PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State football defeated Colorado State 73-7 Saturday night at Gesa Field, highlighted by a 38-point unanswered stretch across six scoring drives.
The Cougars (2-8, 1-5 Pac-12) rushed for 535 yards and nine touchdowns, both season highs, while holding CSU to 61 yards on the ground. WSU also scored a season-high eight times in the red zone.
Kirby Vorhees rushed for season highs of 197 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries.
Owen Eshelman completed 13 of 14 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown and added 81 rushing yards and a season-high three rushing touchdowns.
Maxwell Woods finished with 108 rushing yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
Branden Ganashamoorthy caught four passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.
Jack Stevens made a season-high nine point-after-touchdown kicks.
Wazzu opened its scoring with an 11-play, 80-yard drive, with Vorhees finishing from 3 yards out and Stevens adding the kick for a 7-0 lead. The Cougars followed a goal-line stand with a 98-yard touchdown run by Vorhees, stopping CSU on fourth-and-2 at the WSU 2 before Vorhees scored on the next play with 55 seconds left. The first quarter ended with the Cougs ahead 14-0 after Matyus McLain recovered a Rams fumble in the final minute.
WSU added three rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, with Eshelman scoring from 4 and 9 yards, and Vorhees adding a 14-yard run to push the score to 35-0. After CSU scored with 38 seconds left, the Cougars drove 60 yards in 38 seconds and took a 38-7 lead into halftime on Stevens’ 33-yard field goal.
Wazzu opened the third quarter with a three-play, 78-yard scoring drive, as Eshelman hit Ganashamoorthy for a 30-yard touchdown and Stevens’ PAT made it 45-7. The defense added two fourth-down stops and a Jaylen Thomas interception. Eshelman and Vorhees each ran for touchdowns as the Cougs scored all 21 points in the third quarter to finish the frame leading 59-7.
The Cougars added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with Woods scoring from 2 yards out and Julian Dugger breaking a 60-yard touchdown run before the extra point made it 73-7. The defense kept the Rams off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, forcing punts on both possessions, and Wazzu closed out the 73-7 win with a 12-play, 58-yard drive that ended in kneel-downs.
Up next, the WSU football team travels to San Marcos, Texas, to face Texas State Saturday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m.