Washington State quarterback John Mateer ran for 197 yards and scored one of the team’s four rushing touchdowns in its 37-16 victory over visiting Texas Tech on Saturday.
Mateer’s rushing total was a single-game school record for a quarterback and accounted for a large chunk of the Cougars’ 416 total yards.
Sparked by Mateer and an opportunistic defense that forced three turnovers in the first half, Washington State (2-0) built a 27-10 lead by halftime and never really let the Red Raiders (1-1) make a serious comeback bid.
Mateer went 9-of-19 for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wayhawn Parker ran for 69 yards and a touchdown and Djouvensky Schlenbaker rushed for two more touchdowns in the win.
Texas Tech generated 261 yards in the opening 30 minutes (491 for the game) but came away with only 10 points.
Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton completed 34 of 58 passes for 323 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Josh Kelly had nine catches for 95 yards but also fumbled.
After a pedestrian first quarter when each team had nearly as many punts (2) as first downs (3), Washington State held a 7-3 lead.
Parker bolted 43 yards off left tackle for a touchdown that padded the lead to 14-3 with 6:09 left in the first half. On the ensuing Texas Tech drive, Kelly made a 7-yard reception but was stripped by Taariq Al-Uqdah, who scooped up the ball and ran to the 2-yard line.
Schlenbaker plowed in from there to give the Cougars their second touchdown in 16 seconds and a 21-3 advantage.
The Red Raiders showed some life on their next possession, putting together a six-play 75-yard drive that was capped by wide receiver Coy Eakin’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Johncarlos Miller II.
Cougars kicker Dean Janikowski missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on the ensuing drive, giving Texas Tech a chance to pull closer. But Morton’s pass was intercepted by Ethan O’Connor and returned 22 yards. Mateer ran for 15 yards, setting up his 21-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams with 25 seconds left in the first half.
