Washington State 54-52 San Jose State (September 20, 2024) Match Report

PULLMAN, Wash. — Dylan Paine scored on a 7-yard run in the second overtime, John Mateer made the obligatory two-point conversion and Washington State rallied in a wild 54-52 win over San Jose State on Friday night.

Emmett Brown answered with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Nick Nash for San Jose State (3-1), but Brown lost the ball under heavy pressure on the two-point attempt and the Cougars recovered to start 4-0 for the second consecutive season under third-year coach Jake Dickert.

Washington State turned a 10-7 first quarter deficit into a 24-17 halftime lead thanks to Mateer's 1-yard touchdown run and two touchdown passes of 4 and 8 yards to tight end Cooper Mathers.

Brown, who transferred after his final season as a backup at Washington State, led the Spartans to touchdowns on all three possessions of the third quarter. He passed to Nash for a 19-yard touchdown and ran in from a yard out before Floyd Chalk IV scored on an 18-yard run to give San Jose State a 38-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Mateer connected with Kyle Williams for a 13-yard touchdown with 13:41 left in the game. Mateer connected with Josh Meredith for a 36-yard touchdown after the Spartans lost the ball on a down, but Dean Janikowski missed the point-after kick and WSU trailed 38-37.

Kyle Thornton's interception gave the Cougars the ball at the Spartans' 32-yard line. Mateer threw to Meredith for a 31-yard gain and Paine ran it in on the next play. WSU led 43-38 after a two-point attempt failed.

Brown tied the score with TreyShun Hurry for a 20-yard touchdown on fourth-and-10, then passed to Nash, who scored two points to give the Spartans a 46-43 lead with 26 seconds left.

That was enough time for Mateer to hit Williams for a 32-yard gain before running another 8 yards to set up Janikowski's 52-yard field goal that sent the ball into overtime.

Redshirt freshman Ethan O'Connor intercepted a ball from Brown to end San Jose State's first extra possession. DJ Harvey intercepted a ball from Mateer to end WSU's first possession.

Mateer finished the game with 390 yards on 26 of 46 passing, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 111 yards and scored one score. Mateer, a sophomore, had 11 touchdown passes and six rushing scores in his first four career starts. Williams had eight catches for 138 yards.

Brown completed 35 of 54 passes for 375 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Nash finished the game with 16 pass catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He entered the game as the nation's all-time leader in catches (34), receiving yards (485) and touchdown catches (6). Chalk carried the ball 11 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He scored a touchdown on a 66-yard run on the Spartans' second play of the game.

Next

Washington State: Travels to face the Boise State Broncos on September 28.

San Jose State: Hosts the Nevada Wolf Pack on October 5.

——

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football