PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State Cougars were handed their fourth loss in five games to start the season as they fell 26-6 to Fresno State on Saturday.
It was a slow-moving first half of action for both teams, but the Cougars kept themselves in the game and were tied 6-6 going into halftime after two field goals by Jack Stevens.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half, Fresno State led an early third-quarter drive down the field, which resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run from Josiah Freeman to put the Bulldogs up 13-6. Neither team could get much more going on offense until the fourth quarter, when Fresno State rattled off two field goals and another touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Cougar quarterback Caden Pinnick struggled against the Fresno State defense, throwing for 152 yards and an interception while completing 21 of his 34 passing attempts.
As a team, Washington State rushed for a total of 30 yards among five different players.
The Cougar defense, led by Isaiah Hung with seven total tackles, held the Bulldogs to 13 points through three quarters before the floodgates opened for Fresno State in the fourth quarter. The defense also recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal in the loss.
The Cougars will now go on the road after a three-game homestand to face Utah State in Logan, Utah, for another Pac-12 Conference matchup.