It had been more than 13 months since Washington State found a way to win on the road -- a string of six straight defeats away from Pullman -- but that changed Saturday night.
Leaning more on its defense in this one, Washington State pulled ahead in the fourth quarter on a 60-yard Ethan O'Connor interception return for touchdown and held on from there to close out a gritty 25-17 win at Fresno State.
The Cougars improved to 5-1 with the win.
āI thought our defense responded every time they had an opportunity to come back onto the field,ā coach Jake Dickert said. āThatās team football sometimes.ā
The Cougars needed it as the offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm after a strong start.
Washington State jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter as quarterback John Mateer capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and Kris Hutson later added a 2-yard touchdown run to finish off another 75-yard scoring drive.
But the Cougars' offense wouldn't find the end zone again, adding only a pair of Dean Janikowski field goals and O'Connor's go-ahead pick-6 with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter.
On Washington State's next two drives after the two early touchdowns, quarterback John Mateer fumbled inside Fresno State territory and then threw an interception in the red zone.
Dickert said Mateer will continue to learn and get better from his early mistakes and with opposing defenses starting to scheme for Mateerās running ability. The QB finished 17-of-35 passing for 172 yards, the one interception and the rushing touchdown.
āHeās got to be a little more decisive. ā¦ I thought there were a couple throw-away opportunities instead of taking a sack. You canāt make all the plays,ā Dickert said.
Mateer talked about the offensive struggles he had against a very physical defense in Fresno State (3-3), but ultimately he was happy with the final result.
āIt wasnāt our most productive day, and Iāll take that on me, but we won the game so thatās all that matters,ā Mateer said.
The Cougars finally put an end to their losing streak on the road, which continued from last season and start 5-1 for the first time since 2018 when they went on to finish 10-2 in the regular season.
Scoring summary
First quarter
9:13, WSU ā John Mateer 1-yard run (pass failed), WSU 6-0
4:29, FSU ā Josiah Freeman 34-yard pass from Mikey Keene (Dylan Lynch PAT), FSU 7-6
0:34, WSU ā Kris Hutson 2-yard run (Dean Janikowski PAT), WSU 13-7
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
7:34, FSU ā Elijah Gilliam 5-yard run (Dylan Lynch PAT) FSU 14-13
2:02, WSU ā Dean Janikowski 34-yard field goal, WSU 16-14
Fourth quarter
10:13, FSU ā Dylan Lynch 27-yard field goal, FSU 17-16
6:52, WSU ā Ethan OāConnor 60-yard interception return (run failed), WSU 22-17
1:46, WSU ā Dean Janikowski 23-yard field goal, WSU 25-17
Washington State offensive player of the game
None.
The Cougars offense, as a whole, struggled to stay consistent throughout the game after the two successful drives in the first quarter.
āWe got to get more on rhythm on offense. ā¦ Thatās passing rhythm, thatās running rhythm, itās using John appropriately,ā Dickert said.
In its previous game against Boise State, WSU scored in the endzone in the first and fourth quarters only, while being completely shut down offensively for the second and third quarters of the game.
This time, the Cougars scored two first quarter touchdowns and then didnāt find the end zone until the pick-6 in the fourth quarter, totaling six points in the second and third quarters now in back-to-back games.
Washington State defensive player of the game
Redshirt freshman DB Ethan O'Connor
Really, the entire defense for the Cougars stepped up bit, with OāConnor and redshirt senior DB Tyson Durant both coming up with interceptions.
The pass rush for the Cougars, which has been a major emphasis for Dickert and his defense all week, finally got home to the quarterback, picking up a couple key sacks after only having 5 sacks through the first five games.
Washington State play of the game
This is an easy call. OāConnorās interception proved to be the difference-maker, as he read quarterback Mikey Keeneās eyes the entire way on the throw and jumped the route, going the other way for 6 points to put Washington State up, 22-17.
Getting over the after-bye slump?
The Cougars started last season 4-0, similar to this season, but after an early bye last year that turned to 4-6 in a blink of an eye, with Dickert having a career 1-7 record in the month of October at WSU.
Even though it was ugly, the Cougars still found a way to get a physical, tough road win against a good opponent in Fresno State, which rarely loses at home.
āWe did enough to win a football game,ā Dickert said.
What's next?
WSU returns home next week and will face Hawaii in the homecoming game on the Palouse.
Last time the Cougars played at home in Pullman was back in Week 2, when they beat Texas Tech by three scores back in early September.
WSU also looks to officially clinch bowl eligibility next week with a sixth win.
Stats
Passing
John Mateer ā 17 of 35 completed passes, 172 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
John Mateer ā 18 carries for 46 yards, 1 TD
Wayshawn Parker ā 12 carries for 63 yards
Djouvensky Schlenbaker ā 1 carry for 3 yards
Leo Pulalasi ā 1 carry for -2 yards
Kris Hutson ā 1 carry for 2 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Williams - 1 carry for 11 yards
Receiving
Kris Hutson ā 6 receptions for 45 yards
Kyle Williams ā 3 receptions for 34 yards
Josh Meredith ā 3 receptions for 25 yards
Tony Freeman ā 1 reception for 32 yards
Trey Leckner ā 1 reception for 16 yards
Carlos Hernandez ā 1 reception for 9 yards
Wayshawn Parker ā 1 reception for -2 yards
Leo Pulalasi ā 1 reception for 13 yards
Defense
Ethan OāConnor ā 2 solo tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD
Tyson Durant ā 5 solo tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass deflection
Keith Brown ā 3 tackles (2 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack
Khalil Laufau ā 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack
Taariq āBuddahā Al-Uqdah ā 7 tackles (6 solo)
Kyle Thornton ā 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 tackle for loss
Kapena Gushiken ā 4 tackles (3 solo), 0.5 tackles for loss
- OLB
- WR
- CB
- S
- ATH
- CB
- S
- DUAL
- DT
- WDE