Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Gordon led the charge for the Cougars on Saturday as they took down the New Mexico State Aggies 58-7.

Gordon led the team until he was pulled out of the game late in the third quarter to give other WSU quarterbacks some time to work the ball.

Bringing in five touchdowns and 420 yards, Gordon dominated in his first game starting as quarterback for WSU.

Gordon gave a lot of credit to his receiving core, as he completed passes to ten different targets throughout the night.

“I felt really comfortable out there,” Gordon said. “The receivers, as you know, had a lot of yards after the catch that really helped me out a lot so, all of us as a unit worked really well together.”

Gordon ended the night with a 230.8 passer rating, similar to what Cougar fans have seen with previous WSU quarterbacks, but this time it was different.

Although Gordon is a senior and has been with WSU for a long time, this is his first year starting as quarterback.

Fans cheered throughout the game as Gordon continued to complete passes and add to the score against NMSU.

“Coming here and not playing a lot and then coming to this is rewarding,” Gordon said, “but I try to block all of that stuff out and just focus on the game.”

Despite it being his first start for WSU, Gordon said he was focused.

“I had some butterflies before the game,” Gordon said. “It wasn’t any sort of bad nerves though, I was optimistic, and I was confident coming into the game.”

Sophomore running back Max Borghi, who also had a great game with 128 yards from 10 touches, held Gordon in high regard.

“I couldn’t even count how many touchdowns he had,” Borghi said. “He had a great first game, he didn’t look nervous out there. He executed his job well. It’s not really different from the way he practices, and that’s why he’s the guy.”

All of Gordon’s possession during the game resulted in a score for the Cougars, giving them a comfortable 48-7 lead over the Aggies before he was pulled.

“It keeps [head coach Mike] Leach pretty happy,” Gordon said. “Those two field goals bothered him a little bit. We may lose a little bit of sleep.”

Gordon’s first start of his WSU career was one to remember, making him The Daily Evergreen’s Athlete of the Week.

This was only the first of many games that Cougar fans will see Gordon in, as he will be seen again at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Martin Stadium against Northern Colorado.