tackles
Wazzu keeps tackles in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “A Freeman grad named Boen Phelps just broke a Coug heart in Boise”, “Utah State linebacker strips Coug tight end, flips the game”, and “Fifita shakes off the rust, hits Smith twice to flip the script on Arizona”. A Freeman High grad named Boen Phelps just broke a Coug heart in Boise. Utah State linebacker Asher Cunningham made the play of the game, and it wasn't even close. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every tackles story on Wazzu, newest first.
A Freeman grad named Boen Phelps just broke a Coug heart in Boise
A Freeman High grad named Boen Phelps just broke a Coug heart in Boise. The junior linebacker, a former walk-on, picked off an Owen Eshelman pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 13 yards to set up a touchdown that put the Broncos up by 14. That's the kind of play that makes you groan into your beer. Eshelman and running back Kirby Vorhees weren't on the same page, Vorhees went the wrong way, and the ball went right to Phelps. Two plays later, Boise State scored. Game over. Phelps finished with six tackles, but it was Dylan Riley who twisted the knife. The Broncos' star back struggled for three quarters against a WSU defense keying on the run. Then the fourth quarter happened. Riley ripped off a 33-yard score right after the pick, then bounced outside for a 72-yard dagger on the next possession. He finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing entering the game, he's now at 963 yards for the year. One bad snap. One missed read. That's the difference between a tight game and a runaway loss. For deeper coverage on how that fourth quarter unraveled, check out "One bad snap cost the Cougs a chance at an upset in Boise." Go Cougs.
Utah State linebacker strips Coug tight end, flips the game
Utah State linebacker Asher Cunningham made the play of the game, and it wasn't even close. He stripped tight end Jack Pedersen just before Pedersen's knee hit the turf on a third-down play with under eight minutes left. Then he pounced on the ball deep in WSU territory. That set up the Aggies' go-ahead touchdown. Game flipped. Cunningham also knocked the ball loose from Caden Pinnick in the third quarter. Utah State recovered that one too, scored five plays later, and the momentum never came back. The Elon transfer finished with a career-high 17 tackles, half a sack, and two tackles for loss. He now has 52 tackles on the season. That puts him near the top 20 nationally. The guy was everywhere. On the other side, Jirah Leaupepetele did what nose tackles do: the dirty work nobody notices until you watch the tape. The 349-pound Eastern Washington transfer plugged gaps, recorded his first full sack of the season, and stood up his blocker on a critical third-and-short with under three minutes left. He brought down the running back just before the line to gain, forced a punt, and kept WSU alive. Five tackles, tied for third on the team. That's a good day's work. This loss stings. If you want the full picture of how the offense let this one slip, go read "Cougs hand Utah State a win with an offense that forgot how to finish." It's exactly what it sounds like. Go Cougs.
Fifita shakes off the rust, hits Smith twice to flip the script on Arizona
Jackquintin Bal saw it coming before Noah Fifita let it go. The Washington State safety jumped the route, snatched the ball, and ran 25 yards untouched into the end zone. That pick-six put the Cougs up 14-0 early. It felt like one of those nights in Pullman where the old magic shows up. Then the second quarter happened. Fifita shook off the rust. Arizona's veteran quarterback started slow, but he found Caleb Smith for a 41-yard bomb, then hit him again for a 38-yard touchdown on the very next play. By the fourth quarter, Fifita was dropping a pinpoint over-the-shoulder pass to Isaiah Mizell for an 11-yard score. He finished 22 of 36, 297 yards, four touchdowns. The Wildcats erased that 14-point deficit and never looked back. Bal still had a night. The Arizona State transfer led the team with nine tackles, nearly grabbed a second pick in the end zone, and made open-field stops all over the field. But one great individual performance doesn't win a game when the other side's quarterback finds his rhythm. For the full story on how that early lead slipped away, check out "Cougs jump Arizona early, then watch a 14-point lead dissolve." The script flipped. Fifita improved to 2-0 in Pullman. That one stings. Go Cougs.