Monday Musings: Washington State Beats Louisiana Tech in Convincing 28-3 Home Victory
Jumping out to a 14–0 lead early in the second quarter and never looking back, the Washington State Cougars took care of business in a commanding 28-3 win over Louisiana Tech. Now sitting at 5–5, the Cougars will need to win one of their final two games—either on the road at James Madison or at home against Oregon State—to achieve bowl eligibility.
Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus totaled 222 yards with three combined touchdowns and zero turnovers, while running back Kirby Vorhees added another score on 16 carries for 76 yards. But once again, the story of the night was the defense for the Cougars, which surrendered only three points and 167 total yards. Over their last three games, Washington State has allowed just 20 total points.
After the game, coach Jimmy Rogers said, “An exciting win. Louisiana Tech is a good football team. Overall that was a good win and a good way to close out the second half.”
Here are a pair of quick takeaways from Wazzu’s fifth win of the season:
Running Game Sets the Tone
Healthier along the offensive line, Washington State controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the night and ran the ball effectively against a Louisiana Tech front that struggled to hold up physically. With Christian Hilborn and Brock Dieu returning from injury, the offensive line turned in one of its best performances of the season, allowing just one tackle for loss and zero sacks.
While the Cougars had their share of stalled drives—including five punts and three three-and-outs—they still scored 28 points thanks to the consistent success of the run game. WSU finished with 39 carries for 157 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Vorhees has firmly established himself as the team’s lead back in recent weeks and kept rolling with nearly 80 rushing yards against the Bulldogs, doing damage with his burst and power breaking tackles.
As has been the case all season, Washington State’s offense improves significantly when the run game is productive, opening things up for Eckhaus and the passing game. Leading the aerial attack, wide receiver Josh Meredith had another solid performance with the fifth-year Cougar leading the team with five catches, 70 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
tell em 🔥 @KirbyVorhees20 #GoCougs | #MadeOfCrimson pic.twitter.com/ACwygXxBVb— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) November 16, 2025
Quality Defense Continues to Shine
Even without generating any turnovers on Saturday - and only having six forced this season - the Cougar defense has been outstanding all year. Since the Apple Cup, even while facing two top-25 teams on the road during that span, WSU is allowing just 11.5 points per game since the blowout loss to the Huskies.
This unit has excelled at bending without breaking, swarming to the football, and maintaining discipline in its gap assignments. Parker McKenna led the Cougars with six tackles, while the defense recorded three sacks, including a half-sack from Isaac Terrell, his first since a loss to Ole Miss in Oxford.
When asked about the team’s recent defensive surge, Rogers said, “Years ago, we set goals to set people to 17 points and I just thought that was crazy. The more we retain players and keep them in this system, I do believe our goals will change because it’s realistic to get 10 points a game.”
Given that Louisiana Tech had to use two quarterbacks after their starter Blake Baker tore his ACL the previous game, it’s extremely impressive that the Cougars gave up only three points while having to game plan for signal callers with different skill sets. Meanwhile, Colby Humphrey, who’s been outstanding at corner all year, recorded his first interception of the season, remarkably the first by a player in the secondary in 2025.
no escaping 1️⃣0️⃣ @8uddha_Peleti #GoCougs | #MadeOfCrimson pic.twitter.com/67EkUMZoOR— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) November 16, 2025
Looking Ahead
This was a solid, comfortable win for Washington State, and the team has steadily improved as the season has progressed, even if those improvements haven’t always translated to victories. With two games remaining — including a tough matchup against a strong James Madison squad that is on the cusp of a possible College Football Playoff bid — the Cougars need just one more win to become bowl-eligible and build momentum in the first year of the Jimmy Rogers era. If the Cougars continue to run the ball effectively and remain disciplined on defense as they did on Saturday, they have a great shot to get that sixth win.
