EUGENE, Ore. -- When it mattered, Washington State was about as clutch (with a dash of lucky) as it could get and the Cougars beat Oregon 45-38 in double overtime, snapping the Ducks' eight-game win streak over Wazzu.
What the win means for Washington State: Even though quarterback Luke Falk was inconsistent throughout the game and the defense gave up major chunks to Royce Freeman, when it mattered most the Cougs got it done. They rallied from down 10 with less than six minutes remaining and managed to score on their final four drives of the game, including a game-tying touchdown and PAT with one second left. If there was such a thing as anti-Couging, Washington State did it Saturday night in Autzen Stadium, snapping the Ducks' eight-game win streak over Wazzu.
What the loss means for Oregon: The Ducks' struggles continue to dip them further and further from the national conversation and they're truly facing an identity crisis in Eugene. With Vernon Adams Jr. watching from the sideline, Jeff Lockie played most of the game as the Oregon coaches used Taylor Alie as a changeup of sorts. Royce Freeman's 246-yard rushing performance (his first 200 yard game of his career) and Charles Nelson's three-way game (team-high 12 tackles while playing on offense, defense and special teams) were bright spots in an otherwise frustrating day for Oregon.
Washington State player of the game: Falk. The sophomore was far from consistent but he led the Cougs the way the Cougs win -- in the air. He finished with a season-high 505 passing yards and five touchdowns (he also managed to not have his arm fall off after 74 pass attempts). He connected with 10 different receivers and would've actually tallied quite a few more receptions if some of his receivers didn't have butterfingers.
Uh what? The Cougars' game-wining touchdown was a bit confusing as Falk's pass landed in the hands of River Cracraft but then deflected off him and into the hands of Robert Lewis, who was credited with the touchdown. The official notice through the stadium was that it was a 4-yard touchdown pass from Falk to Lewis “via Cracraft,” which is likely the first time the word “via” has ever been used to describe a touchdown play.