Chad Chalich's 5 turnovers ultimately doom Idaho in rivalry game
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Idaho (1-2) / 0 / 7 / 0 / 8 / 15
Washington State (1-2) / 14 / 3 / 6 / 7 / 30
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Idaho tight end Michael LaGrone got behind the Cougar defense and raced to score one of his two touchdowns on the day
Pullman, WA -- In the Battle for the Palouse, Washington State rushed out to a quick lead and never let up on the way to a victory over their rival from nearby Moscow as the Cougars defeated the Vandals 30 to 15.
In the latest game between two schools that are located less than 10 miles apart, Washington State used their patented air raid attack to completely demolish the Vandal defense. The Cougar offense, led by star QB Connor Halliday, racked up almost 500 yards with the vast majority coming through the air. Halliday threw the ball a staggering 57 times and completed just over half of his passes for over 450 yards, with 3 different receivers eclipsing the 100 yard mark in the game. Little used running back Marcus Mason only carried the ball 9 times but managed to punch in two short TD runs, including a 3 yard score that gave his team a two possession lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. In short, Wazzu was operating on all cylinders when they had control of the football, regardless of what Idaho tried to counter them with.
Concerning the Vandals offense, Redshirt freshman Chad Chalich accounted for the majority of Idaho's successes as well as pitfalls on offense as the team struggled to run the ball for the third straight week despite James Baker's best efforts. With the team quickly down two scores, Idaho OC Isaac Butcher had no choice but to entrust the game in his starter's hands, and Chalich kept them in the game. Late in the game, however, Chalich showed his youth by throwing interceptions on three straight drives and effectively sealing the game for Washington State. The Vandals continued to spread the ball around, with 7 different players recording a carry and 9 different players catching at least pass. Senior tight end Michael LaGrone lead the way and showed why he's so highly regarded today as he led the team in receiving yards and scored the team's only touchdowns.
Idaho running back Jerrell Brown left the game after he bruised his shoulder in the third quarter and did not return. Idaho HC Paul Petrino said the team did not have a definitive timeline on Brown's return but noted that "Jerrel's just dinged himself up here a little bit, so we expect that it shouldn't take more than a couple weeks for him to start feeling in top shape again. We want him to take his time so that this doesn't turn into something more serious." In the meantime, expect Kristoffer Olugbode and Andrew Williams to pick up some of Brown's workload.
Idaho returns home to host the Temple Owls next week whilst Washington State hosts a very good Stanford squad
Scoring Summary:
| Scoring Team | Quarter | Time | Play Summary | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | 1st | 7:24 | G. Marks, 25 yard pass from C. Halliday (A. Furney kick) | 0-7 |
| Washington State | 1st | 3:52 | M. Mason, 0 yard run (A. Furney kick) | 0-14 |
| Idaho | 2nd | 2:24 | M. LaGrone, 31 yard pass from C. Chalich (A. Rehkow kick) | 7-14 |
| Washington State | 2nd | 0:52 | A. Furney, 21 yard FG | 7-17 |
| Washington State | 3rd | 3:56 | R. Galvin, 23 yard pass from C. Halliday (XP No Good) | 7-23 |
| Idaho | 4th | 7:23 | M. LaGrone, 16 yard pass from C. Chalich (2-Pt Good, C. Chalich pass to N. Lovett) | 15-23 |
| Washington State | 4th | 1:35 | M. Mason, 3 yard run (A. Furney kick) | 15-30 |
Team Stats
| Stat | Idaho | Washington State |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 15 | 30 |
| First Downs | 18 | 23 |
| Total Offense | 382 | 497 |
| Rushes - Yards - TD | 32-104-0 | 14-41-2 |
| Comp - Att - TD | 24-38-2 | 30-57-2 |
| Passing Yards | 278 | 456 |
| 3rd Down Conv | 6-14 (42%) | 4-12 (33%) |
| 4th Down Conv | 0-0 (0%) | 0-0 (0%) |
| 2-Point Conv | 1-1 (100%) | 0-0 (0%) |
| RedZone - TD - FG | 3-1-0 (33%) | 7-2-1 (42%) |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Intercepted | 4 | 2 |
| PR Yards | 7 | 18 |
| KR Yards | 60 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 449 | 534 |
| Punts - Average | 5 - 41.6 | 4 - 44.8 |
| Penalties - Yards | 5-30 | 2-20 |
| T.O.P. | 19:32 | 12:28 |
Players of the Game:
| Team | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | Michael LaGrone, TE | Jayshawn Jordan, CB |
| Washington State | Connor Halliday, QB | Cyrus Coen, ROLB |
Idaho Player Stats
Chad Chalich 24-38, 278 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT, 9 carries, 28 yards, sacked 3 times
James Baker 12 carries, 58 yards, 5 receptions, 38 yards
Najee Lovett 4 receptions, 32 yards,
Michael LaGrone 4 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TD
Deon Watson 4 receptions, 51 yards
Jayshawn Jordan 2 tackles, 1 INT
Maxx Forde 3 tackles, 1 TFL
Christian Whitehead 9 tackles
Washington State Player Stats
Connor Halliday 30-57, 456 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 5 carries, 13 yards, sacked 1 time
Marcus Mason 9 raccies, 28 yards, 2 TD, 3 receptions, 30 yards
Rickey Galvin 9 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD
River Cracraft 7 receptions, 117 yards, 2 tackles
Gabe Marks 6 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
Dom Williams 5 receptions, 106 yards
Kache Palacio 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.0 sacks
Casey Locker 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FF
Darryl Monroe 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
Cyrus Coen 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT
Deone Buchanon 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
Nolan Washington 1 tackle, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR
Up Next:
Temple (1-2)
