West Coast college football openings produced many lopsided victories and a few close finishes. Washington State escaped with a 13-10 win over Idaho via a late field goal. Washington pulled away from Colorado State with a dominant fourth quarter, powered by tailback Jonah Coleman’s 177 rushing yards. Oregon, USC and BYU posted overwhelming blowouts, outscoring opponents by wide margins. Arizona and Arizona State won comfortably at home; ASU’s broadcast on ESPN+ experienced a second-half feed crash that prompted an athletic director apology. Utah and Cal recorded convincing road wins, with Utah debuting a new offense and a physical run game.
A stacked lineup of night games along the West Coast on the first fully-loaded Saturday was devoid of drama, except in the Pacific Northwest. Washington State needed a late field goal to secure a 13-10 victory over Idaho and avoid what would have been a sour start to coach Jimmy Rogers' tenure. Across the state, Washington used a dominant fourth quarter to put away Colorado State 38-21 and (partially) justify the optimism accompanying Jedd Fisch's second season on Montlake.
A quick check of the numbers suggests the game should not have been close after halftime: The Huskies essentially doubled CSU's yardage total, converted 8-of-14 third downs and averaged 5.5 yards per rush; but the margin was only 10 midway through the fourth quarter. Then tailback Jonah Coleman barreled into the end zone he had 177 yards in total and the Huskies were able to exhale.
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