FB: Rebels Fall to Cougars, 59-7

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Marshall Lobbestael threw for career highs of 361 yards and five touchdowns as Washington State pounded UNLV 59-7 on Saturday.

Washington State (2-0) scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and held a 35-0 lead at halftime to win its first two games of the season for the first time since 2005. This is also its first two-game winning streak under Paul Wulff, who is in his fourth season as coach.

Lobbestael, who took over as starter after Jeff Tuel suffered a fractured collarbone last week, completed 24 of 32 passes. The fifth-year senior was not intercepted.

UNLV (0-2) was scoreless until Tim Cornett's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Rebels gained just 158 yards and could not stop the WSU offense, which produced 610 yards. Backup quarterback Connor Halliday threw a pair of late touchdown passes for WSU, giving them seven for the game.

UNLV was coming off a 51-17 loss at No. 8 Wisconsin and is trying to rebuild under second-year coach Bobby Hauck. Quarterback Caleb Herring completed just 11 of 20 passes for 60 yards.

Marquess Wilson caught five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown for WSU. Jared Karstetter had six receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

This one was over early, as Rickey Galvin ran 48 yards for a touchdown on WSU's opening drive. Galvin finished with 80 yards on five carries.

On WSU's second possession, Karstetter caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Lobbestael to cap a 74-yard drive for a 14-0 Cougars' lead.

On WSU's third possession, Lobbestael completed passes of 22 and 37 yards to Wilson, then hit a diving Karstetter for a 19-yard touchdown strike in the end zone. At that point Lobbestael had completed nine of his first 10 passes for 145 yards.

The Rebels, meanwhile, managed only 41 yards in the first quarter and their first three drives ended in punts.

Lobbestael led the Cougars' on an 80-yard drive on their fourth possession, and threaded the ball through a pair of defenders to hit Isiah Barton in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Just over 3 minutes later, Lobbestael hit tight end Andrei Lintz on a 23-yard touchdown pass to close first half scoring.

Lobbestael completed 18 of 21 passes for 274 yards in the first half, and WSU had 372 total yards in the first half while holding UNLV to 95 yards.

In the third quarter, Andrew Furney kicked a 46-yard field goal and Lobbestael threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Wilson for a 45-0 lead.

Lobbestael, who led WSU to a 64-21 win last weekend against Idaho State, had thrown for only seven touchdowns in his previous three years as a WSU player. He already has seven this season.

This is the first meeting between the two programs since 1991, and WSU has won all five times they have played.