Quarterback John Mateer ran for 197 yards and scored one touchdown, and Wayshawn Parker broke free for a 43-yard touchdown during a 14-point burst in just 16 seconds in the second quarter. Washington State easily defeated Texas Tech 37-16 on Saturday night.
Djouvensky Schlenbaker added two short touchdown runs as the Cougars (2-0) outplayed their biggest opponent to visit Pullman this season. Texas Tech (1-1) was one of the two Power Four teams on Washington State’s schedule this year.
“We’re our own worst enemy right now,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “You can’t win a game when you’re making the mistakes we’re making and playing the way we are.”
Mateer threw one touchdown pass, but his rushing yards made the big impact, setting a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
Washington State finished with 301 rushing yards as a team, marking only the sixth time since 2000 that they have surpassed 300 yards on the ground and the first time since 2022.
“They kept dropping eight players into coverage, so we decided to run the ball and it worked,” Mateer said. “The offensive line was performing really well. They’re very good.”
The game between the two schools, both once coached by the late Mike Leach, took place during the weekend when Leach was inducted into Washington State’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Both teams wore pirate-themed stickers on their helmets, and Leach was honored at halftime along with other inductees.
Leach would have appreciated the points scored, even though the game wasn’t a model of offensive precision.
