Photo Gallery: WSU Football drops Pac-12 opener to Oregon, 44-41

Sep 26, 2022 - 10:20 PM

Your Washington State Cougars (3-1 overall, 0-1 conference) gave up a late double-digit lead to the No. 15 Oregon Ducks (3-1, 1-0), dropping their fourth consecutive game in the series between the two programs. It was certainly a hard pill to swallow for Cougar fans, who were looking for their first win over Nike University since 2018 and any good reason to storm Gesa Field. This is the type of loss that can cause ripples down the road, so Coach Dickert has his work cut out for him as the season goes on.

The Cougar offense has steadily improved in each game of 2022, but the question remained how they would fare against a stout Oregon defense and defensive-minded coach Dan Lanning. Overall, they exceeded expectations putting up 34 points and scoring at least one touchdown in every quarter of the ballgame. But to many viewers’ surprise, it was the Cougar defense that let this upset bid slip through their fingers. Oregon collected 624 yards of offense and punted just once in 60 minutes.

GOLD STAR - Francisco Mauigoa’s interception of Bo Nix and subsequent 95-yard return for a touchdown was inarguably the play of the game for the Cougar defense, which otherwise looked nothing like the unit we have seen through the first quarter of the season. Multiple red zone stops — including the pick six — kept this game close until the final possession, but ultimately Oregon’s offense came out on top.

UP NEXT - Washington State will return to Martin Stadium this week still searching for its first conference win, this time against the California Golden Bears (3-1, 1-0). The Cougs opened as a slight favorite (-4) in this year’s Homecoming matchup, slated for a 2:30pm kickoff on the Pac-12 Networks.

CougCenter was back in Martin Stadium covering the game’s biggest moments and plays. Enjoy!

Missed previous photo galleries? Check them out below!

9/3 - WSU versus Idaho

9/17 - WSU versus Colorado State