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Washington college football recap – week 8

MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 1 week AGO
by MIKE MAYNARD
| October 21, 2025 4:30 PM

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

Wildcats’ Fisk departs for Portland State
December 28, 2025 3:40 a.m.

Wildcats’ Fisk departs for Portland State

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington athletics announced that Head Coach Chris Fisk would be departing the Wildcats football program to take the lead role at Portland State University. This change comes after a 10-2 season and a playoff appearance. “I have always said that good things happen to good people, and Coach Fisk is one of those people,” CWU Director of Athletics Dr. Dennis Francois said. “He has embodied everything we want in our Head Football Coach at Central Washington University—high character, integrity, the respect and trust of our entire department, and a tremendous ability to serve as a role model for our student-athletes. His presence within our department will be greatly missed, and I wish him nothing but the best at Portland State.”

Wildcats’ Sims named conference player of the week
December 26, 2025 3:02 a.m.

Wildcats’ Sims named conference player of the week

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington University junior women's basketball forward Capri Sims was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week after multiple double-digit performances during the winter break games. “Capri's performances last week were critical in our ability to get three wins, especially starting off against Cal State LA after our first loss last Saturday,” CWU Head Women's Basketball Coach Randi Richardson said. This is Sims third-career player of the week, first this season, and now joins Asher Cai as Wildcats to earn the distinction this season.

December Basketball Gallery, 2025
December 26, 2025 8 a.m.

December Basketball Gallery, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN – The local high school athletes have been working hard at the start of their basketball seasons. With the schedules slowing down for winter break, it’s a good time to look back on the past month of competition and check in on some of the local athletes.