Washington State Football Defeats Toledo 28-7 To Move to 4-4

Oct 25, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Zevi Eckhaus (4) leads a touchdown celebrates against the Toledo Rockets in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Washington State ended a two-game losing streak and rewarded the fans at Gesa Field who braved the rain and the cold with a 28-7 win over the Toledo Rockets on Saturday afternoon.

Zevi Eckhaus completed ten of 22 pass attempts for 159 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kirby Vorhees added 15 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, while Tucker Large led the way on defense with a season high of 13 tackles and a TFL.

The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in the first quarter when neither side managed to gain any traction. WSU managed a net of only nine yards in the opening fifteen minutes while rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

On WSU's third possession of the game, they broke through with an 11-play, 89-yard scoring drive. Zevi Eckhaus found Josh Meredith deep down the field for a 40-yard gain. Three plays later, Eckhaus found the end zone with a seven-yard touchdown rush.

The WSU defense picked up another stop on the ensuing Toledo possession. WSU got in a rhythm quickly, with Eckhaus again finding Meredith for a 40-yard gain to get into the red zone. Four plays later, after an intentional grounding penalty on Eckhaus, he made up for it by hitting Tony Freeman for a 15-yard touchdown.

Another deep shot worked for the Cougars a few minutes later as Eckhaus connected with Carter Pabst for a 35-yard touchdown inside the final minute of the half. Toledo was able to answer before the break, thanks largely to a kickoff that Ryan Harris put out of bounds. With 16 seconds remaining, Toledo QB Tucker Gleason threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III to make it 24-7 at the halftime break.

that one was certified 👀 @carterpabst04

#GoCougs | #MadeOfCrimson pic.twitter.com/0gscmPPKv9

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) October 25, 2025

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In the third quarter, Eckhaus started the Cougs off with an interception, but their defense held Toledo with a pair of big backfield plays that gave the Rockets a net of just ten yards in ten plays before punting in Washington State territory.

WSU looked to be moving again on offense late in the third quarter, but the Rockets picked off Eckhaus again with the pass rush making contact as he released the ball. Despite yet another possession in Coug territory, the Rockets were stopped on fourth down as the front even again stepped up. The ensuing Cougs possession, however, ended in a punt.

Toledo again made it into WSU territory, but Parker Mckenna grabbed his first interception of the year to get the ball back at the WSU 35 with 8:55 remaining. The Cougar running game put together a punishing drive, while WSU narrowly avoided another interception thanks to a pass interference penalty and some miscommunication among Toledo's DBs. Kirby Vorhees scored on a direct snap from six yards out with 2:21 remaining. With no timeouts left, there was little Toledo could do from there.

picked. off. 😤 @ParkerMckenna44 pic.twitter.com/rOSGaV2ymT

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) October 25, 2025

Kirby's in 😮‍💨 @KirbyVorhees20 #GoCougs | #MadeOfCrimson pic.twitter.com/rnUzMoL0Y6

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) October 25, 2025

The Cougs will move to 4-4 on the season as they prepare to travel to Corvallis for the first of two contests against Oregon State this season on November 1.

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