The purple and yellow streamers descended onto the field and scattered near Jimmy Rogers, whose Washington State team prides itself on limiting big plays on defense. The Cougars had done it so well all season, blossoming into one of the nation's best units, a brick wall at all the right times.
So when No. 21 James Madison surged through it, using a long touchdown rush to take the lead in a 24-20 win over WSU on Saturday afternoon, all Rogers could do was stare straight ahead. He looked over at the end zone, where his Cougars were trotting back from, noise almost shaking a packed Bridgeforth Stadium.
With a chance to earn bowl eligibility and knock James Madison out of the College Football Playoff picture, WSU's defense couldn't come through the way it had for the three quarters that preceded this disastrous fourth. Outscored 14-3 in the second half, the Cougars' offense couldn't issue an effective rebuttal on their final drive, allowing the Dukes to wind out the clock on their 10th win of the season.
Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus followed an early pick-six with two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground, handing WSU a 17-10 lead at halftime. But three second-half points weren't enough to hold off the Dukes, who used two long touchdowns — one a 68-yard touchdown pass, the other the final dagger, a 58-yard rush from running back Wayne Knight — to put things away.
WSU (5-6) will have to try and earn bowl eligibility in its regular-season finale, which is set for Nov. 29 at home against Oregon State.
WSU had to play without veteran safety Cale Reeder, who missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. A reliable presence in the Cougs' secondary, which entered No. 15 nationally in passing defense on the year, Reeder's absence turned things over to fellow veteran safety Matt Durrance, who totaled eight tackles on the afternoon. But Durrance was also partially responsible for the Dukes' game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.
That play went like this: Barnett took a shotgun snap, faked a QB keeper, then looked to pass. Durrance bit on that play fake, giving JMU receiver Braden Wisloski space to run right behind him, springing wide open. Barnett had no issue lasering a pass to Wisloski, who put the finishing touches on a 68-yard touchdown connection, knotting the game at 17-all.
The Cougars also had to finish the game with a different offensive line than the group that started the game. In the third quarter, senior center Brock Dieu exited with an injury, prompting backup Kyle Martin to take his place. Later in the game, Dieu emerged on crutches, his right foot in a boot.
It was a brutal turn of luck for Dieu, who also exited early from WSU's loss to Oregon State earlier this month, suffering the same type of foot injury. In that game, Dieu remained on the sideline after getting hurt. He did the same on Saturday. But this time, he did so on crutches.
The Cougs drew first blood, chasing a forgettable opening drive with a short field goal from Stevens, who connected from 29 yards out. The Dukes matched it on their next series, tying the game on a 45-yarder from Morgan Suarez.
That's about when things went south for WSU. Early in the second quarter, Eckhaus danced in the pocket, looking for someone to throw to. He threw one to senior wideout Josh Meredith, who wasn't particularly open. Eckhaus paid for it immediately. He was picked off by JMU cornerback Justin Eaglin, who raced 37 yards untouched the other way, cruising into the end zone for a pick-six and handing the Dukes a 10-3 lead.
But Eckhaus and the Cougs' offense responded in an electric way. Two series after throwing the pick-six, Eckhaus drifted up in the pocket and uncorked a one-legged bomb in the direction of junior receiver Tony Freeman, who snagged in nearly in-stride, jetting across the goal line for a touchdown. That tied things at 10-all.
WSU wasn't done. Right before halftime, the Cougars capped a long scoring drive with a touchdown rush from Eckhaus, who took a shotgun snap, spun around and looked to roll out for a pass. But nothing was there, so Eckhaus planted his foot in the ground, changed directions and powered into the end zone. As his teammates mobbed him, he unleashed a primal scream. WSU took a 17-10 lead into halftime.
It just wasn't enough.
