Washington State lets lead slip away against Arizona | Recap and highlights

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Sep. 26—PULLMAN — Linebacker Keith Brown lowered his head and raised his fist, another third-down stop firmly in his Washington State team's grasp. It was getting late in Saturday night's affair, a legacy Pac-12 matchup between WSU and Arizona at Gesa Field, and the Cougars had just forced their guests into a short field goal. Music blared. Fans bellowed.

Could the Cougs' offense, now down seven points, take advantage?

WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick and his unit certainly made things interesting, scoring on a long touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough for the Cougars to avoid a 34-24 loss to the Wildcats, who iced this win with a long field goal with about two minutes to play.

All things considered, it was the best effort of the season for WSU, which concludes nonconference play with the 1-3 record it was expected to, but Arizona won the second half, 20-7. Pinnick completed 24 of 41 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception for WSU, which scored twice outside of its opening series, a field goal from kicker Jack Stevens and a touchdown pass from Pinnick to receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy, who took advantage of an Arizona defender who had fallen down.

Pinnick also lost a fumble, giving him five turnovers in his first four games at WSU. The Cougars have now lost seven total turnovers this fall, a key reason behind many of the struggles of offensive coordinator Matt Miller's unit.

The Cougars, who managed 154 total yards in the second half, still had a chance in the fourth quarter. At one point, Arizona scored on three straight drives to take a 31-17 advantage, seemingly putting the game away. But about halfway through the frame, Pinnick dropped back and spotted Ganashamoorthy, who sprung open thanks to a stumble from his defender. The Cougs drew within seven with seven minutes to play.

But with a chance to get a stop and give their offense the ball back, the Cougars' defense couldn't push the Wildcats out of field goal range for kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, who nailed one from 51 yards. That gave Arizona the final margin with a shade under two minutes to play.

All told, the Cougars were undone by their offense's inability to adjust to the Wildcats' pass rush. For the game, Pinnick took three sacks, giving him 10 on the season. WSU also managed just 94 rushing yards, and if you pare that down to production from running backs, the number drops to 59. In the end, the Cougars ran out of answers on that side of the ball.

WSU looked sharp to open the game, capping a flawless opening drive with an 11-yard touchdown rush from Pinnick, who looked to be in control of his offense. Then moments later, transfer safety Jackquintin Ball jumped in front of a pass from Arizona QB Noah Fifita and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, giving his team a 14-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Gesa Field roared its approval.

From there, though, WSU couldn't generate the same level of production. Fifita — who completed 22 of 36 passes for 297 yards, four touchdowns and the one interception — easily led the Wildcats to back-to-back touchdown drives to tie the game back up at 14-14. His favorite target was receiver Tre Spivey, who hauled in both of those scoring passes en route to a big night: Seven catches for 129 yards and the two scores.

It was a forgettable night for the Cougars' secondary, which was gashed for seven passes of 15-plus yards, including a 44-yard completion and a 41-yarder. WSU safety Jaylen Thomas has blossomed into one of his group's best players, but chalk this one up as a learning moment for the redshirt sophomore.

In this one, WSU kicker Jack Stevens made his first field goal since the Sept. 6 Apple Cup, cashing in from 33 yards. But thanks to shoddy blocking on his first attempt, he missed one earlier, making him 2-for-7 on the year.

WSU returns to action next Saturday for the beginning of Pac-12 play, hosting Fresno State. It'll be the teams' first meeting in Pullman since 1994.

BOX SCORE

WSU fought until the bell but couldn't find knockout punch against Arizona — Jacob Thorpe

The problem with boxing's rope-a-dope technique, made famous by Muhammad Ali and perfected by Homer Simpson, is at some point you have to punch back. Washington State welcomed a former Pac-10/12 rival, now with the Big 12, back to Pullman, for a messy, physical grudge match. Before the game CBS sports relished in rehashing the history of Arizona's star quarterback, Noah Fifita, whose starting debut was a 44-6 route in Pullman over the 19th-ranked Cougars in 2023. — Read more

Long stretch of offensive malaise dooms Washington State in loss to Arizona — Instant reactions

It was a dream start for Washington State against its old Pac-12 foes from Arizona. The Cougars built a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter after a stellar opening possession and a pick-six. — Read more

After loss to Arizona, WSU's offense shows more life, but Cougars must make better decisions — Analysis

The beginning of this Washington State season, the gauntlet the Cougars would see to open the Kirby Moore era, was always going to be difficult to parse. They faced three Power 4 teams in their first four games. Two were on the road. One came on a short week. — Read more

First quarter

9:57 — WSU 7, ARIZ 0: Caden Pinnick keeps the ball and rushes for an 11-yard touchdown.

Pinnick totaled 51 passing yards on the Cougars' opening drive.

2:57 — WSU 7, ARIZ 0: Pinnick is flushed out of the pocket and is intercepted by Cam Chapa on an attempt deep down the field.

2:05 — WSU 14, ARIZ 0: Cougars take the ball right back as Jackquintin Bal intercepts Noah Fifita and runs 25 yards for a touchdown.

0:08 — WSU 14, ARIZ 7: Tre Spivey lunges for the end zone to complete a 28-yard touchdown reception.

Spivey had a 44-yard reception earlier in the drive and is up to 103 yards.

Second quarter

7:42 — WSU 14, ARIZ 14: Fifita finds Spivey for a 4-yard touchdown to even the game after the PAT.

Spivey now has six catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

3:36 — WSU 14, ARIZ 14: Jack Stevens' 39-yard field goal attempt is blocked.

Arizona takes over at its own 21.

0:22 — WSU 17, ARIZ 14: Stevens makes a 33-yard field goal to give Washington State the lead right before halftime.

Halftime

Washington State, playing as underdogs, holds a 17-14 lead over visiting Arizona.

The Cougars built a 14-0 lead behind a rushing touchdown from Pinnick and an interception returned for a touchdown.

The Wildcats rallied to tie the game due in large part to the performance of Tre Spivey. The Arizona wide receiver has 125 yards and two touchdowns so far.

Jack Stevens shook off a blocked field goal earlier in the half to make a 33-yarder, giving WSU the lead back.

Third quarter

8:16 — WSU 17, ARIZ 14: Pinnick fumbles while being sacked and the Wildcats recover at the Cougars' 32.

6:09 — WSU 17, ARIZ 14: Arizona kicker Michael Medina has a 43-yard field goal attempt blocked by Damarjhe Lewis.

4:02 — ARIZ 21, WSU 17: Arizona grabs its first lead of the game when Fifita finds Caleb Smith for a 38-yard touchdown.

Fourth quarter

12:49 — ARIZ 24, WSU 17: Medina makes a 27-yard field goal to extend Arizona's lead.

9:07 — ARIZ 31, WSU 17: Isaiah Mizell comes down with an 11-yard touchdown reception.

Fifita is up to 288 yards and four touchdown passes.

7:15 — ARIZ 31, WSU 24: Pinnick burns Arizona's blitz and finds Branden Ganashamoorthy wide open for a 46-yard touchdown pass.

1:57 — ARIZ 34, WSU 24: Medina makes a 51-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a two-possession lead.

Pregame

Washington State will engage in some nostalgia this weekend, hosting fellow Pac-12 legacy program Arizona.

Senior quarterback Noah Fifita and the Wildcats are 2-1 this season. Arizona has comfortable wins against Northern Arizona (35-7) and Northern Illinois (42-17), but lost an early-season test against ninth-ranked BYU (28-17).

The Cougars (1-2) are fresh off their first win of the season, a second-half domination of Duquesne 48-7. They will try to carry that momentum into a primetime game against Arizona, the Cougars' final tuneup before Pac-12 Conference play starts on Oct. 3.

For Washington State to find success, quarterback Caden Pinnick will have to execute against Arizona, especially from play-action. Paul Hutson and the rest of Washington State's defense will try to slow down Fifita and the rest of Arizona's offense.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. on CBS.

Series history

Washington State is 19-28 all-time against Arizona. The Wildcats won the last matchup 44-6 in Pullman on Oct. 14, 2023.

Notable stat

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has faced pressure in the pocket on 23% of plays. Fifita has completed 7 of 12 passes for 67 yards and one interception in pressure situations so far this season.

Game preview

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Washington State lets lead slip away against Arizona | Recap and highlights

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