Down 21-0 on the road in the rain, Washington State mustered one of the better rallies in Cougars football annals behind QB Connor Halliday, who threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns to stun Utah 28-27 Saturday night in Salt Lake City.Halliday connected with WR Vince Mayle on an 81-yard catch and run with 4:58 remaining for the winning score, but the Cougars defense had to repel Utah twice in the late going, ending two drives on fourth-down incompletions.
Utah jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring touchdowns on defense, special teams and offense in a span of just over four minutes, but it wasn’t enough to seal the deal.
Halliday’sfour passing TDs gave him 78 to break Alex Brink’s school record to hand Utah (3-1) its first loss and give WSU its first Pac-12 Conference win.
Mayle had eight receptions for 120 yards and went untouched on the winner.
Utah’s touted QB, Travis Wilson, didn’t do nearly as well, completing 18 of 38 passes for 165 yards. Devontae Booker rushed 24 times for 178 yards, but the Cougars outgained the Utes 495-357, including a season-high 80 on the ground.
Washington State cut into the 21-0 deficit midway through the second quarter when Halliday connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dom Williams.
Halliday was picked off by Utah linebacker Gionni Paul with 1:28 to go in the first half and the Utes scored on a 46-yard field goal for a 24-7 halftime lead.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2190578 https://sportspressnw.wpengine.com/?p=2190578">3 Comments
Two solid performances from the Cougs. Younger, faster, more athletic players on the field. These kids still have growth and will improve their play. The future looks brighter for Cougar football. Great victory last night.
Go Cougs
How bout them Cougs?!
Must win in game two of Pac-12 play, great job coach!