PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Washington State linebacker Jeremiah Allison wasn’t going to fish for excuses after the Cougars of the Pac-12 were upset by Portland State of the FCS 24-17 on Saturday.
The game was played in a driving rainstorm with unseasonably chilly temperatures, which likely hurt Washington State’s passing offense more than Portland State.
Allison wasn’t having it.
“You have to deal with the circumstances,” he said. “They were playing in the same rain as we did. They made tackles.”
“We didn’t execute our X’s and O’s'” Allison said.
Asked what went wrong for the Cougars, Allison said: “We gave up 24 points in the second half.”
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk left the game late in the fourth quarter with an injury. Coach Mike Leach, as is his custom, refused to discuss any injuries.
Leach said Portland State didn’t do anything tricky, and overcame plenty of adversity in winning the game. The Cougars dominated the first half, although they managed to hold only a 10-0 lead at halftime.
“We didn’t tackle very good,” Leach said, a major reason the Vikings outgained them 233 yards to 104 yards on the ground.
“We are a lot better team than that,” Leach said.
It was the first time Portland State beat a Pac-12 team in 15 tries, and lifted their record to 3-32 against FBS teams. It was Washington State’s first loss to an FCS team in 20 outings.
“We never got in a rhythm on offense” Leach said.
“They were a real mature team,” Leach said of Portland State. “They hung together, and we got impatient.”
Steven Long scored on a 1-yard run with just over 2 minutes left in the game to lift Portland State to the upset.
Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa completed just 7 of 12 passes for 61 yards, but led all rushers with 92 yards on 16 carries in the opener for both teams.
“He has the ability to make plays with his feet,” coach Bruce Barnum said.
Falk completed 27 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns for WSU.
Washington State’s opening drive stalled on Portland State’s 4-yard line, and the Cougars settled for Erik Powell’s 21-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars had a bizarre drive on their second possession, moving forward and back over 90 yards because of penalties, and converting three fourth-down plays, before Powell’s 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Aaron Sibley.
Washington State’s first touchdown came on a screen pass from Falk to Keith Harrington, which the freshman running back turned into a 24-yard gain that gave the Cougars a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
That lead stood at halftime, as the Cougars outgained Portland State 274 yards to 66 yards in the first half.
Portland State came out strong in the third quarter, driving 75 yards with Paris Penn scoring on a 4-yard rush to cut Washington State’s lead to 10-7.
On Portland State’s next possession, Jonathan Gonzales kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with 4:37 left in the third.
Washington State turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, with Portland State taking over on its own 28. The Vikings were forced to punt, but WSU’s Kyrin Priester fumbled the catch and Portland State recovered on WSU’s 11. Nate Tago pounded over from the 8 to give Portland State a 17-10 lead with 13:06 left.
“We caught a break on that muffed punt,” Barnum said of the WSU fumble.
Tavares Martin returned the ensuing kickoff to Portland State’s 46, aided by a face-mask penalty against the Vikings. Gabe Marks caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Falk to tie the score at 17 with 9:11 left.
Kuresa led Portland State on a 14-play, 69-yard drive that consumed nearly 7 minutes, with Long rushing from the 1-yard line to lift Portland State to a 24-17 lead with 2:19 left.
Sibley intercepted a pass from WSU’s Peyton Bender with 42 seconds left to seal the win.
The WSU offense on Saturday looked much different from last year’s team, which threw for a school-record 5,732 yards and led the nation with 477.7 yards per game.
Portland State picked up a $525,000 check for coming to Pullman.
Kuresa is a junior college transfer who threw for 2,300 yards and 25 touchdowns last season at Snow College. Kuresa beat out senior Kieran McDonagh, who has started 29 games for the Vikings.
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