For the first time since 2018, the Washington State Cougars have won a bowl game. Led by a dominant performance from their defense, the Cougars were able to almost completely shut down the Utah State Aggie offense to seal a 34-21 victory in the 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Despite the unexpected chaos this month […]
For the first time since 2018, the Washington State Cougars have won a bowl game. Led by a dominant performance from their defense, the Cougars were able to almost completely shut down the Utah State Aggie offense to seal a 34-21 victory in the 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Despite the unexpected chaos this month has brought to WSU (7-6) football over the last few weeks, interim coach Jesse Bobbit—who is also leaving for Iowa State—was able to put it all to the side and get his team prepared to earn the program’s first bowl game in seven years. And get one of college football’s best traditions, the fry bath.
But not only did WSU win this one, they did it convincingly against a future conference opponent. USU’s (6-7) typically high-scoring offense had a hard time moving the ball against the Cougar defense, getting just 49 total yards in the first half and failing to score off of two WSU turnovers. Though USU was able to get things going in the second half, scoring 21 points and gaining 205 yards, it was WSU’s offense that finally broke through to make the Aggies’ second-half effort obsolete.
The Cougar offense had by far their best performance of the season, going for season highs in total yards (628), passing yards (334), rushing yards (255), and first downs (31). The only thing that stopped the suddenly well-oiled machine of an offense for WSU was themselves. Zevi Eckhaus threw three interceptions in his final game as a Coug but offset them with 334 passing yards and three touchdowns. Zevi’s arm alone would have put up the fifth highest total yards of offense WSU had all season. Maxwell Woods led the team in rushing, going over the century mark with 117 yards on just nine carries. His longest carry of the game was a 48-yard run to open the second half.
The Aggies were in real jeopardy of being shut out by the Cougar defense, failing to score in their first 10 drives of the game. They were able to score on all three of their final possessions to make the score closer than it felt. WSU dominated this game.
Right away WSU helped set the tone for the game, forcing a punt on the game’s opening drive and taking their first offensive drive deep into Aggie territory. While they came away empty on a missed 32-yarder from Jack Stevens, the script was already laid out for how this was going to go. The Cougar defense again installed fear into the hearts of the Aggies by sending them 12 yards backwards on their next drive to force another punt. On 3rd and 10, Eckhaus wasn’t fazed by the pressure put on by the Aggie defense, standing in and lofting a perfect ball to a streaking Mackenzie Alleyne for a 41-yard touchdown to put WSU ahead early.
The Aggies picked up their first first down of the game on the opening play of their next drive but only mustered one more yard over their next three plays, resulting in a third straight punt to open the game. A great punt pinned WSU back at their own three-yard line. On 3rd and 8, Eckhaus tried to loft a pass between a herd of Aggie defenders, but his pass was batted up into the air and intercepted by Ike Larsen, who ran it back to the WSU 13. Despite the tremendous starting field position for an Aggie offense in desperate need of a step in the right direction, they didn’t even take one step forward, failing to get a single yard and settling for a 31-yard field goal. Tanner Rinker’s kick was nowhere close, sailing way to the left, keeping the score at 7-0. WSU, in the spirit of the holidays, gifted the Aggies another shot at it as Eckhaus threw another interception on third down. The Aggies picked up their second first down, but in a change of holiday spirit, WSU became the grinch, stealing their own gift right back as Matthew Durrance intercepted the ball in the end zone. A white elephant gift exchange of the football, I guess?
After trading punts, Eckhaus helped march the Cougars down the field with a pair of big passes to Jeremiah Noga for 17 yards and Josh Meredith for 20 yards to set WSU up inside the Aggie 10-yard line. On 2nd and goal from a yard out, a great play action let Hudson Cedarland get wide open in the end zone for an easy touchdown pass from Eckhaus.
The Cougars got one more shot at points in the second half with Eckhaus commanding a solid drive down the field. Facing a 4th and 1 from the USU 10 with 23 seconds remaining, Bobbit decided to get aggressive and go for it rather than settle for the field goal. The Aggie defense stepped up and stuffed an Angel Johnson run up the middle to turn the ball over on downs and keep the game 14-0 at halftime. For Utah State, it was a miracle they only trailed by 14 considering they were outgained the first half by 193 yards. But on the other side, WSU had a two-possession lead despite gifting the Aggies two possessions deep in Cougar territory.
On the first play of the second half, WSU immediately set the tone with a long 48-yard run by Maxwell Woods. Johnson picked up the torch two plays later with a long run of his own, scampering for 24 yards to the USU 10-yard line. The Cougars wouldn’t be able to punch in their third touchdown of the game, settling for a 23-yard field goal from Stevens to go up 17-0. Utah State’s offense continued to flail against WSU’s tough defense, opening the second half with their sixth punt of the game.
A targeting call against Utah State on WSU’s second play of the drive helped the Cougar offense set up another opportunity for points inside the red zone. Yet again, the Aggie defense did enough to get off the field and hold WSU to another short field goal from Stevens.
WSU’s next drive started out promising, getting the ball to near midfield, but regressed to disaster as Eckhaus floated his third interception of the game. Finally, on their third takeaway, the Aggies turned a WSU turnover into points. USU’s longest play of the day, a 43-yard pass from Bryson Barnes to Brady Boyd set up the Aggies inside the red zone again. On 4th and 5 from the WSU 12, the Aggies went for it and got a defensive pass interference call on Durrance to keep the drive alive. Barnes took a QB keeper in on the next play to finally get the Aggies on the scoreboard.
With the Aggies now within striking distance, the Cougars immediately answered to keep the Aggies three scores out of it. From the 39-yard line, Eckhaus stepped up and delivered a perfect pass to Landon Wright, who was a step ahead of the defender for a 39-yard touchdown.
The Aggies again put together a solid drive, chipping away with passes of 17 and 18 yards to Miles Davis and Boyd to get into WSU territory. On 2nd and 11 from the WSU 23, Damarius Russell intercepted a pass that likely would have iced the game away, but it was called back on a pair of flags, both against WSU. One for holding on Jack Ellison and another for a personal foul on Jamarey Smith. The latter was accepted, and the Aggies paid it off with a 21-yard touchdown to Boyd, bringing the game back within two scores.
Yet again, WSU’s offense was able to answer the call to prevent the Aggies from getting any opportunity to get within a possession. Halfway through the next drive, Julian Dugger subbed in at quarterback, and on his fourth snap, kept the ball on a read option and sprinted right past the Aggie defense for a 34-yard touchdown run to seal the starchy glory of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl for WSU. The Aggies put together one last drive on the next possession to make it a 34-21 game, but WSU recovered the ensuing onside kick with 1:46 left to prevent any bowl game miracles from taking place.
Bowl games were always meant to be a celebration of a long season. One last hurrah to send seniors out in glory and give fans an opportunity to travel somewhere unique to watch their team compete for a trophy. For WSU, bowl games have never been this frequent. For a decade, WSU didn’t even make a bowl game. Now, for a decade, they’ve made a bowl game in all but one full season. Bowl games should never be taken for granted, and winning one, no matter how silly the concept of celebration for winning, should be celebrated. It’s been a long time since WSU was able to go into a bowl game with a mostly complete roster and a team that’s excited to be there. In 2021, they had a makeshift offensive line, and their quarterback seemingly quit at halftime. In 2022, a good chunk of their key players hit the portal and opted out of the game. In 2024, their coach had just left them weeks before, and with his exit, players hit the portal in droves. This year, thanks in part to some rule changes around the timing of the transfer portal, they had nearly all of their starters playing. Even some who had already declared they’d be entering the portal stuck around to play with their brothers one last time.
What Washington State accomplished this season was nothing to scoff at. Having to completely rebuild a roster that retained only a handful of players and face one of the toughest schedules in the country. It would have been completely understandable if WSU failed to reach bowl eligibility this season. Instead, they scraped together six wins and competed their ass off against some of the nation’s best teams. Two of those teams played in the College Football Playoff this weekend. For all of that work and for what this program had to endure yet again, to be paid off in one last victory is a testament to the resiliency of this program.
Bowl games may have lost their shine over the years, but ending the season on a positive is a feeling WSU hasn’t had since Gardner Minshew was leading the team to a win over Brock Purdy’s Iowa State Cyclones. For how the last several offseasons have felt, football results aside, this was a much-needed injection of life into a program so desperate to find stable ground. The Cougars now enter their next era under Kirby Moore on a high note. WSU deserves this celebration. Sure, it may just be hoisting a literal bowl of potatoes and not a super shiny gold national championship trophy, but with all the **** they have had to deal with for seemingly every offseason since the turn of the decade, those potatoes may as well be made of pure gold.
Category: General Sports
