Turnovers Doom Washington State in 59-10 Loss At North Texas

After a promising performance in a win over San Diego State last week, the Washington State Cougars showed they're still a work in progress on Saturday in a 59-10 loss at North Texas.

WSU turned the ball over a total of five times (three interceptions, two fumbles) and reached the red zone just twice in a performance where the Cougars looked shell-shocked from the opening drive.

North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker continued his impressive run of form completing 24-of-29 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns. The Cougar secondary wasn't credited with a single pass breakup on the day. Caleb Francl provided the lone WSU defensive highlight of the day with a sack in the first quarter.

The Cougars were out-gained 410-275 despite holding the ball for three minutes longer.

An Early Hole

Coached by former Washington State OC Eric Morris, North Texas received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in ten plays, eating up four and a half minutes of clock. WSU's opening possession resulted in an interception by UNT's Evan Jackson, who returned it 60 yards deep into WSU territory. Jayden Becks needed just one 12-yard carry to reach the end zone and give UNT a 14-0 lead.

The Cougs were only able to muster a 26-yard field goal from Jack Stevens before the end of the first quarter. Things only got worse from there.

A Disastrous Second Quarter

The Cougars turned the ball over four more times in the second quarter, running a total of 20 plays over six drives. Jaxon Potter was pulled late in the second quarter and replaced by Julian Dugger.

North Texas answered WSU's mistakes in the second quarter with near-perfection, scoring touchdowns on four of their six drives in the quarter. It took them a total of 12 offensive plays across their four scoring drives to score 28 points.

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More of The Same in the Second Half

In the third quarter, WSU moved the ball a net of -3 in two drives and punted twice. UNT added ten more points with lengthy drives of nine and ten plays.

Washington State's offensive ineffectiveness carried through the fourth quarter, though Zevi Eckhaus took over at quarterback after being subbed in for the final 2:29 of the third.

On a day where the passing game was mostly a liabiliity, the running game was also largely a non-factor for the Cougs, who netted just 64 yards on 28 carries split amongst six ball carriers.

The highlight of the day for WSU came when Eckhaus engineered a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by a two-yard touchdown rush. By then, of course, it was far too late to make a difference.

Washington State will have a week to answer the questions a thorough shellacking like this presents. The 2-1 Cougs are back in action on September 20 for the latest chapter of the Boeing Apple Cup against the Washington Huskies. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 or 5 p.m. PT on CBS.

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