How Washington State's 2024 Opponents Fared in Week 8

Jared Miller | Oct 21, 2024

Oct 5, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Marquez Cooper (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown with San Diego State Aztecs wide reciever Nate Bennett (11) against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the fourth quarter at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images / Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

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Outside of Hawaii, WSU's 2024 opponents went 3-5 in their Week 8 games.

Portland State: Loss vs. Montana State (FCS) 44-14

Portland State had a rough time with Big Sky rival Montana State coming to town on Saturday. The Vikings defense gave up more than 300 rushing yards, 35 first half points and had no anwers for essentially everything the Bobcats threw their way. Dante Chachere only managed 64 passing yards and threw an interception. Both Viks' touchdowns came once MSU had their second team defense in during the fourth quarter and PSU slips to 1-6 on the 2024 season.

Texas Tech: Loss vs. Baylor 59-35

It was a day to forget the Red Raiders and their fans as Big 12 foe Baylor rolled in and rolled all over Texas Tech in Lubbock. Bears QB Sawyer Robertson diced the Red Raiders defense up, tossing a career-high five touchdowns and no picks. On the other side, Texas Tech turned the ball over twice and, despite dominating in time of possession, the offense didn't have enough in the tank to keep up with the scoring clip Baylor was able to work at. It was an ugly loss but was also only the second of the season TTU who is 5-2.

Washington: No Game

The Huskies did not play in Week 8. They take on Indiana this weekend.

San Jose State: Win vs. Wyoming 24-14

SJSU picked up its fifth win on the year and third in Mountain West play with a ten-point victory at home over Wyoming. Instead of it being the usual suspect in Nick Nash going off for the Spartans offense, it was instead Justin Lockheart who hauled in four passes for 129 yards. Nash did have the team's only receiving touchdown and Walker Eget completed 20 passes for 318 yards. The San Jose State defense picked off three passes and kept the Cowboys to just 56 yards on the ground. They also stopped Wyoming's offense on third down 13 times.

Boise State: No Game

Boise State took the week off. The Broncos will see UNLV on the road this Saturday.

Fresno State: Win at Nevada 24-21

The Bulldogs got back in the win column on Friday night with a hard-fought win over Nevada on the road. Running back Elijah Gilliam ran for two touchdowns and linebacker Malachi Langley went off for 13 tackles and two sacks. On a night where the offense wasn't particularly lighting it up, the Fresno State defense locked it down, keeping the Wolfpack off the scoreboard for the entire second half and barely letting them out of their own side of the field in that final 30 minutes. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 in Mountain West play and 3-4 overall.

Hawaii: Loss at Washington State 42-10

Washington State made light work of visiting Hawaii on Saturday. The Rainbow Warriors defense surrendered nearly 450 yards of offense and could not slow down WSU's electric passing attack as John Mateer threw three touchdowns. Hawaii signal caller Jayden Schager was held to under 200 passing yards for the first time this fall and he was responsible for two of the team's three turnovers. The Rainbow Warriors are now 2-5 with those two victories coming against a pair of FCS schools in Delaware State and Northern Iowa.

San Diego State: No Game

The Cougars next opponent, San Diego State, had a bye.

Utah State: Loss vs. New Mexico 50-45

In spite of holding a 45-36 lead with less than eight minutes to play and a 360-yard passing performance from Spencer Petras, Utah State ended up losing to New Mexico at home on Saturday evening. There was plenty of positives as Jalen Royals caught 11 passes for 188 yards and a score and the defense picked off UNM quarterback Devon Dampier three times. When it mattered most, though, the Aggies couldn't hold on and allowed the Lobos to score 21 points in the final 15 minutes. It was not only USU's sixth loss of the season but it was also their sixth straight.

New Mexico: Win at Utah State 50-45

It took a furious fourth quarter rally but New Mexico got by Utah State in a high-scoring affair. Devon Dampier threw for 272 yards and ran for another 105 while accounting for four touchdowns. Junior Receiver Luke Wysong exploded for ten catches and 156 yards and running back Eli Sanders found the end zone twice. The defense certainly had its issues, allowing over 500 yards of offense to the Aggies but also did take the ball away twice and helped pave way for the rally. The Lobos, after losing their first four games, have now spun off three consecutive wins and are 2-1 in league play.

Oregon State: Loss vs. UNLV 33-25

The UNLV victory train rolled on last weekend and its most recent victim was Oregon State. The Beavers held their own for a good while against the Rebels but a late touchdown pass from Hajj-Malik Williams to Ricky White III put the game away. OSU quarterback Gevani McCoy ran for two touchdowns but has now gone without a passing score in four of his last five games. The Oregon State defense let UNLV convert 50% (8-of-16) of its third down tries as well as its lone fourth down attempt. The loss drops the Beavers to 4-3 on the year.

Wyoming: Loss at San Jose State 24-14

Wyoming's 2024 struggles continue as they lose their sixth game of the fall, this one to San Jose State. Both Evan Svoboda and Kaden Anderson got reps under center and together they combined for three interceptions. Sam Scott led a stagnant rushing attack with just 35 yards and as a team the Cowboys fumbled the ball four times. Wyoming never had a lead in the game and they still only have one victory this year.

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