With backs against wall, WSU defense can’t take advantage of opportunities in blowout loss to North Texas

DENTON, Texas – Tucker Large leapt to his feet and flexed. He had just made an incredible open-field tackle, leveling a North Texas ballcarrier not long after he crossed the line of scrimmage, forcing the Mean Green to punt and giving his Washington State team a chance to turn things around.

The Cougars were down two scores in the first quarter, so as their offense floundered, they needed any spark they could light. It looked to be coming from Large, perhaps the team’s best safety, who makes those kinds of takedowns look routine.

Instead, in WSU’s 59-10 loss to North Texas here on Saturday, it was not a harbinger of promising developments for the Cougs. In their most lopsided loss by point differential since 2008, the program’s most points allowed since 2019, it was an anomaly.

Some of that fell at the feet of WSU’s offense, which lost five turnovers that North Texas turned into 28 points. But the rest attributed to the Cougars’ defense, which had trouble containing the Mean Green’s electric offense, to the tune of a 42-3 halftime deficit. That set the stage for the rest of this blowout, in which UNT QB Drew Mestemaker completed 24 of 29 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns.

WSU’s defense did not have it easy. Because of the Cougars’ offense turnovers, including three interceptions from quarterback Jaxon Potter and fumbles from two of his teammates, they took the field in tough spots. In the first half, North Texas started five drives inside the Washington State 30-yard line.

Still, the visitors did little to keep their team in the game. On two occasions, the Mean Green followed turnovers with touchdowns on the very next play. For one touchdown drive, they needed two plays. For another, they only needed three. WSU’s defense, staunch for two full games entering Saturday, looked porous.

“Not the best. It was sloppy,” said WSU coach Jimmy Rogers, whose team also got veteran safety Cale Reeder back from injury for this game. “We also didn’t put them in the best situation – at the 18, one 12. Then they flip the field again on us. I don’t even know where the punt landed, but it wasn’t where it was supposed to be obviously with the bad snap. Rough situations back-to-back-to-back. It’s hard to play defense when your back’s against the wall consistently, and that’s where we started drives.”

All told, it was an uncharacteristically slow showing from WSU’s defense, which limited Idaho to 10 points two weeks ago and San Diego State to 13 last week. If there was one side of the ball the Cougs could count on, it appeared to be their defense, which had illustrated a keen ability to swarm to the ball and a penchant for forcing timely turnovers.

In Texas, it was one thing for the Cougs to fail to generate any turnovers. It was another for them to allow the Mean Green to convert in key situations. Perhaps the costliest came in the first frame, after linebacker Caleb Francl surged unblocked through the line of scrimmage and hammered Mestemaker for a sack, a violent hit that seemed to inject life into WSU’s defenders. In a still-scoreless affair, it represented a chance for the Cougs to get off the field and give their offense a chance to take the lead.

Instead, Mestemaker found an open receiver in Landon Sides, who waltzed 18 yards for a first down, all the way to the WSU 7. One play later, UNT running back Makenzie McGill strode nearly untouched into the end zone, kicking off what turned into an avalanche of North Texas scoring.

“We could have responded,” Rogers said. “We didn’t.”

The Cougars were playing without starting middle linebacker Anthony Palano, who did not make the trip to Denton as he recovers from an injury he suffered in last week’s game, Rogers said. The team is “hoping to get him back,” Rogers added. “I don’t know if that will be the case for him.”

In his place, the Cougars rolled with second-year walk-on Jack Ellison, who looked sharp in 26 snaps last week. He wasn’t the same on Saturday. The problem for WSU: Neither were many of his teammates.