Instant takeaways: Cougars offense plays at its best during second quarter

Washington State built a comfortable lead with a second-quarter onslaught, then its offense went quiet for most of the second half. But the Cougars’ defense kept Toledo at bay and WSU snapped a two-game losing streak, cruising to a 28-7 victory over the Rockets on Saturday at Gesa Field in Pullman. Now back at .500, the Cougs (4-4) have a couple of winnable games ahead of them – they face one-win Oregon State next weekend at Beaverton, Oregon, then host a middling Louisiana Tech team on Nov. 15.

Second quarter was WSU offense at its best

The Cougs seemed out of sorts in the first quarter and after halftime, but they looked unstoppable throughout the game-changing second.

WSU erupted for 21 straight points, scoring on three consecutive drives during the second period. The Cougs didn’t score again until Kirby Vorhees’ touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Turns out, their second-quarter barrage was enough.

Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus was dealing. He went 7 of 11 for 141 yards and two touchdowns during the second period.

WSU’s rushing game was complementary, logging 69 yards in the frame.

There were big plays – Joshua Meredith had two 40-yard catches on perfect deep passes from Eckhaus; freshman wideout Carter Pabst caught his first-career touchdown, a juggling 35-yarder; Eckhaus broke free for an 18-yard run.

In all, it was WSU’s offense functioning as well as possible. It cruised downfield on two 11-play possessions, then Eckhaus led a brilliant eight-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Pabst’s stellar TD grab with less than a minute remaining in the half.

If only WSU could have kept it up. They must learn how to maintain that kind of play – or, at least, some semblance of it in stretches. Turnover issues and protection problems resurfaced during the second half. WSU managed 88 total yards after halftime. That won’t be good enough to win in many cases. But luckily for the Cougs, their defense played well, and it didn’t matter that their offense fell into a funk.

A good sign: WSU’s ground game, which had been a liability early this season, finished with 162 yards for its fourth straight game of more than 100 yards and did it against the No. 6 rushing defense in the nation.

Rocket offense stifled

Toledo (4-4) was held to its lowest scoring output of the year. The Rockets also logged just 61 rushing yards, their second-worst rushing game of the year (they had 59 in a Week 1 loss to Kentucky). Toledo entered the game boasting the No. 28 rushing attack in the country at more than 200 yards per game.

Over the past four weeks, WSU’s defense has been better than good. The Cougs held Colorado State to three points. A top-10 Ole Miss team scored 24. A ranked Virginia squad had 22 – 12 in the fourth quarter as WSU’s offense crumbled.

The Rockets had their chances in the second half as WSU’s offense went stagnant, but the Cougar defense did what it’s been doing a lot lately – stepping up when the opponent reaches WSU territory.

Toledo advanced to the WSU 30 on its first drive of the second half, but Cougs defensive end Jack Janikowski’s sack ended the threat. WSU forced a fourth down on Toledo’s next drive, and a dropped pass bailed the Cougars out. WSU forced a fourth-down incompletion in the red zone on the next Rockets drive. Then, the Cougars came up with their first interception of the year. Linebacker Parker McKenna picked off a tipped pass at the WSU 40, and the Cougs bled clock and scored to put the game away.

At this point, it’s probably fair to say defense is WSU’s identity. If the offense can catch up and maintain its sometimes-great stretches of play, the Cougs have a chance to close this season on a winning spree.

Notable

WSU played without breakout edge rusher Isaac Terrell, starter Raam Stevenson, and defensive tackles Kaden Beatty and Mike Sandjo. But the shorthanded defensive front didn’t look overwhelmed.

WSU totaled three tackles for loss, nine QB hits and held Toledo to 2.5 yards per carry. Janikowski, playing an expanded role, recorded his first-career sack in a big moment.

Pabst, who missed the past two games, played well in his return. He had 49 yards on two catches, including a highlight-reel, touchdown catch. He got some space in between two defenders and juggled the ball, tipping it to himself for a 35-yard TD, the first-career score for the true freshman from Kansas.

WSU played without right tackle Christian Hilborn and his backup, Jaylin Caldwell. The Cougs’ protection felt the absences. The Rockets logged eight QB hits and five TFLs.

Despite that, Eckhaus had some nice moments and hit a career milestone. The fifth-year senior surpassed 10,000 career passing yards during the game. Eckhaus threw for 8,527 yards and 75 touchdowns and earned all kinds of accolades during his three years (2021-23) as the starter at FCS Bryant.

Eckhaus, who began this season as WSU’s backup before earning a promotion for the Apple Cup on Sept. 20, has passed for 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He’ll have to clean up the turnovers, though – he’s thrown six picks in the past five games.