Washington State University Athletics
Washington State University
2-0 , 0-0
San Diego State (Homecoming)
1-1 , 0-0
Cougars Defense Dominant in 36-13 Win Against San Diego State
September 07, 2025 | Football
The win improved the Cougars to 2-0 while the Aztecs dropped to 1-1.
San Diego State scored the opening touchdown of the contest, a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jayden Denegal to Jacob Bostick five minutes into the game; however, the Cougars defense stiffened, shutting down the Aztecs the rest of the first half, only allowing 30 total yards.
For the game, the Cougar defense held San Diego State to 215 total yards and 10 first downs. Meanwhile, the WSU's offense racked up nearly 400 total yards, including 139 yards rushing.
While the defense was shutting down the Aztecs, the Cougars scored 19 unanswered points in the first half after falling behind 7-0. The scoring run began when Potter connected with Trey Leckner for a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven with 5:18 remaining in the first quarter.
Jack Stevens' 49-yard field goal gave WSU a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, which was the score for the majority of the period until WSU scored nine points in the span of 40 seconds to open a double-digit lead.
Isaac Terrell sacked Denegal for a safety to extend WSU's lead to 12-7 with 1:06 remaining in the half. After the free kick, the Cougars embarked on a four-play, 62-yard drive that took only 32 seconds, capped once again by Potter's 3-yard touchdown pass to Leckner, giving the Cougars a 19-7 lead at the halftime break.
WSU rode the momentum into the second half, capping a 7-play 75-yard drive when Potter connected with Leon Neal, Jr. on an 18-yard touchdown pass to extend its lead to 26-7 at the 10:55 mark of the third quarter.
A Stevens 42-yard field goal lengthened WSU's advantage to 29-7, and while San Diego State cut the deficit to 29-13, the Cougars closed out the scoring on a Julian Duggar 3-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory.
The Cougars return to action, Saturday, Sept. 13 for their first road game of the year at North Texas. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Team Stats
SDS 7, WSU 0
SDS - Bostick,Jacob 35 yd pass from Denegal,Jayden (Plascencia,Gabriel kick) 5 plays, 56 yards, TOP 02:00
SDS 7, WSU 7
WSU - Leckner,Trey 3 yd pass from Potter,Jaxon (Stevens,Jack kick) 6 plays, 48 yards, TOP 02:49
SDS 7, WSU 10
WSU - Stevens,Jack 49 yd field goal 13 plays, 39 yards, TOP 03:55
SDS 7, WSU 12
WSU - Terrell,Isaac 0 yd safety
SDS 7, WSU 19
WSU - Leckner,Trey 3 yd pass from Potter,Jaxon (Stevens,Jack kick) 4 plays, 62 yards, TOP 00:32
SDS 7, WSU 26
WSU - Neal Jr.,Leon 18 yd pass from Potter,Jaxon (Stevens,Jack kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:05
SDS 7, WSU 29
WSU - Stevens,Jack 42 yd field goal 6 plays, 26 yards, TOP 02:19
SDS 13, WSU 29
SDS - Denegal,Jayden 1 yd run (), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:24
SDS 13, WSU 36
WSU - Dugger,Julian 3 yd run (Stevens,Jack kick), 12 plays, 42 yards, TOP 06:17
