GAMEDAY College Football
Washington State 31, Wisconsin 22
(AP Photo/Young Kwak)
By JOSH WRIGHT
Associated Press
PULLMAN, Wash. - Cameron Ward passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns and added another 43 yards rushing, Nakia Watson scored on a 1-yard run with 5:30 remaining and Washington State upset No. 19 Wisconsin 31-22.
Ward scrambled for runs of 23 yards and 14 yards during a pivotal fourth-quarter drive to help the Cougars avoid a second-half meltdown and beat the Badgers for the second straight season. Watson capped the drive with his 1-yard plunge.
Washington State (2-0) hosted its first Power Five nonconference opponent since 1998 and played its first home game since the collapse of the Pac-12 this summer. Facing an uncertain future as a Power Five program, Washington State put on a show in the first half to race to a 24-6 lead.
It got dicey after that for the Cougars.
Wisconsin (1-1) scored 16 straight points and was driving in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead before running back Chez Mellusi fumbled near midfield.
The Badgers lost three fumbles and had little go right in the first half. Nathanial Vakos made three field goals in the first half, but Wisconsin didn't find the end zone until Mellusi's 2-yard run midway through the third quarter that cut Washington State's lead to 24-16.
Mordecai hit Skyler Bell on a 16-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to pull Wisconsin to 24-22, but the two-point conversion attempt failed.
Mordecai was 25 of 40 for 278 yards and fumbled twice, both on sacks by Ron Stone Jr. One of the fumbles was recovered by Brennan Jackson for a touchdown in the first half.
LEACH HONORED
Black pirate flags and shirts were all over Martin Stadium in honor of Mike Leach, the former Washington State coach who died in December.
The Cougars burst through the tunnel before the game with eight players waving pirate flags. A handful of former players then raised a large black flag with the Cougars logo and crossing swords in the southeast corner of the stadium. Most Washington State coaches also wore black pirate shirts in honor of the coach who led the Cougars to six bowl games from 2012-2019.
KLAY THOMPSON IN THE HOUSE
Former Washington State basketball star Klay Thompson was on the sideline for the big matchup and presented the Washington State women’s basketball team with the Pac-12 conference championship trophy during a timeout in the first quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY
Washington State may not have a future as a Power Five conference, but it showed it belonged – for the second straight year – against the Badgers of the Big Ten. Wisconsin, meanwhile, faces plenty of questions two games into Luke Fickell’s tenure.
Washington State athletics press release
September 9, 2023
| Scoring Summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | Wisc | WashSt | |||
| WashSt | TD | 5:34 | Kyle Williams 4 yard TD pass from Cameron Ward (Dean Janikowski Extra Point) | 0 | 7 |
| Wisc | FG | 1:07 | Nathanial Vakos 49 yard field goal | 3 | 7 |
| Second Quarter | Wisc | WashSt | |||
| WashSt | TD | 14:10 | Lincoln Victor 1 yard TD pass from Cameron Ward (Dean Janikowski Extra Point) | 3 | 14 |
| Wisc | FG | 10:17 | Nathanial Vakos 33 yard field goal | 6 | 14 |
| WashSt | FG | 7:14 | Dean Janikowski 46 yard field goal | 6 | 17 |
| WashSt | TD | 2:08 | Brennan Jackson 0 yard fumble return for TD (Dean Janikowski Extra Point) | 6 | 24 |
| Wisc | FG | 0:21 | Nathanial Vakos 29 yard field goal | 9 | 24 |
| Third Quarter | Wisc | WashSt | |||
| Wisc | TD | 6:15 | Chez Mellusi 2 yard TD run (Nathanial Vakos Extra Point) | 16 | 24 |
| Wisc | TD | 0:25 | Skyler Bell 16 yard TD pass from Tanner Mordecai (Chez Mellusi 2pt conversion attempt is NO GOOD) | 22 | 24 |
| Fourth Quarter | Wisc | WashSt | |||
| WashSt | TD | 5:30 | Nakia Watson 1 yard TD run (Dean Janikowski Extra Point) | 22 | 31 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Washington State | |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Rushing | 7 | 8 |
| Passing | 13 | 9 |
| Penalty | 0 | 2 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 6-14, 43% | 7-16, 44% |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-1, 0% | 1-1, 100% |
| Rushes-Yards | 29-90 | 35-81 |
| Passing Yards | 278 | 251 |
| Return Yards | 54 | 33 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int | 25-40-0 | 21-33-0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 3-23 | 4-27 |
| Punts | 3 | 6 |
| Fumbles Lost | 3-3 | 0-0 |
| Penalties - Yards | 5-35 | 8-48 |
| Wisconsin Passing | |||||
| Player | Cmp | Att | Yds | TDs | Int |
| T. Mordecai | 25 | 40 | 278 | 1 | 0 |
| Washington State Passing | |||||
| Player | Cmp | Att | Yds | TDs | Int |
| C. Ward | 20 | 32 | 212 | 2 | 0 |
| L. Victor | 1 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin Rushing | ||||
| Player | Carries | Yds | Avg | TDs |
| C. Mellusi | 12 | 49 | 4.1 | 1 |
| T. Mordecai | 10 | 21 | 2.1 | 0 |
| B. Allen | 7 | 20 | 2.9 | 0 |
| Washington State Rushing | ||||
| Player | Carries | Yds | Avg | TDs |
| C. Ward | 17 | 43 | 2.5 | 0 |
| N. Watson | 11 | 26 | 2.4 | 1 |
| J. Jenkins | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 |
| J. Mateer | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 |
| D. Sheffield | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin Receiving | ||||
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TDs |
| W. Pauling | 5 | 78 | 15.6 | 0 |
| C. Dike | 4 | 75 | 18.8 | 0 |
| B. Green | 2 | 54 | 27.0 | 0 |
| S. Bell | 5 | 44 | 8.8 | 1 |
| B. Allen | 6 | 12 | 2.0 | 0 |
| C. Williams | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 |
| H. Rucci | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Washington State Receiving | ||||
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TDs |
| L. Victor | 7 | 55 | 7.9 | 1 |
| K. Williams | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 1 |
| C. Mathers | 1 | 39 | 39.0 | 0 |
| J. Jenkins | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 |
| N. Watson | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 |
| B. Riviere III | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 |
| A. Dollar | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 |
| C. Hernandez | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 |
| D. Sheffield | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 |
| J. Kelly | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin Interceptions | ||
| Player | Int | Yards |
| Washington State Interceptions | ||
| Player | Int | Yards |
| Wisconsin Punting | |||
| Player | Punts | Yards | Avg |
| A. Bertrams | 3 | 123 | 41.0 |
| Washington State Punting | |||
| Player | Punts | Yards | Avg |
| N. Haberer | 6 | 258 | 43.0 |
| Wisconsin Punt Returns | |||
| Player | Ret | Yards | Average |
| C. Dike | 2 | 23 | 11.5 |
| Washington State Punt Returns | |||
| Player | Ret | Yards | Average |
| Wisconsin Kick Returns | |||
| Player | Ret | Yards | Average |
| C. Dike | 1 | 31 | 31.0 |
| Washington State Kick Returns | |||
| Player | Ret | Yards | Average |
| L. Victor | 2 | 33 | 16.5 |
| Wisconsin Missed FG | |
| Player | Length |
| Washington State Missed FG | |
| Player | Length |
