Red fireworks erupted from the roof of the Cougar Football Complex, on the other end of Gesa Field, where Zevi Eckhaus had just snuck into the end zone from barely a yard out. The bright red stood out against the night sky, sending a boom around the arena, and the Cougars who had helped give their group a three-score lead on Louisiana Tech headed back to the sideline.
As the last flares descended from the sky, and Cougar specialists took the field for the ensuing extra point, the noise began to quiet. It was becoming clear that, in this 28-3 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night, WSU did not need to provide extra pyrotechnics. The Cougs' defense made sure of that.
In his group's fifth win of the season, drawing within one win of bowl eligibility, coach Jimmy Rogers is probably just fine with that. A defensive guy at heart, Rogers' defense did not allow a touchdown, allowing only 167 total yards to the Bulldogs. A run-first guy by nature, Rogers' offense put things away on the ground, finishing with 157 yards.
As the first regular season of his tenure enters its final two weeks, Rogers isn't winning any style points. But for the first time in three weeks, the Cougars have won a game, which is enough to make their head man smile a little.
Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus totaled three touchdowns for the Cougs (5-5), who tacked on a late 19-yard scoring burst from running back Kirby Vorhees, putting the finishing touches on their win. Up 14-3 at halftime, the hosts added two scores in the fourth frame. The rest of the victory belonged to WSU's defense, which racked up three sacks and four tackles for loss, including a team-best 1 1/2 from sophomore defensive end Malaki Ta'ase.
The Cougars also earned their second interception of the season, which came from veteran cornerback Colby Humphrey. That helped WSU record its second game this fall holding an opponent without a touchdown.
The Cougars struck first on their first drive. After five straight rushes, Eckhaus took a shotgun snap, shuffled his feet in the pocket, went through his reads and lasered a throw over the middle to senior wideout Josh Meredith, who hauled it in on the run and tumbled into the end zone. For a comedic touch, he even set the ball down gently in the end zone, instead of spinning it, which he received a penalty for after a touchdown earlier in the season.
WSU's second scoring drive came two series later — but the most important play came before Eckhaus took the first snap. That came courtesy of junior wideout Tony Freeman, who also handles punt return duties. Through the first nine games of the season, he didn't get many chances to make returns. That trend came to a halt on Saturday, when he broke off a 58-yard return, darting up the middle and making men miss, streaking all the way down to the Louisiana Tech 17.
After that, the Cougars needed only six plays to find the end zone. Eckhaus did the honors, taking a QB keeper seven yards into the end zone. He lifted his palms to the sky, raising one above the other, a nod to the 6-7 joke sweeping across the country like a tsunami.
Louisiana Tech got on the scoreboard in the final seconds of the first half. After missing once from 56 yards, kicker John Hoyet got a mulligan thanks to an offsides call on WSU cornerback Kenny Worthy. One play later and five yards closer, Hoyet connected from 51 yards, helping the Bulldogs draw within 14-3 at the intermission.
WSU's road only gets more challenging from here. Next weekend, the Cougs head east to take on James Madison, which is reportedly set to host ESPN's College Gameday. The official announcement had yet to materialize at press time, but the Dukes are 9-1, squarely in position to make the College Football Playoff. So the move would make sense.
