Washington State finishes bonkers 21-point comeback with this triple-OT touchdown

No. 20 Washington State beat Boise State 47-44 at home in a thrilling edition of Pac-12 after dark on Saturday night in Pullman. If you stayed up for the game that went well into the 2 a.m. ET hour, you got to see one hell of a finish.

The Cougars went down 31-10 with 10:53 left in the fourth quarter with a Boise State touchdown, but Wazzu’s offense came alive out of nowhere. The Cougs scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game up at 31 with 1:44 left. Neither team could make anything happen on offense, so the game was sent to overtime.

Things went into triple overtime (lol) and Boise State had the ball first, but had to settle for a 37-yard field goal to take a 44-41 lead before Wazzu’s turn. On second down, the Cougars put the game away on a beautiful 22-yard touchdown reception from Jamal Morrow.

When the clock hit zero it was 2:40 a.m. on the east coast.

In second OT, Washington State struck first with a 1-yard touchdown run to go up 41-34.

On Boise’s next possession, the Broncos were able to counter with a touchdown of their own to tie things up at 41 and send it into triple overtime at 2:35 a.m.

The first overtime didn’t lack excitement. Boise got the ball first, and the Broncos were able to get down to the Cougs’ 13-yard line, but the Broncos offense, faced with a third and 9, couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone, and had to settle for a 29-yard field goal to go up 34-31.

On Washington State’s ensuing possession, the Cougs had to settle for a game-tying field goal, not being able to convert on a third and goal from the Boise 1. WSU took a delay of game penalty to get a better angle on a 23-yard field goal attempt, and Erik Powell’s kick was good to send it into the second OT.

Boise’s defense gave Wazzu problems for the majority of the game, causing head coach Mike Leach to give this hilariously odd answer of “playing on offense” when asked at halftime about the challenges the Broncos’ defense was giving his team.

This is the first time Boise State has lost a game it was leading by 21 points or more in 101 consecutive straight games, a crazy stat that was brought up during the broadcast.

It’s a big come-from-behind win for Wazzu, and Boise’s four turnovers, including a pick-six by Cougs’ Peyton Pelleur to pull within a score in the fourth quarter during their their 21-point comeback, didn’t do them any favors.

Love you, Pac-12 after dark.