The Surprising Factor Behind WSU’s Struggles Late in Games This Fall Revealed

In Pullman, the atmosphere was anything but forgiving nearly a fortnight ago as Washington State plowed onto the field for the game’s second half against Oregon State. The orange-and-black faithful didn’t hold back their displeasure, unleashing a barrage of boos—a clear message that the visitors’ halftime lead wouldn’t stand. And just like that, the Cougars’ offense seemed to vanish into thin air, sputtering out before they could protect their lead. That 10-7 defeat to the Beavers wasn’t just a tough loss—it was a perplexing blow, especially considering Oregon State’s struggle to find any traction afterward, handing Sam Houston their first victory in a subsequent match. The real kicker? Washington State’s offensive output flatlined in the second half, retreating into silence through the fourth quarter—a trend haunting them all season, leaving them a staggering minus-40 in the final stanza. Injuries, interceptions, and untimely plays have chipped away at their momentum, while looming ahead is a daunting showdown with turnover-hungry Louisiana Tech. As the Cougars grapple with these challenges, the question remains: can they finally shake off their second-half blues and rally when it counts most? LEARN MORE

PULLMAN – Nearly two weeks ago, when Washington State players came marching out of the tunnel for the second half of a loss to Oregon State, the orange-and-black crowd gave the Cougars a steady stream of boos. The guests were up at intermission, and the host’s fans needed to make them feel like that would not last.

It didn’t. WSU surrendered the lead late in the fourth quarter and wound up with a 10-7 loss tothe Beavers, which turned around and handed Sam Houston its first win of the season a week later. It was a confounding setback for the Cougs, whose offense almost entirely disappeared.

More specifically, it vanished in the second half, including in the fourth quarter. WSU went scoreless in the final two quarters. That trend has followed the Cougs around all season. They are a minus-40 in the fourth quarter. Some of that is skewed by WSU’s loss in the Apple Cup – Washington tacked on a couple late touchdowns in what turned into a blowout – but it remains true that the Cougars have not fared well in crunch time.

So what gives?

“We need to come out of half better with a different level of focus,” WSU coach Jimmy Rogers said. “We just gotta be more consistent. That will be our approach, is constantly stressing the importance of the consistency in which we need to continue to operate by – when we have success, there it is. There’s the proof. And we’ve shown that we can compete against anybody.”

For the Cougars, the issue has been a near-constant. They went scoreless in the second half against OSU; Scoreless in the fourth quarter in a loss to Virginia; Scoreless in the second half of a win over Colorado State, and scoreless in the fourth quarter of a loss to UW. Only against a depleted and struggling Rams team did the Cougars emerge victorious in a situation of that ilk.

They’ve sprinkled some more encouraging showings in there. WSU took the lead on Ole Miss with a third-quarter touchdown, ground out a long drive in the fourth quarter of a win over Toledo and, perhaps most impressively, posted 17 points in the second half against San Diego State, which has turned into a defensive buzzsaw. But on too many occasions, the Cougs have looked flat in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, which has really cost them.

Part of the issue has to do with the performance of their quarterback. Fifth-year senior Zevi Eckhaus has now tossed six interceptions in his past three games. He’s uncorked some awfully untimely picks. Oregon State turned one into a field goal. So did Virginia. The Cougars’ defense, staunch for nearly the entire year, prevented Toledo from parlaying Eckhaus’ two picks into any scoring plays – but for the Cougars, potential for disaster remained.

It will certainly linger over WSU’s next game, a home matchup with Louisiana Tech set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Gesa Field. The Bulldogs lead the country with six defensive touchdowns. They’ve also intercepted 15 passes, which ranks fifth nationally. The same unit may be allowing 248 passing yards per game, good for No. 110 nationally, but Louisiana Tech has still found ways to generate turnovers – and make them hurt.

Can WSU mitigate those tendencies this weekend? The Cougars could begin to do so by leaning into their rushing attack, which they abandoned on a key third down against the Beavers, when Eckhaus rolled out and took a sack, making things harder on kicker Jack Stevens. WSU has found real success on the ground, mostly from sophomore Kirby Vorhees, who totaled 46 yards and one score on 10 carries against OSU.

Assisting in that effort on Saturday could be third-year sophomore running back Leo Pulalasi, who has churned out more than six yards per carry this fall, using a compelling blend of power and elusiveness to carve out a role for himself. But after carrying just once for five yards against OSU, he exited early with an injury, making his status unclear for this weekend’s game.

It’s also unfair to talk about the struggles plaguing WSU’s offense, which is scoring only 19.9 points per game, without talking about the injuries that have surfaced. Most are on the Cougs’ offensive line, which has played the last four games without their top two options at right tackle, Christian Hilborn and Jaylin Caldwell, and watched veteran center Brock Dieu leave early from the Oregon State game with a foot injury.

Even right guard AJ Vaipulu was “banged up” in that one, Rogers said, which is why coaches swapped in true freshman Trevor Bindel for 12 snaps in relief. The Cougs could get both Hilborn and Dieu back for Saturday’s game, Rogers said, but that will depend on how they progress in practice this week.

“Just because we try to correct one thing, it can’t let the other thing then slip,” Rogers said. “It could be running the ball. If we start to improve running the ball, we can’t get worse at pass blocking, right? So just growing as a team, and honestly, the last three games, trying to attack this thing full force and finish out the season the right way.”