After a tough week on and off the field, the Cougars (1-2) clinch their first win against Idaho (1-2) in the Battle of the Palouse this past weekend.

The Cougars made a statement by dismantling the Vandals 56-6, proving they’re capable of being aggressive on both sides of the ball. Head Coach Mike Leach gave props to his team who he called out for being soft in the first two games.

“I thought we played hard the whole game, but I thought we played tight early on,” Leach said. “The defense loosened up and played better than the offense sooner. The special teams unit was fairly explosive throughout the day. The sloppiness with regard penalties is alarming.”

After the WSU defense allowed a 42-yard field goal attempt that put the Idaho up by three early in the first quarter, WSU redshirt junior quarterback Luke Falk connected with sophomore wide receiver Kyle Sweet for a 50-yard pass. WSU redshirt freshman running back James Williams finished the drive with a touchdown that put the Cougars up 7-3. It was Williams’ first collegiate touchdown.

“I think we were more prepared for it all. We adjusted on the fly and I think we did a good job,” Falk said. “We basically took what they gave us. They put four in the box and tried to cloud everything, we’re obviously going to run it.”

WSU redshirt senior nose tackle Robert Barber, whose future on the team is uncertain due to issues off the field, blocked a field goal kick that lit up Martin Stadium. Barber has been expelled from WSU for an alleged involvement in a fight this summer that left a student with a broken jaw and another student unconscious. Barber is currently appealing the expulsion.

WSU junior cornerback Marcellus Pippins returned the blocked kick for a 72 yard touchdown in the second quarter. Although he didn’t give a dance in the end zone after the play, Pippins saved a dance for the media at the post-game news conference.

“I was going to dance, but I looked at the referee and thought he was going to throw a flag,” Pippins said. “I was going to do a thizzle dance, it’s a Bay Area dance.”

The focus and increased physicality was definitely present on the field against Idaho, especially after the team loosened up in the second quarter, continuing its momentum throughout the game to get the win.

“We needed this one very bad,” WSU junior defensive back Robert Taylor said. “With the bye week coming up, it’s going to help out a lot, coming off this win. Very positive, especially going into Pac-12 play.”

Tackles made by WSU redshirt junior safety Charleston White, sophomore cornerback Darrien Molton, and junior linebacker Frankie Luvu denied the Vandals offense any chance to scoring in the second quarter.

The Cougar offense fed off of the energy of the defense and continued to stretch their lead. Falk made an 8-yard pass to WSU redshirt senior wide receiver Gabe Marks, increasing the lead to 21-3.

The Vandals responded by scoring another field goal in the third quarter, but the Cougars remained composed. WSU redshirt junior running back Gerard Wicks scored on a 2-yard run to conclude the third quarter.

“Once special teams started playing defense, it was like a chain reaction,” Wicks said, “we all just made plays altogether as a team.”

To open the fourth quarter, Falk hit WSU redshirt junior wide receiver Robert Lewis with a 10-yard pass, making it a 35-6 lead for the Cougars. Sweet made a 9-yard pass from Falk to score.

As the fourth quarter winded down, Wicks scooped up a fumble by Idaho junior wide receiver Reuben Mwehla and scored during the kickoff return. WSU redshirt sophomore running back Alijah Lee finished the Vandals off with a 6-yard run and scored with a minute and two seconds left in the game.

The Cougars will face Oregon following the bye week to open up conference play on Oct. 1 at Martin Stadium.