TRENDING College football updates Valkyries even WNBA Finals Kimi Antonelli on US GP pole NFL injury updates Brewers take Game 1 Story by Story by Cougs Trail No. 21 Broncos 10-7 at Halftime Oct 24, 2026; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Owen Eshelman (17) throws against the Boise State Broncos during the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Isaiah David Sat, October 24, 2026 at 11:48 PM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington State (1-6, 0-3 in Pac-12) hosts Boise State (5-1, 2-0 in Pac-12) in the school's first-ever Pac-12 conference matchup. WSU, led quarterback Owen Eshelman, looked to build off of a strong offensive performance against Oregon State last week. The Broncos come into the game looking to avoid a loss that would be detrimental to their College Football Playoff hopes.
After winning the coin toss, WSU opted to defer. Jack Stevens kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone, and Maddux Madsen led the Broncos onto the field for their first drive of the game. A 15-yard penalty for a low block would doom the Broncos first offensive drive, and the Cougar defense was able to quickly get off of the field.
Eshelman's first snap as a starter at Martin Stadium was a QB keeper for a no gain. Eshleman would follow up with a 8-yard run and then a 14-yard pass to his favorite target Branden Ganashamoorthy to pick up a first down. A promising start for an offense that came into the game with third down struggles.
An incomplete pass, followed by an Eshelman five-yard run, set the WSU offense with another third and manageable. Eshelman wouldn't be able to escape the pressure on this one, and he was sacked by Sanusi Lopez. A promising first drive was cut short.
Max Dean kicked the ball into the sun, and returner Jeremyah Lane was not able to get a good read on the ball, causing the ball to drop to the Gesa field turf. WSU wasn't able to fall on the loose ball, and Boise State avoided disaster.
The Cougar defense was able to force a 3rd and 7 at the Boise State 44-yard line; Trent Bray opted to send DJ Warner on a blitz. However, Warner wasn't able to get to Madsen in time, and he was able to deliver a perfect ball to Rasean Jones for a 14-yard gain to keep the drive going.
On the following play Maddsen was again able to connect with Jones for a 33-yard gain, setting the Broncos up with a first and goal. Sire Gaines was able to rush through the heart of the WSU defense and shed off a would-be tackler to give the Broncos the first score of the game.
Trailing 7-0, the Cougar offense would come back onto the field looking to build on their first drive. The offensive line was unable to generate any push on a first-down run; a second down saw multiple Broncos in Eshelman's face right away speeding up a pass that would fall incomplete.
The Cougars offense was again facing a dreaded third and long. Eshelman was able to connect with TE Jack Pedersen for an 11-yard gain to avoid a three and out.
An incomplete pass and a 1-yard rush up the middle saw WSU facing 3rd and 9. Eshleman would again have an answer as he was able to escape out of the pocket, get to the edge, and dive for a first down.
The following play was a 10-yard first-down sack that was too much to overcome, and Max Dean was again sent out to punt the ball back to the Broncos.
Looking to make it a two-possession game, the Boise State offense would start the drive backed up at their own 7-yard line.
The Broncos opened up the drive with four straight runs that would get them out of their own end zone and all the way to their own 38-yard line. The run game would then set up play action, as Madesen was able to fake a handoff before finding a wide-open Akeem Wright for another first down.
With the Broncos driving, the Cougar defense was able to stop Dylan Riley in the backfield on second down before getting enough pressure on Madsen on third down to force a throw that landed out of bounds.
Boise State came out on the fourth and seventh on the WSU 47-yard line and lined up like they were going to go for it on the 4th down. The Cougar defense was able to stay disciplined and not jump offside. Spencer Danielson called a timeout and changed his mind, opting to punt the ball back to the Cougar offense.
Backed up at their own 1-yard line, Kirby Moore opted to go with two runs to Leo Pulasi to set up a third and 1. With 1 yard to gain, Moore opted to go with Pulalsi for a third straight run, but he was unable to get to the first down marker, and Max Dean was sent out for his third punt of the first half.
The Broncos would start with good field position, having the ball at their own 35-yard line. Trent Bray's defense was able to quickly return the ball back to the offense after forcing the Broncos into their first three and out of the game.
Eshelman would lead the offense out onto the field with the opportunity to tie the game. WSU was able to drive all the way to their own 47 yard line before facing a 4th and 2. Moore would opt to go for it, and the decision would pay off. Eshelman faked a handoff to X before finding Trey Leckner, who was able to dive for a first down.
The next three plays would see the Cougs pick up 9 yards, and they were again faced with a 4th and short situation. Eshelman was able to get just enough on a QB keeper to convert the 4th down and keep the drive moving.
Facing 3rd and 8, Eshelman went to Ganashamoorthy, who had a defender draped all over him. The pass fell incomplete, but a flag was thrown for pass interference, giving the WSU offense a 1st and 10 from the Boise State 21-yard line.
Eshelman would then find Daniel Blood on a beautiful back shoulder throw to get WSU all the way to the half yard line, and on first and goal, Kirby Vorhees was able to just stretch over the goal line to tie the game, 7-7 with 46 seconds remaining in the half.
Following the score, Jack Stevens kicked the ball out of bounds, setting up Boise State at the 35-yard line. With the prime field position, the Broncos opted to test the Cougar defense. Boise State was able to get all the way to the WSU 11-yard line before running out of time and opting to send the field goal unit onto the field. The kick was true, and the Cougars headed into halftime down 10-7.
WSU will receive the second-half kickoff with the opportunity to take the lead over the #21-ranked Broncos.
Source: Sports
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