Jayden de Laura got a leg up in Washington State’s quarterback derby, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another as the Cougars defeated Portland State 44-24 Saturday in a nonconference game in Pullman, Wash.
de Laura, who started as a freshman in 2020, completed 21 of 29 passes for 303 yards for the Cougars (1-1). Two of his TDs went to Travell Harris.
Tennessee transfer Jarrett Guarantano got the nod for the Cougars’ season opener last week, a 26-23 loss to Utah State. But he suffered a left leg injury in the second quarter and was replaced by de Laura, who led the team to a double-digit lead before the Aggies rallied in the final 5 1/2 minutes.
The FCS Vikings (0-2) provided an easier test as WSU took a 30-10 halftime lead thanks to 13 points off turnovers.
A Portland State fumble led to the Cougars’ first score, a 22-yard pass from de Laura to Calvin Jackson Jr.
The Vikings tied the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by quarterback Davis Alexander.
Harris returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to Portland State’s 46-yard line and de Laura capped a three-play drive with a 10-yard run.
A 16-yard touchdown run by Deon McIntosh, who had a game-high 64 yards on eight carries, gave WSU a 21-7 lead.
Portland State’s Cody Williams kicked a 46-yard field goal to make it 21-10.
But de Laura threw a 19-yard TD pass to Harris with 1:07 left in the second quarter and the Cougars turned an interception into a 23-yard field goal by Dean Janikowski as the half ended to make it a 20-point game.
Max Borghi rushed for a 1-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to extend WSU’s lead to 37-10. Borghi had 59 yards on 13 carries.
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Alexander completed fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 39 yards to Beau Kelly and 3 yards to Nate Bennett.
Alexander, who threw for 400 yards last week in a loss at Hawaii, was 28 of 50 for 318 yards. He also rushed for a team-high 62 yards on 13 carries.
Kelly had a game-high 152 yards receiving on 10 catches.
–Field Level Media