Washington State Football defeats Oregon State, 38-35

Oregon State loses to Washington State despite a strong rushing attack and dominant performance by Deshaun Fenwick.

In a challenging game held in Pullman, Washington, Oregon State suffered a defeat on Saturday evening. Despite their strong rushing attack, led by the impressive performance of Deshaun Fenwick, the Beaver defense struggled to contain Washington State's offense, resulting in a missed victory. The passing game of Oregon State was particularly disappointing, especially when compared to the lethal spread offense of the Cougars.

The game started ominously for Oregon State, as Washington State scored a touchdown in just two plays. Kyle Williams took advantage of a defensive breakdown from Oregon State and managed to catch a 63-yard touchdown pass. On the Beavers' first possession, an awkward pitch/fumble to Damien Martinez on a 3rd-and-2 situation forced them to punt. Washington State capitalized on this opportunity and embarked on a 9-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, taking a 14-0 lead. One highlight of this drive was a remarkable catch from Josh Kelly. Oregon State's secondary struggled to contain the Cougars' offense, which resulted in one of our players throwing a punch and setting up a 1st-and-goal situation instead of a potentially tense third down attempt. Finally, the Beavers' offense responded with a drive heavily reliant on the running game. Deshaun Fenwick ran for an impressive 38-yard touchdown, the first of his three in the game. However, another long Washington State touchdown drive, followed by a DJ Uiagalelei interception, put the Beavers in a dire situation. Oregon State's defense managed to make a couple of big plays by recovering fumbles on consecutive possessions. DJ Uiagalelei connected with Silas Bolden for the Beavers' longest play of the day, a 50-yard catch, setting up another Deshaun Fenwick touchdown, bringing the score to 21-14 in favor of Washington State. Unfortunately, the Beavers' offense failed to capitalize on the second turnover, immediately turning the ball over on downs. Washington State's offense quickly responded, as Cam Ward found Josh Kelly for a touchdown after having ample time without feeling any pressure. At halftime, Oregon State found themselves trailing 28-14.

As the second half began, Beaver fans hoped for a rejuvenated offense, but their hopes were dashed. Instead, the next two Oregon State drives resulted in a turnover on downs and a punt, both lasting only four plays and gaining a mere nine yards. However, Washington State missed a long field goal, keeping the score tied. Nevertheless, a 12-play, 83-yard drive by Washington State felt like a dagger to the Beavers. Josh Kelly once again made an impressive catch for a touchdown, extending the Cougars' lead to 35-14. To their credit, Oregon State never gave up and managed to score touchdowns on their final three possessions. If it weren't for a fortunate bounce on a field goal attempt by Washington State that still went in, the game could have gone into overtime. With one minute remaining, Oregon State had a chance to recover an onside kick, but, as had been the theme of the game, they squandered the opportunity. Washington State emerged with a well-deserved 38-35 victory.