas A&M-Kingsville
The 10th-ranked Central Washington University Wildcats pulled off a close 24-21 win at home over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead after the defense forced a three-and-out on the opening possession. The combination play of Justice Taylor on the ground and Kennedy McGill to Jalen Grable and Samaje Featherstone set them up at the TAMU-K 27-yard line, where a trick play saw Grable run it in the 27 yards for the first score.
The game was tied 7-7 at halftime. The Wildcats won the third quarter, putting 10 points to TAMU-K's seven points. In the fourth quarter, Taylor and McGill continued the ground onslaught with McGill successfully running in an 18-yard touchdown, breaking multiple tackles in the process to take a 24-14 lead.
The Wildcats only allowed one more score by TAMU-K to secure a three-point win.
BOX SCORE:
TAMU-K: 7-0-7-7: 21
CWU: 7-0-10-7: 24
The Eagles defense celebrates after getting a huge stop over the Vandals. The Eagles defeated Idaho at home 21-14 on Saturday. It was the Eagles first ranked win of the season.
Huskies defenders work together to tackle a Michigan ball carrier. The Huskies were defeated 24-7 by the Wolverines.
The Wildcats’ Kennedy McGill runs in for a touchdown against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Wildcats defeated TAMU-K 24-21 on Saturday.ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Wahluke falls to Tri-Cities in home opener
MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 46-24 in their home opener by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars. Despite the loss, Head Coach Makai Hirai said he was proud of the effort his players gave on the court. “That was the biggest thing that I took away is we had a lot of effort. We have a lot of girls who are hungry, and the coaches were excited about (that). Our girls look pretty motivated ... they’re working hard,” Hirai said. The Jaguars started fast and held the lead the entire game. Tri-Cities Prep put up double-digit scores in each quarter except for the third. The Warriors finished strong with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars came out victorious.
From overtime thriller to championship stage
The Knights meet Cashmere once again
ROYAL CITY — On Friday, the No. 1 seed Royal Knights (12-0) will travel to Husky Stadium to play the No. 2 seed Cashmere Bulldogs (11-1) in the 1A state championship game. The Knights Head Coach Wiley Allred was not surprised to see the Bulldogs reach the state championship game. “I was hoping there wasn't a team better than them, because that's a pretty tough team right there. We'll meet our match,” Allred said. When these two met in October, it was the Knights pulling off a late comeback to win 21-15 in overtime. Coming into that game, both teams were undefeated. The Knights had only allowed seven points all season, while the Bulldogs had not allowed a score by any team.
Warriors fall short in home opener
MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.