Oregon State at Tulsa
The Beavers output through three quarters of this game consisted of seven punts—four of those on three-and-outs—and two turnovers on downs. In the mean time the Golden Hurricanes scored fourteen in the first quarter, three in the second, and seven in the third to be up 24-0 going into the final period. Tulsa led off the 4th Qtr with a 6 play 80 yard drive that ended up in the end zone on a 31 yard TD run by Junior RB Ajay Allen to take a 31-0 lead. Oregon State would score on back-to-back TD’s to make it a 31-14 game but it was far too little and way too late with less than two minutes left to play which the Golden Hurricanes would run out on their six play game ending possession.
For Tulsa, Freshman QB Baylor Hayes was 12-of-19 for 163 yards, 1 TD to Junior TE Brody Foley, and no interceptions. On the ground, Senior RB Dominic Richardson did the heavy lifting rushing 27 times for 166 yards and a TD with Junior RB Ajay Allen kicking in another 68 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Collectively Tulsa rushed 49 times for 283 yards and three TD’s with their TE Foley picking up that third one.
Interim Head Coach Robb Akey had three QB’s under center for Oregon State in this one starting with Sophomore Gabarri Johnson, then Junior Maalik Murphy, and finally Freshman Tristan Ti’a. The first two combined for 100 yards with a 44% completion percentage without finding the end zone or throwing a pick. The freshman Ti’a connected on 72% of his throws for 141 yards, 2 TD’s—one to Senior WR Trent Walker and one to Sophomore David Wells Jr—and no interceptions. Walker and Wells also picked up 178 of the team’s 241 yards on just 12 receptions. On the ground Senior RB Anthony Hankerson did most of the work rushing 19 times for well over half of the team’s 69 yard total. Oregon State heads out to the Palouse for their second meeting with Washington State and with a record of 2-9 going in their last football game of the year.
Louisiana Tech at Washington State
Washington State took an early 7-0 lead in this one at the end of their first possession on a 23 yard TD pass from Senior QB Zevi Eckhaus to Senior WR Joshua Meredith and never let go. They shut Louisiana Tech out in the first quarter and held them to a field goal in the second while scoring another TD of their own on a 7 yard TD run from Eckhaus to make it 14-3 at the half. Neither team scored in the third and the Bulldogs were held at bay again in the fourth by the Cougars who put up fourteen more points on back-to-back TD’s in the final period to give them an easy 28-3 win at home and now sit just one win away from becoming bowl eligible.
For Washington State, Senior QB Zevi Eckhaus was 17-of-25 for 146 yards and the 1 TD to Meredith with no interceptions while also rushing 11 times for 56 yards and two of the team’s three TD’s on the ground. With 76 yards on 16 carries and the other TD, Sophomore RB Kirby Vorhees, Eckhaus, and Sophomore Leo Pulalasi combined for 152 of the team’s 157 rushing yards. For Louisiana Tech, Sophomore QB Evan Bullock and Junior QB Trey Kukuk were a combined 9-of-18 for 60 yards and 1 interception. The two QB’s also led their ground game with a combined 78 of the team’s 107 yard total on 14 carries. The Cougar defense recorded three sacks, four tackles for loss, and three pass disruptions. They led in first downs, 19-11; total yards of offense, 303-167; they were twice as effective on third down and a perfect two-for-two on 4th down attempts and had possession of the ball 10 more minutes with no turnovers. Washington State hits the road this week to take on No. 24 James Madison.