No. 20 Washington State has its way on offense during 49-28 rout of Utah State

PULLMAN — At the front of the pack on the sideline, Jake Dickert pumped his fist and repeated himself several times.

Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.

The rain was on its way to Gesa Field, the site of No. 20 Washington State’s 49-28 win over Utah State on Saturday night, but Dickert wasn’t fazed.

Neither was his quarterback, John Mateer, who had just surged in for his third of five total touchdowns on the night. By the end of the game, the rain was pouring, but so were the points for the Cougars, who have now won four straight.

It added up to a blowout win for WSU, which enjoyed one of its best rushing outings of the season with 287 yards on the ground, using a string of 28 unanswered points to pull away for good and earn their eighth win of the season.

On an 18-for-24 effort, Mateer posted one touchdown on the ground and four through the air, and true freshman running back Wayshawn Parker registered 149 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

The Cougars’ defense also produced a pair of takeaways, an interception by nickelback Kapena Gushiken and a forced fumble and recovery by linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, who now has five takeaways this season. Gushiken’s pick came late in the second quarter, and Al-Uqdah’s fumble recovery happened early in the third, but WSU’s offense couldn’t turn either into points.

Fortunately for the Cougs (8-1), they had little trouble on offense otherwise.

In his first 100-plus yard rushing game of his young career, Parker broke free for a 75-yard touchdown rush on the first play of the third quarter, marking the longest WSU rushing touchdown since 2006.

Mateer also found senior receiver Kyle Williams for three touchdowns: A 17-yard connection in the first quarter, a 14-yard hookup in the second and a 5-yarder in the third, when Mateer rolled out and lasered one to Williams in the back corner of the end zone, torching a Utah State defense that ranks among the worst in the country.

The Aggies tied the game on its opening series, knotting things at 7-7, and they scored later on a QB keeper, a touchdown pass from Spencer Petras to Kyrese White and finally a 72-yard touchdown rush by Derrick Jamison in the final seconds.

In between, the hosts flirted with danger a couple times, but they came away largely unscathed. In the final moments of the third quarter, Mateer lost a fumble deep in USU territory, and the ball bounced all the way to the end zone, where an Aggie batted it out of the back — a penalty, ensuring the ball stayed with WSU. In the aftermath, Utah State head coach Nate Dreiling drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Several other oddities unfolded during this affair. In the second quarter, Utah State kept a drive alive on a fake punt pass by drawing a pass-interference penalty, and according to the rulebook, that penalty isn’t supposed to be called on fake punts because the defense is jamming the outside receivers, expecting a punt.

Earlier in the game, after Parker punched in a short rushing touchdown, WSU kicker Dean Janikowski appeared to pull off a successful onside kick, which was the ruling on the field. But upon a Utah State challenge, officials ruled that WSU running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker had engaged in a block before the kick went 10 yards, and possession went to USU.

All told, WSU is kicking off the final four games of the regular season on the right note.

The Cougars now face three more games: at New Mexico on Nov. 16, at Oregon State on Nov. 23 and at home against Wyoming on Nov. 30. Then they’re off to a bowl game, and though the odds may be long, the Cougs do have a small chance at making the 12-team College Football Playoff.

How realistic is that scenario? WSU is ranked No. 21 in the first round of CFP rankings, putting the group nine spots out of the playoff.

But on Saturday, several teams ahead of the Cougars dropped games, including No. 15 LSU, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 18 Pittsburgh. It may not matter much in the end — but either way, lots of good things happened for WSU this weekend.

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No. 20 WASHINGTON STATE 49, UTAH STATE 28

MISSED FIELD GOALS—Washington St., D.Janikowski 40.