How Washington State's 2024 Opponents Fared in Week 13
Not counting Oregon State, WSU's 2024 opponents combined to go 5-3 last weekend.
Portland State: Win vs. Northern Colorado (FCS) 45-13
Portland State ended its 2024 season on a high note, beating Big Sky Conference rival Northern Colorado handedly on Saturday afternoon. Quincy Craig stole the show for the Vikings, rushing for 137 yards and two scores while signal caller Dante Chachere completed 14-of-19 passes for 150 yards. In a year in which the Viks only managed three wins, this one was by far their most dominant. The offense was moving up and down the field practically at will and the defense thwarted UNC at every turn. PSU will close its season with a 3-8 record and a 3-5 league mark.
Texas Tech: Win at Oklahoma State 56-48
It was a wild game and, specifically, a wild fourth quarter in Stillwater. The Red Raiders and the Cowboys combined for 41 points in the final 15 with Texas Tech coming out on top in the end. With 4:45 left in the game, Jacob Rodriguez recovered a fumble in the end zone to put the Red Raiders up by two scores. Rodriguez then stamped himself as the hero when he picked off OSU signal caller Maealiuaki Smith to seal it on the last gasp possession. In a game that featured 1,100 total yards, Texas Tech was responsible for 544 of them. Behren Morton threw four touchdowns and they survived a shootout to improve to 7-4.
Washington: No Game
The Huskies did not play last weekend. They are prepping for the regular season finale against Oregon.
San Jose State: Loss vs. UNLV 27-16
San Jose State did all it could on Friday night against #24 UNLV but in the end the Runnin' Rebels were just too much. In a sloppy and rainy slugfest, the Spartans were able to open up a 16-10 lead by halftime thanks to their defense. A 40-yard interception return from Isiah Revis and a safety had UNLV on the ropes early. The offense, however, was rendered ineffective across the board. Walekr Eget threw for only 81 yards and as a team SJSU rushed for a mere 33. They didn't even have possession for 20 minutes of game time. The Spartans are now 6-5 and 3-4 in Mountain West play.
Boise State: Win at Wyoming 17-13
Boise State continues to steadily climb the rankings, now checking in at #11 following a hard-fought four-point win at Wyoming. Broncos fans, though, were greeted with a scary sight when Ashton Jeanty left the game in the second half with a lower body injury. Before he did, though, he ran for another 169 yards and a TD, putting his season total rushing yardage up over 2,000. Jeanty should be okay moving forward per head coach Spencer Danielson. The win over the Cowboys ensures that Boise State will play for the Mountain West championship in a few weeks althought their opponent in that contest is TBD. The Broncos are still the G5 favorite to represent in the playoffs and are now 10-1 overall.
Fresno State: Win vs. Colorado State 28-22
The Bulldogs won by six over CSU on Saturday night but the score was deceptive as Fresno State cruised to the victory. Bryson Donelson ran for 140 yards and a score while QB Mikey Keene threw for 186 yards and two more touchdowns. The Bulldogs converted half (7-of-14) of their third down tries and, despite allowing over 400 yards, was able to hold off the Rams to secure their sixth win and bowl eligibility. Fresno State now has just one game left on their regular seaosn docket before they look ahead to bowl season.
Hawaii: No Game
Hawaii took the week off. They will face New Mexico to close their season on November 30.
San Diego State: Loss at Utah State 41-20
The Aztecs' rough season took another disheartening turn last weekend on the road at Utah State. The Aggies pummeled San Diego State despite big individual performances from running back Marquez Cooper and receiver Louis Brown IV. The defense let USU rush for 323 yards and gave up 20 points in a nine-minute span during the fourth quarter. By the time Mekhi Shaw snagged his 12-yard touchdown grab, the game was already too far out of reach. The loss is now SDSU's eighth of the season and there is no way the Aztecs will have postseason ball in their future.
Utah State: Win vs. San Diego State 41-20
Utah State is looking to close its 2024 season on a high note. The Aggies, now winners of three of their last four contests, handled San Diego State at home on Saturday to improve to 4-7. Bryson Barnes got called in for Spencer Petras in the second quarter and went on to throw for 139 yards and three touchdowns as well as rush for a staggering 193 yards and one more score. The Utah State defense registered four sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in a smothering effort. Although a bowl game is likely out of the question, the Aggies have been finding their groove toward the end of the year.
New Mexico: No Game
New Mexico had a bye in Week 13. They'll try and earn bowl eligibility in the regular season finale against Hawaii next Saturday.
Oregon State: Win vs. Washington State 41-38
Oregon State claimed the two-team Pac-12 title with a track meet of a win over Washington State on Saturday. The Beavers took to the air with signal caller Ben Gulbranson throwing for nearly 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Trent Walker was the thorn in WSU's side, hauling in 12 catches for 136 yards. The Cougars were able to answer back on most everything OSU threw at them but a 55-yard field goal from Everett Hayes with just 20 seconds left was too much to overcome. The Beavs snap a five-game losing streak and move to 5-6 on the year. Bowl eligibility is still a possibility but they'll need to find a way through Boise State on Friday to get it.
Wyoming: Loss vs. Boise State 17-13
The Pokes gave Boise State one of their tougher games of the year but didn't quite have enough in the tank offensivley to pull off the upset over the Broncos at home. The only Wyoming touchdown came in the second quarter when Kaden Anderson connected with Justin Stevenson. Outside of that the offense fell largely quiet but the defense more than held its own. A gallant effort, though, does nothing for the win column and the Cowboys still only have two there this year. They'll close their season this weekend against the Cougars in Pullman.
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