In what has become an unfortunate trend in 2025, Washington State gave a College Football Playoff contender a run for its money on the road on Saturday, only for James Madison to score two long touchdowns after halftime to steal the win.

Bringing the fight to a ranked team on the road for a second straight week, the Cougars looked primed for an upset in Charlottesville. But it wasn’t meant to be again due to a fourth quarter meltdown.

The Cougars opened the Jimmy Rogers era with a victory, though it didn’t come as easily as many hoped against an FCS rival with the offense largely being punch-less in a tight 13-10 win over Idaho.

Entering the first season of the Jimmy Rogers era, there’s plenty of uncertainty and intrigue revolving around the Washington State Cougars.

Entering year one of the Jimmy Rogers era, the Washington State Cougars have been quite guarded when it comes to declaring starters. But they announced their first starter publicly on Wednesday and more clarity should be coming soon with the opener right around the corner.

With Keith Brown’s season-ending injury, it will be important for Anthony Palano to step up and take added reps at the MIKE linebacker position.

Bringing several talented players with him from South Dakota State, new Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers will be counting on major contributions from seasoned vets at linebacker and in the secondary making the jump from the FCS level to Pullman.