The Washington State Cougars started the 2021 season in the worst way imaginable, coughing up a 12-point lead in the final 12 minutes to lose to the Utah State Aggies, 26-23. Utah State scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 11 seconds remaining when Logan Bonner found Deven Thompkins in the end zone with a 7-yard pass.
The result continued what has been a tumultuous couple of months for the WSU program, which has had to deal with questions swirling around Nick Rolovich’s anti-vaccination stance and the uncertainty of who would start at quarterback.
As it turned out, Jarrett Guarantano took the first snaps, but didn’t last long — at the end of his fourth drive, he suffered what appeared to be an injury while taking a sack for a safety that knocked him out for the rest of the game and made way for Jayden de Laura to assume the reins once again.