Recap and highlights: Washington State starts hot with 70-30 rout of Portland State in opener
PULLMAN – Washington State took the field for the first time with John Mateer as its starting quarterback Saturday afternoon.
Three plays later the Cougars were trotting off the field. That didn’t sit right with the redshirt sophomore QB.
Mateer led scoring drives on WSU’s next eight possessions, eventually being pulled early in the third quarter of a 70-30 blowout win over Portland State at Gesa Field.
Mateer’s final line: 11 completions on 17 attempts, 352 yards and five touchdowns. He added two carries for 55 yards and a touchdown.
How’s that for a debut?
The Cougars, after going down 7-0, were seemingly unstoppable on offense.
Mateer completed touchdowns of 59, 58, 52, 39 and 30 yards. WSU also scored long plays on the ground, with Mateer’s 40-yard touchdown and true freshman Wayshawn Parkers’ 54-yard run.
Mateer’s effectiveness largely came down to his receivers.
Kris Hutson got WSU on the board with a diving catch in the endzone. He finished with four receptions for 101 yards, only behind Kyle Williams’ four catches for 141 yards and two TDs.
Tre Shackelford had two grabs for 52 yards and Parker had a 52-yard touchdown reception, adding to his stellar debut.
With the win, the Cougs likely dealt with their easiest test. Next week should prove more difficult when they host Texas Tech.
Pac-12 Network / Youtube
First quarter
15:00 – WSU 0, PSU 0: Vikings win the toss and defer to the second half. Cougars get a 29-yard return from Smithson and start the season on the their own 31.
14:01 – WSU 0, PSU 0: Quick 3-and-out for the Cougs. Schlenbaker loses three on a handoff, followed by back-to-back incompletions from Mateer. Janikowski, the place kicker serving as punter today, kicks it out of bounds at the PSU 35.
12:17 – PSU 7, WSU 0: Touchdown Vikings on a 5-yard QB keeper from Chachere. Thompson set up the score with a 53-yard run up the middle on third-and-3. PSU goes 65 yards in five plays, 1:44.
10:06 – WSU 7, PSU 7: Cougars answer right back, Hutson hauls in a diving grab for a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mateer. Cougs QB kept the drive alive early with a 15-yard scramble on third-and-long.
Mateer opens 2 of 7 for 46 yards. Pulalasi checked in at running back with a couple of nice runs, he has two carries for 14 yards.
7:53 – WSU 7, PSU 7: Cougars get a quick stop after a miscommunication on a third down option attempt. WSU starts at its 25.
4:49 – WSU 14, PSU 7: Cougars receivers make another impact play. Shackelford catches a quick strike over the middle and bounces off a tackle for a 39-yard touchdown.
WSU gets its run game going on that drive. Parker started with a 20-yard carry on a draw and Shlenbaker converted a fourth down attempt with a run up the middle. WSU has 90 yards passing on four completions and eight carries for 57 yards.
3:11 – WSU 14, PSU 7: Second straight 3-and-out for the Vikings after the opening touchdown drive. Cougars take back over at their 42.
3:07 – WSU 22, PSU 7: Mateer lets it fly on the first play of the drive and hits Williams in stride down the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown. Cougars receivers a big mismatch against the PSU secondary.
Riviere runs in the 2-pt conversion.
Make that three touchdowns for first-year starting QB John Mateer in the first quarter, coming on five completions. All Cougs after the early 3-and-out.
0:00 – WSU 22, PSU 7: Vikings drive stalls and they will attempt a field goal from the WSU 26 when play resumes.
Cougars defensive touchdown was overturned after Vikings QB Chachere threw incomplete while taking a hit. The play was originally ruled a sack and 70-yard return by Gushiken.
Second quarter
14:55 – WSU 22, PSU 10: Uribe converts a 43-yard field goal.
13:39 – WSU 29, PSU 10: Big-play Cougars offense comes up again. True freshman Parker breaks off a 54-yard run up the middle to extend the lead.
Mateer hit Freeman for a 19-yard completion on third down the play before. WSU averaging 12.7 yards a play, up to 280 yards in the game.
10:28 – WSU 36, PSU 10: The rout is on. Mateer hits Parker over the middle for a 52-yard touchdown, the second of the game for the freshman running back. He jogs in for the score.
Mateer is 8 of 14 for 227 yards and four touchdowns. Cougs have scored a touchdown of at least 30 yards on their last five possessions.
2:36 – WSU 42, PSU 10: Add a 100-yard interception return to the highlight reel.
Chachere throws it right to WSU’s Hall on fourth-and-goal and Hall runs untouched down the sideline for what goes down as the longest pick-six in WSU history. Mateer’s 2-pt throw is incomplete.
PSU’s 14-play, 71-yard drive ends up in points for the Cougars.
1:30 – WSU 49, PSU 10: Add a 40-yard rushing touchdown to Mateer’s impressive first half.
Mateer takes a QB draw up the middle and skips past the safety for a touchdown, his fifth of the day. Mateer up to 289 total yards.
0:08 – WSU 49, PSU 17: Vikings get back on the board right before halftime, as Chachere hits Alvarez over the middle for an 11-yard score. PSU goes 75 yards in eight plays.
Halftime
Washington State stalled on its opening drive. After that, it couldn’t be stopped.
WSU leads Portland State 49-17 at halftime, scoring touchdowns on plays of at least 30 yards its last six possessions.
Quarterback John Mateer has completed 9 of 15 attempts for 234 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Kris Hutson for 30 yards, Kyle Williams for 58, Tre Shackelford for 39 and Wayshawn Parker for 52.
Mateer added a 40-yard rushing touchdown. True freshman Parker scored his first career touchdown on a 52-yard run.
Third quarter
12:45 – WSU 49, PSU 17: Cougars get the stop and take over on their 30.
12:17 – WSU 56, PSU 17: Another quick score for WSU. Schlenbaker runs in an 11-yard touchdown, after Hutson ran a push pass around the outside for 59 yards. Starters still in for the Cougs, we’ll see how long that lasts.
9:47 – WSU 63, PSU 17: Williams catches a slant and runs right through the Vikings defense for a 59-yard touchdown.
Mateer is 11 of 17 for 352 yards and five touchdowns. Williams has four receptions for 141 yards and two TDs.
7:35 – WSU 63, PSU 23: Chachere comes back into the game and completes a 40-yard touchdown to Denham.
0:00 – WSU 63, PSU 23: Parker’s 37-yard touchdown run is negated due to a holding penalty. Could have been a third TD in his debut. Eckhaus is in the game for WSU, expect plenty of backups in the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
13:32 – WSU 70, PSU 23: Eckhaus throws short to Leckner, who the Vikings defense doesn’t seemed interested in tackling, so he cruises in for a 33-yard touchdown.
4:35 – WSU 70, PSU 30: Chachere rushes for a 4-yard touchdown after a 14-play, 75-yard drive that (mercifully) took nearly 9 minutes off the clock.
2:00 – WSU 70, PSU 30: Cougars forced to punt, but this game is over. We’ll be back at the final horn with a recap.
Pregame
Washington State is ready to step into the unknown.
The Cougars will kick off a new era in Pullman at noon on Saturday at Gesa Field. Third-year coach Jake Dickert and first-year quarterback John Mateer will hope for a strong start against Portland State of the Big Sky.
Washington State is a 31½-point favorite according to vegasinsider.com. The game will air on KSKN, or the CW out of the area.
Series history
Washington State has a 3-1 record against Portland State since 2008, winning the last meeting 44-24 on Sept. 11, 2021, where the Cougars bounced back from a disappointing season-opening loss to Utah State.
PSU beat the Cougs in the 2015 season-opener 24-17, the first of two successive seasons WSU lost to a Big Sky team to under Mike Leach. EWU beat WSU the next year 45-42.
The Cougs, however, have started strong under Jake Dickert. WSU has won its first three games in consecutive seasons.
Game preview
More on the Cougs