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# Wednesday Takeaways: Cougars Lose Close One to Virginia 22-20
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/washington-state-cougars-lose-close-one-virginia-cavaliers/
- Published: 2025-10-22T16:46:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:17:43.000Z
- Author: Jacob Stevenson
- Tags: Analysis, Jimmy Rogers, Caleb Francl, Zevi Eckhaus, Kirby Vorhees, Isaac Terrell, Cougars

For a second straight week, the Washington State Cougars gave a top-20 ranked team all they could handle on the road, but couldn’t finish the deal in a 22-20 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers.

Following a three-point loss at No. 4 Ole Miss, there was some positive momentum that the Cougars took to Charlottesville, but after being ahead for almost the entire game, they blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Mistakes, penalties, and not being able to move the ball down the stretch ultimately cost them the game. The biggest mistake, though, was calling a fair catch on a kickoff that left Washington State taking over at the two-yard line, which led to a game-winning safety.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Cougs’ latest defeat:

**The offense once again can’t finish after a strong start**

Going into the game, the goal was pretty basic: Washington State just needed to be able to avoid turnovers and run the ball. Even with one first half turnover, the Cougs did a pretty good job with those things for the first three quarters of the football game on Saturday. Through the first 45 minutes of play, Washington State had 20 points with 318 yards, but 17 of those points came in the first half. In the fourth quarter, they only amassed eight yards as a team and had 74 yards for the entire second half, which put a ton of pressure on the defense down the stretch.

Penalties and shooting themselves in the foot have been a pattern at times for Washington State, even going back to wins against San Diego State and Idaho early in the season, often taking the offense out of rhythm with the defense not having any bearing on those miscues. After a clean game in Oxford, Zevi Eckhaus threw two interceptions, including a pretty poor decision that led to a field goal tying the game at 20 in the fourth quarter.

When speaking about the interceptions, Cougars coach Jimmy Rogers said, "It's not gonna change our opinion on Zevi. We've been playing better with him. We just have to not put ourselves in positions where we are backed up.”

Overall, Eckhaus went 18-27 with 183 yards and both a passing and rushing touchdown. In the backfield, Kirby Vorhees has clearly taken control of the top running back spot; his 17 touches were significantly higher than Angle Johnson's six. Unfortunately, Vorhees ended with 16 carries for just 45 yards. On the plus side, receiver Josh Meredith had a great game, as the veteran had seven catches for 111 yards, which is the second highest total in his career for both categories. He also had a touchdown on a very impressive catch in the first quarter as Washington State started hot.

**Defense deserves flowers again - even in defeat**

For back-to-back weeks, the Cougars’ defense did an incredible job slowing down a quality Power 4 offense. With only 20 points given up against Virginia, this is the third week in a row that the defense has turned in a fantastic performance. The 22 point output is the lowest Virginia has scored against anyone this season, and their 301 yards were the second lowest yard output of the season. Quarterback Chandler Morris had a relatively quiet game passing for 179 yards and no touchdowns as the secondary did a fine job on the Cavaliers’ receivers throughout the game.

Poor tackling, which has been a huge concern for Washington State most of the season, was much better against Virginia as well. Caleb Francl led the team with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss, seemingly finding the ball carrier every play from his linebacker spot. Isaac Terrell, who had an awesome game last week against Ole Miss, didn't record a tackle this week but remained effective creating opportunities for teammates. Unfortunately, the unit didn’t create a turnover and finished with zero sacks, so the lack of impact plays may have helped keep the door open for the Cavaliers to eventually steal the game. Nonetheless, the group turned in another outstanding effort and isn’t the reason they lost.

**Even with a losing record now, the season is far from a lost cause**

At 3-4 in an extremely unique season, there is no question Washington State has improved leaps and bounds in the past few weeks. The Cougs have lost four games to opponents boasting a combined 23-5 record and with three of those teams being Power 4 opponents, they have definitely faced a higher quality schedule compared to what Wazzu will face in the future. After getting blown out against North Texas and Washington, they have had two very competitive defeats against Ole Miss and Virginia as heavy underdogs. Expectations are changing in Pullman, and if the team can keep getting better on the field, then they will put themselves in a position to win the rest of the games on their schedule and secure a bowl game bid.