Washington State Drops 22-20 Result At #18 Virginia

Oct 18, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Washington State Cougars running back Leo Pulalasi (20) carries the ball as Virginia Cavaliers safety Ethan Minter (30) attempts a tackle during the first half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

A week after taking a top-five Ole Miss team to the wire, the Washington State Cougars are still searching for their first win over a ranked opponent of the Jimmy Rogers era.

The Cougars fell to the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday by a final score of 22-20. WSU will drop to 3-4 on the year with the loss to their ACC foe.

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A Hot Start For WSU

The Cougars took an early 7-0 lead with Zevi Eckhaus finding Josh Meredith on a deep shot in the end zone on their first possession. The defense forced two three-and-outs before allowing UVA's only score of the first half.

.@WSUCougarFB strikes first!

Zevi Eckhaus to Josh Meredith 🎯 pic.twitter.com/2STCAxDzBT

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 18, 2025

WSU got ten more points in the second quarter, including Eckhaus' third rushing touchdown of the season. WSU had a 17-7 lead at the end of the first half.

Eckhaus finished the game with 18 completions on 27 attempts for 183 yards with a passing touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed ten times for 33 yards and a touchdown.

Zevi Eckhaus keeps it himself to give @WSUCougarFB back the lead! pic.twitter.com/tHxhwMB5iI

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 18, 2025

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Fourth Quarter Collapse

To start the fourth quarter, down 20-10, Virginia mounted a 97-yard scoring drive in nine plays. Washington State then went a total of negative ten yards in three plays thanks to three consecutive penalties - two false starts and a holding call, all on right guard AJ Vaipulu. On a third-and-20, Eckhaus threw his second interception of the day, setting up UVA in WSU territory with less than six minutes left.

The Cougs defense managed to hold UVA to a field goal, which tied the game. WSU's kick return unit then mistakenly signaled a fair catch at the two-yard line on the ensuing kickoff. They were unable to move the ball out of their own end zone and UVA took a two-point lead with the safety. The Cavaliers managed to run out the remaining 2:35 from there.

Running Game Improvement Paying Off

The Washington State rushing attack totaled 143 yards on Saturday. Largely for this reason, Washington State won the time of possession battle on Saturday 34:14 to 25:46. This ability keep the offense on the field, combined with the WSU defense forcing five three-and-outs in the first three quarters, gave the Cougars a chance late in the game...even if they ended up not being able to capitalize on that chance.

The Cougars will now get to return to Pullman for their first home game in over a month. WSU will host Toledo on Saturday, October 25 for a 12:30 p.m. PT kickoff on The CW.

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