Utah State’s defense found its difference-maker in Asher Cunningham, and the junior middle linebacker delivered when the game tilted hardest.
Cunningham was everywhere for the Aggies in a win-turning stretch, forcing two turnovers and finishing with a game-high, career-high 17 tackles. His biggest play came midway through the fourth quarter, when he stripped Cougars tight end Jack Pedersen just before Pedersen’s knee hit the turf on a third-down snap with under eight minutes left. Cunningham then jumped on the loose ball deep in WSU territory, and Utah State used the short field to grab its first lead.
That wasn’t his only momentum-swinging hit. Earlier, in the third quarter, Cunningham rocked WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick and jarred the ball free.
Utah State recovered and punched in a touchdown five plays later, a sequence that flipped the game’s feel. Cunningham, an Elon transfer, also added half a sack and two tackles for loss.
The 6-2, 240-pound linebacker now has 52 tackles on the season, a total that will likely place him in the top 20 nationally after the weekend’s games.
On the other side, Jirah Leaupepetele quietly handled the kind of dirty work that can decide a game even when it doesn’t always show up in the spotlight.
The 349-pound nose tackle helped WSU hold up against inside runs, using his size and strength to notch two solo stops at the line of scrimmage. The junior Eastern Washington transfer also picked up his first full sack of the season in the third quarter, breaking through the Utah State line to bring down Grady Brosterhous on second-and-13 and stall a key Aggies drive while Utah State trailed by six and seemed to have seized momentum.
Leaupepetele came through again late, too. With under three minutes left and WSU facing a critical third-and-short, he shed his blocker and stopped Aggies running back Javen Jacobs just before the line to gain.
That stop forced a punt and kept WSU alive. He finished tied for third on the team with five total tackles.
In Other News...
Washington State Faces A Costly QB Question At Utah State
Washington State heads to Utah State carrying a familiar early-season concern, only this one sits right at the most important spot on the field. The Cougars have already been forced to weigh how much trust to place in Caden Pinnick, while the alternatives bring far less game experience and no easy certainty. For a team still trying to find its footing, the quarterback situation has become one of the defining questions of the week.
The matchup could easily swing on which side handles mistakes better, because both teams enter with turnover issues and each has reason to believe the other can be rattled. Washington State will look to lean on its defense if Utah States offense wobbles, while the Aggies will try to test the Cougars up front and turn any protection problems into takeaways. In a game shaped by caution as much as execution, the offense that protects the ball may be the one that leaves with the better feeling. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces An Early Pressure Game For Its Entire Offense
Washington State heads into its meeting with Utah State trying to steady an offense that never found its footing in a 26-6 loss to Fresno State. First-year coach Kirby Moore is already making changes in an effort to get more out of the group, and the Cougars find themselves in a spot where a sluggish start can quickly turn into a much bigger problem if they do not show something more functional on the field.
Utah State arrives with its own early-season frustrations, but the Aggies are still expected to have the edge in the matchup. Washington State does at least carry a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, yet this game feels less about history than urgency, with both sides searching for a clean response and the Cougars needing a sharper offensive showing to keep the pressure from building even more. [Read more 🡒]