Wazzu quarterback Anthony Gordon threw for 520 yards on 44 of 60 passing with 5 touchdowns which propelled the Cougs over the reeling Cardinal, 49-22. Max Borghi added 111 yards on the ground and a touchdown to give the Cougs a much needed victory going into the final two weeks of the season.
WSU came into Saturday’s matchup with the Stanford Cardinal
having the same goal in mind. Both teams
were looking to get back to .500 and get one game away from being bowl eligible
in a disappointment of a year for both teams.
Both teams coming off tough losses a week ago and looking to right the
ship.
The Cougs got started early as Gordon found Easop Winston on their first possession from 29 yards out to put the Cougs up 6-0 after Blake Mazza’s extra point attempt was blocked. On their second possession, Gordon connected with Tay Martin for his fourth touchdown of the season which is great because Martin is an extreme talent and spark plug to the offense when he is involved. That put the Cougs up two scores, and the bugs from last week’s game seemed to have been forgotten. Gordon added another touchdown pass to his stats, again to Easop Winston from 15 yards out to put the Cougs up 19-0.
Stanford had a run of their own to end the half. Davis Mills, who had a day, throwing for 504 yards on 33 of 50 passing, connected with Semi Fehoko on a 28-yard touchdown pass. The next possession, after a Gordon interception in the end zone, Mills found Michael Wilson from 28-yards out to pull the Cardinal within five. The Cougs added a Blake Mazza field goal before the half to give the Cougs a 22-14 lead going into the locker room.
Stanford continued where they left off in the first half, as Fehoko found the end zone again with the help of his quarterback finding him for the 10-yard touchdown and the Cardinals were within 3 late in the 3rd. Fortunately for the Cougs, Gordon was in his groove as he found Brandon Arcanado for the 5 yard touchdown to give the Cougars some breathing room. That was followed up by a 2-yard touchdown reception by Max Borghi to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
The Cougs earned a much needed victory and continue to improve both defensively and offensively as the weeks go by. “They played more motivated, and we gave reps to more guys who were more motivated to play,” Mike Leach said. “We’re good in the red zone, just got to get it in.” Oregon State visits Pullman on Saturday which hasn’t been pleasant for the last two visits of the Beavers. Cougs could become bowl eligible for the fifth straight year which is a current streak that they haven’t seen in their history. Coug fans are looking at the Apple Cup in two weeks at Husky Stadium to turn the feeling around of this Season. Cougs haven’t beaten the Huskies since 2012, and they have a great chance of doing it this season.
