Oct. 22—PULLMAN — When Washington State takes the field this weekend against No. 21 Boise State, the Cougars will be in for a lot of firsts.
It'll be WSU's first time hosting Boise State since 2017, when the late Tyler Hilinski came off the bench to lead a wild comeback. It'll be the first time that Cougar coach Kirby Moore has faced the Broncos, for whom he played in the early 2010s. It will also be quarterback Owen Eshelman's first home start after taking over the reins last weekend.
But what about the previous matchups between the Cougs and Broncos, who will be meeting for the first time as Pac-12 foes? The teams have only clashed seven times before. WSU owns a 5-2 record in the matchup.
Here is a look back at all seven games, in chronological order.
1997: WSU wins a blowout in Pullman, 58-0
In former WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf's senior season, the Cougars started 7-0 and wound up in the Rose Bowl. They laid the foundation for that magical season in late September, when they handed the Broncos a 58-0 loss, to this day BSU's largest loss in program history and still the last time the program has been shut out in one game.
All told, Leaf completed 17 of 30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cougars churned out 209 more yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Michael Black piled up 17 carries for 141 yards and two total touchdowns, while receiver Kevin McKenzie caught six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Also notable from that game: WSU kicker Rian Lindell connected on a 57-yard field goal. That put the Cougs up 17-0 in the second quarter.
The game also featured this interesting twist: Boise State kicker Todd Belcastro, a product of Mead High in Spokane, was not recruited by WSU and coach Mike Price. Ahead of the game, he gave this quote to the Idaho Statesman: "I hate the Cougars. I really do. I'm going to wear my Washington hat on the sideline Saturday after we win. I'm going to sign a football, put the score on it, and hand it to Price."
1998: WSU follows up with a close win in Boise
In the following year, the Cougars traveled to the blue turf in Boise, where they emerged with a 33-21 win. The visitors were down 7-6 at halftime, but thanks to a 27-point second half, they won by a relatively comfortable margin.
In the fourth quarter, WSU went up by two scores on a touchdown pass from Steve Birnbaum to Leaford Hackett. Moments later, the Broncos drew within one score on a fumble recovery for a touchdown, only for the Cougars to put the game away with an explosive 79-yard touchdown rush from DeJuan Gillmore.
"They were blitzing us on just about every play in the first quarter," said WSU coach Mike Price, whose team moved to 2-0 with that win. "That was keeping the quarterback off balance. He wasn't able to get his feet set and make the plays we had to make."
2000: Cougars eke out close win at Martin Stadium
In the final minute of a 35-35 game, WSU's offense found itself at the Boise State 1-yard line.
"There was no doubt that we were going to go for it," WSU coach Mike Price said.
The Cougars made their coach look wise, scoring on a short rush by Adam Hawkins, putting the hosts up by the final margin of 42-35. They could have kicked a field goal, but decided against it, giving their defense some extra wiggle room for the Broncos' final drive.
In that one, WSU quarterback Jason Gesser completed 21 of 30 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, playing through concussion symptoms from the third quarter on.
2001: WSU spoils BSU coach Dan Hawkins' debut with 41-20 victory
In this one, the visiting Cougars at one point ran off 28 points to secure what turned into a blowout 41-20 win, handing the Broncos a loss in new coach Dan Hawkins' first home game at the helm of the program.
Some highlights from this game: Linebacker Raonall Smith returned an interception 54 yards for an interception, Jason Gesser found James Price for a 55-yard touchdown and, in the third quarter, Collin Henderson took a lateral from Gesser in the backfield, then threw it to Nakoa McElrath, who scored on a 71-yard play to give the Cougs a 41-13 lead.
2016: Cougars' late rally not enough in 31-28 loss
WSU and Boise State didn't meet again for another 15 years, but the game was worth the wait. In the third quarter, the Broncos went up 24-7, only for the Cougars to come roaring back, scoring three touchdowns to pull within three in the final moments.
But it wasn't enough for WSU, which fell in a 31-28 defeat, quarterback Luke Falk's final desperation heave going incomplete. For the game, Falk completed 55 of 71 passes for 480 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, which turned into a long pick-six by BSU cornerback Tyler Horton.
With under a minute to go in the fourth frame, BSU inexplicably kept throwing. The Cougars made former Shadle Park High star quarterback Brett Rypien pay, getting an interception from Charleston White in the end zone.
That gave the Cougs new life in the final minute, but with a few seconds to play, Falk had to launch one deep. It hit the blue turf, sealing the Broncos' win.
"It's like a boxer if he's really good at hitting the bag, and then all of a sudden he fights a boxing match and he won't throw any blows. That's who we are," the late WSU coach Mike Leach said. "We have to be a tougher football team and right now we're not. Right now we've got a bunch of good, nice, jolly guys who will work their asses off, at times, but as soon as anybody hits them or there's any adversity, we fold."
2017: Hilinski comes off the bench to lead wild triple-overtime comeback
Where to start with WSU's 47-44 triple-overtime win in 2017? The Cougars found themselves trailing 31-10 with a shade under 11 minutes to go, only to come back to tie it and send the game to overtime, doing so on a crazy series of scoring plays.
Early in the fourth frame, BSU lineman Curtis Weaver recovered a Luke Falk fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Falk was injured on the play and did not return to the game, paving the way for the late backup Tyler Hilinski to come off the bench and lead the rest of the comeback.
The Cougars drew within two scores on a 17-yard pass from Hilinski to Jamire Calvin. That's about when things got weird. Later, Rypien stumbled and tried a shovel pass, which was promptly picked off by WSU linebacker Peyton Pelluer, who returned it for a touchdown. That trimmed the Broncos' lead to 31-24.
Things got even crazier from there. With about three minutes left, WSU punted, but the ball caromed off a Boise State player and was recovered by the Cougs. A few plays later, Hilinski found running back Jamal Morrow for the game-tying touchdown.
Then, after the teams played to a draw after two overtimes, the Cougars forced the Broncos into a field goal in the third. They won on their possession, thanks to a 22-yard pass from Hilinski to Morrow, who jetted to the end zone and dove across the pylon for the winning score.
A few months later, Hilinski died by suicide, making this win extra special for his family and WSU.
2024: Ashton Jeanty boosts Heisman case in BSU's 45-24 win over WSU
In the teams' most recent clash, things were interesting in the fourth quarter, when quarterback John Mateer unleashed a deep touchdown pass to receiver Kyle Williams, helping the visiting Cougars claw within 24-17.
But thanks to Boise State's runaway fourth frame, that's as close as they got, good for a 45-24 BSU win.
In this one, Bronco running back Ashton Jeanty torched the Cougar defense for 259 yards rushing for four touchdowns, helping his case for the Heisman Trophy, finishing second in that race.