PULLMAN — Missing its star quarterback and its leading rusher, Utah’s offense lacked its usual sizzle. But the Utes were still good enough to outpace Washington State and its slumping attack.
No. 14 Utah built a 14-point lead in the third quarter and WSU couldn’t catch up in a 21-17 loss at Martin Stadium in front of a sparsely populated Thursday-night crowd.
It was another disappointing effort from a Cougar offense that has struggled mightily during the team’s three-game losing streak.
“Offensively, we’re just not doing anything well to lean our hat on right now,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “Not being able to run the ball … not being able to take it down the field.
“We need to look in the mirror and figure out what we can do well. Right now, it’s inefficient play and not being able to move the chains, and get before a really good team.”
All-Pac-12 Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was a surprise scratch, missing the game because of an undisclosed injury. Sophomore walk-on Bryson Barnes played a safe game in relief. Utah, which was also without starting running back Tavion Thomas, took a by-committee approach on the ground and fed carries to several power-running tailbacks, totaling 169 yards and two touchdowns on 42 attempts.
WSU quarterback Cameron Ward was efficient, completing 27 of 31 passes. But most of those throws were short and ineffective and he totaled 222 passing yards. The Cougar ground game offered little help, adding 42 yards on 19 rushes.
“We haven’t been able to get over the hump,” Dickert said.
The Utes (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) converted a third-and-16 passing play in Cougar territory in the third quarter to set up a 5-yard touchdown catch from standout tight end Dalton Kincaid, making the score 21-7.
At that point, it appeared as if WSU (4-4, 1-4) was buried.
But the Cougar offense answered with one of their rare signs of life when reserve receiver Tsion Nunnally laid out for a 39-yard reception. Ward darted in for a 7-yard TD run moments later. Midway through the final period, WSU turned a takeaway into a field goal and trailed by just four points with five minutes to play.
WSU’s offense never got another chance. Utah moved slowly and methodically downfield, draining four minutes off the clock. The Utes faced a fourth-and-7 inside the Cougars’ 30-yard line. WSU committed a game-clinching defensive hold on the play.
The Utes captured the momentum heading into halftime after capitalizing on a WSU special-teams miscue and a red-zone targeting penalty called on the Cougs.
WSU’s defense forced a three-and-out and a Utah punt with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter. But a mental mistake by the WSU return team proved costly.
As Cougar return man Robert Ferrel waited for the punt to arrive, teammate Cam Lampkin — playing a protection role — traveled off course and collided with Ferrel, knocking him out of position. The ball bounced off the turf and made contact with Ferrel’s leg. The Utes were there to jump on the loose ball at the WSU 25-yard line.
Utah advanced to the Cougs’ 3-yard line before WSU edge rusher Brennan Jackson made a hard hit in the backfield on a third-and-1 rushing play. The Utes sent out their field-goal unit, but the referees stopped the game to review Jackson’s tackle for targeting. Officials determined that Jackson had lowered his head and collided with the helmet of Utes running back Ja’Quinden Jackson.
Brennan Jackson, one of WSU’s best defensive players, was sent to the locker room early and Utah was given a fresh set of downs on the goal line. The Utes punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 20 seconds on the clock and took confidence into the locker room, along with their first lead of the game, 14-7.
Neither team could capture momentum during a first quarter featuring plenty of stops at the line of scrimmage. The Cougs’ offense, sparked by an efficient start from Ward — who completed his first 12 passes — got rolling early in the second period.
Ward opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown strike to De’Zhaun Stribling early in the second quarter. Stribling motioned across the field to his right and cut upfield on the snap, running into open space and hauling in a precisely placed lob pass from Ward.
Utah’s offense found life on its fourth series of the game. Money Parks came down with a 31-yard catch on a third-and-4 near midfield to kick-start a scoring drive that ended with a 6-yard TD run from Ja’Quinden Jackson.
The Cougars responded with a promising drive, moving the ball to the Utes’ 33-yard line before pressure from Utah’s defensive front killed the series. WSU elected to go for it on fourth-and-11 from inside the Utah 35, but Ward was sacked and fumbled the ball into the hands of Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss, a graduate of nearby Moscow High.
Four plays later, the Utes used a WSU special-teams gaffe to build momentum.
WSU helmets feature ‘Wazzu’ nickname for first time
Washington State’s football team is embracing a moniker that has long been used by fans as an unofficial school nickname.
The Cougs on Thursday debuted new helmet decals, featuring “Wazzu” in script lettering on the sides of the crimson lids. It’s believed to be the first time in program history that WSU’s uniforms will incorporate the term “Wazzu.”
Throughout the week, WSU’s media department had been teasing some sort of surprise regarding the Cougs’ uniforms for their Pac-12 matchup against Utah. On Thursday morning, WSU revealed its new-look helmets via social media. The reception from fans was overwhelmingly positive, though some traditionalists weren’t impressed.
WSU’s helmets are usually decorated with the growling Cougar logo, which is widely recognized as one of the most creative designs in college football. The team used a “Cougars” script logo on gray and crimson helmets in decades past.
Former school president V. Lane Rawlins called for WSU to ditch the “Wazzu” nickname in 2002 “on the grounds it is vaguely derogatory and plays to the perception that WSU is a place where booze trumps books,” according to an Associated Press article. But the Cougar faithful had already latched on to the moniker, which they have used for over half a century as a term of endearment.
Now, “Wazzu” is more of an official nickname than an informal one. First-year Cougs coach Jake Dickert leaned into it this offseason, coining a catchall tagline for his rebuilt program: “New Wazzu.” The Cougs’ coaching staff broke out gray hoodies with the “Wazzu” logo across the chest.
The Utes’ helmets honored fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, featuring hand-painted portraits of the players. Jordan, a star running back, died in December 2020 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that was ruled accidental. Lowe was killed on Sept. 26, 2021, in a shooting in Salt Lake City just hours after the Utes defeated Washington State.