Washington State gives respectable defensive effort, but offense lacks consistency in loss at James Madison

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Nov. 22—For the third time this season, Washington State traveled across the country and gave itself a chance to knock off a ranked team. And once again, the Cougars couldn't find enough plays in the later stages of the game and suffered a heartbreaking defeat, losing narrowly to a heavily favored opponent. WSU gave up the lead in the fourth quarter and got stopped on its final drive, falling 24-20 against No. 21 James Madison on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Cougs (5-6) need a win next weekend against Oregon State to earn bowl eligibility. The Dukes (10-1) stayed alive in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Some cracks, but a commendable defensive effort

The Cougs have given up 24 points or fewer in each of their past seven games, including games against ranked foes Ole Miss, Virginia and now JMU.

The Dukes had scored more than 50 points in three of their past four games. They came in with the No. 14 scoring offense in the country (37 ppg) and were ranked 19th nationally in total offense (457.3 ypg), but JMU was held under 30 points for the fourth time this season and totaled 319 yards — its third-lowest yardage total in a game.

WSU's defense especially shined in the first half, surrendering just four first downs and 80 yards. For most of the game, the Cougs' defenders put forth a stellar effort against JMU's ground game, which entered the day averaging 241.6 yards per game — seventh nationally.

Before JMU tailback Wayne Knight broke off a 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the game-winner, the Cougs had held the Dukes to just 100 rushing yards, stuffing JMU running backs near the line of scrimmage on plenty of occasions.

JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III connected on a 68-yard touchdown to Braeden Wisloski late in the third quarter, but the Dukes' passing game didn't do much else. Barnett, who faced steady pressure, went 9 of 18 for 144 yards and tossed a first-quarter interception.

The Cougs will lament those two big plays. But they fared well otherwise and continued to prove that this is a defense-led program.

WSU had a chance, but not consistent enough offensively

Similar to its other games against ranked teams, WSU's offense didn't have an answer when its opponent took a late lead.

In this one, the Cougars got the ball back with 6:24 remaining, trailing by four. But their running game hit a wall, and quarterback Zevi Eckhaus couldn't find openings through the air. His fourth-and-5 heave to Jeremiah Noga was defended well and broken up with less than three minutes to play. WSU's defense, uncharacteristically, couldn't come up with a final stop.

WSU went over 100 yards on the ground again in what's been a positive trend over the past several weeks, but too often the Cougs went backwards or played too conservatively. They finished with 130 rushing yards, but averaged 3.5 per carry. JMU tallied six tackles for loss.

Eckhaus went 19 of 31 for 171 yards and a touchdown with an interception, plus a 4-yard rushing TD in the second quarter. He had some nice plays, like his 48-yard touchdown to Tony Freeman and his elusive scoring scramble, but misfired too many times and made one too many costly errors, namely his second-quarter pick-6.

WSU's offense, as has happened on more than one occasion this year, went quiet in the second half. The Cougs had rolled up 226 yards at halftime, but finished with 301 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per play in the second half. Yes, they were facing a top-10 defensive unit in the country, by many metrics, but what's the explanation for their sudden offensive malaise after a productive first half?

Next week could define season

Another loss to Oregon State, and this would go down as a lost season for the Cougars, who have proven they can compete with top-tier opponents, but have also shown to be capable of major underperformances leading to massive letdowns.

How is this team remembered? It could be a team that showed some level of promise under first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, a team that nearly knocked off three ranked opponents, exhibiting signs of progress throughout the year and qualifying for a bowl game to set itself up nicely for the future. That's the best-case scenario for the Cougs. The alternative? A wholly disappointing finish heading into the reconfigured Pac-12.

Make a bowl game, and this WSU team might be seen as an encouraging building block.

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