Washington State University Athletics
Saturday, October 12
Fresno, Calif.
4 PM PT
Washington State University
5-1 , 0-0
25
at
17
Fresno State
3-3 , 1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Fresno St.
7
0
7
3
17
Washington St.
13
0
3
9
25
Photo by: Greg Davis/WSU Photo
O’Connor’s Pick-Six Leads WSU to Comeback Win at Fresno State
October 12, 2024 | Football
FRESNO, Calif. (October 12, 2024) – Ethan Connor's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Washington State a fourth-quarter comeback 25-17 victory at Fresno State Saturday evening.
Fresno State held a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter before O'Connor's house call gave the Cougars a 22-17 lead with under seven minutes left. Dean Janikowski added a 23-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining for the eight-point advantage and the WSU defense turned the Bulldogs over on downs as time expired to give WSU their first 5-1 start since 2018.
Cougar quarterback John Mateer rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown while freshman running back carried 12 times for 63 yards. Wideout Kris Hutson caught a team-high six passes for 45 yards and had a two-yard rushing touchdown.
Janikowski connected on both field goal attempts, hitting from 34 yards out in the third quarter before his 23-yarder capped the scoring. Janikowski also averaged over 51 yards on three punts and kicked off six times.
Defensively, Buddah Al-Uqdah made a team-high seven tackles while Kyle Thornton and Tyson Durant each added five with Durant adding an interception for the second straight game. Keith Brown and Khalil Laufau each recorded a sack for the defense who picked off a pair of passes, recorded a pair of sacks and held an opponent under 20 points for the third time this season.
Washington State took the opening kickoff and capped the opening 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Mateer and Hutson's two-yard rushing score on an end-around gave the Cougars the lead later in the first quarter. WSU nearly took a lead into halftime but FSU made a diving interception in the end zone right before the half to keep the Cougar lead 13-6 at the break.
The Bulldogs took a 14-13 lead with a touchdown midway through the third quarter, Janikowsi's first field goal allowed WSU to regain the lead but Fresno State's fourth-quarter 13-play drive was capped by a field goal for a 17-16 advantage. Minutes later, O'Connor stepped in front of a Bulldog pass attempt on the ensuing drive and raced 60 yards for the go-ahead score.
Washington State hosts Hawai'i next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Fresno State held a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter before O'Connor's house call gave the Cougars a 22-17 lead with under seven minutes left. Dean Janikowski added a 23-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining for the eight-point advantage and the WSU defense turned the Bulldogs over on downs as time expired to give WSU their first 5-1 start since 2018.
Cougar quarterback John Mateer rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown while freshman running back carried 12 times for 63 yards. Wideout Kris Hutson caught a team-high six passes for 45 yards and had a two-yard rushing touchdown.
Janikowski connected on both field goal attempts, hitting from 34 yards out in the third quarter before his 23-yarder capped the scoring. Janikowski also averaged over 51 yards on three punts and kicked off six times.
Defensively, Buddah Al-Uqdah made a team-high seven tackles while Kyle Thornton and Tyson Durant each added five with Durant adding an interception for the second straight game. Keith Brown and Khalil Laufau each recorded a sack for the defense who picked off a pair of passes, recorded a pair of sacks and held an opponent under 20 points for the third time this season.
Washington State took the opening kickoff and capped the opening 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Mateer and Hutson's two-yard rushing score on an end-around gave the Cougars the lead later in the first quarter. WSU nearly took a lead into halftime but FSU made a diving interception in the end zone right before the half to keep the Cougar lead 13-6 at the break.
The Bulldogs took a 14-13 lead with a touchdown midway through the third quarter, Janikowsi's first field goal allowed WSU to regain the lead but Fresno State's fourth-quarter 13-play drive was capped by a field goal for a 17-16 advantage. Minutes later, O'Connor stepped in front of a Bulldog pass attempt on the ensuing drive and raced 60 yards for the go-ahead score.
Washington State hosts Hawai'i next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Team Stats
FST
WSU
Total Yards
338
295
Pass Yards
220
172
Rushing Yards
118
123
Penalty Yards
91
57
1st Downs
22
23
3rd Downs
4
5
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
32:44
27:16
1st Quarter
FST 0, WSU 6
WSU - Mateer,John 1 yd run (), 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:47
FST 7, WSU 6
FST - Freeman,Josiah 34 yd pass from Keene,Mikey (Lynch,Dylan kick) 10 plays, 77 yards, TOP 04:44
FST 7, WSU 13
WSU - Hutson,Kris 2 yd run (Janikowski,Dean kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:49
3rd Quarter
FST 14, WSU 13
FST - Gilliam,Elijah 6 yd run (Lynch,Dylan kick), 4 plays, 33 yards, TOP 02:20
FST 14, WSU 16
WSU - Janikowski,Dean 34 yd field goal 13 plays, 58 yards, TOP 02:10
4th Quarter
FST 17, WSU 16
FST - Lynch,Dylan 27 yd field goal 13 plays, 66 yards, TOP 06:40
FST 17, WSU 22
WSU - O'Connor,Ethan 60 yd interception ()
FST 17, WSU 25
WSU - Janikowski,Dean 23 yd field goal 8 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:58
Game Leaders
CMP
17
TD
0
YDS
172
INT
1
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K
/ Football
DT
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
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