FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Zevi Eckhaus threw a touchdown pass and Washington State's defense held Colorado State without a touchdown at home for the first time in 85 games as the Cougars cruised to a 20-3 victory on Saturday night.

Washington State (3-2) held a road opponent without a touchdown for the first time since October of 2006. The Cougars surrendered 59 points twice in back-to-back losses to North Texas and Washington entering the game. It was the first road win for first-year coach Jimmy Rogers.

Colorado State (1-3) turned the opening possession into a 50-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins and a 3-0 lead against its future Pac-12 Conference opponent.

Eckhaus had a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Noga and Jack Stevens followed with a 37-yard field goal as Washington State scored on its first two possessions for a 10-3 lead.

Leo Pulalasi had the Cougars' longest run of the season when he rushed up the middle for 45 yards to the Rams' 8-yard line before they settled for Stevens' 21-yard field goal and a 13-3 advantage with 5:16 left before halftime.

Tucker Large and Caleb Francl, who also had a fumble recovery, stuffed the Rams' Tahj Bullock on fourth down and a half-yard at midfield and Eckhaus turned it into a 2-yard touchdown toss to tight end Ademola Faleye on third and goal for a 20-3 lead at the half.

Eckhaus completed 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards. Pulalasi rushed three times for 50 yards.

Jackson Brousseau totaled 188 yards on 19-for-28 passing for the Rams.

Hagen scores late, Bachmeier throws 2 TD passes as No. 25 BYU rallies to beat Colorado 24-21

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Cody Hagen scored on a 32-yard run early in the fourth quarter and Bear Bachmeier threw two touchdown passes, helping No. 25 BYU rally from an early deficit to beat Colorado 24-21 on Saturday night.

Cougars linebacker Isaiah Glasker sealed the win by intercepting Kaidon Salter's pass with 50 seconds remaining.

Bachmeier was 19 of 27 for 179 yards and connected with Chase Roberts for two short TD passes. The freshman QB also rushed for 98 yards as the Cougars (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) started 4-0 for a second straight season.

“He did a great job,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said of Bachmeier. “Didn’t ever look like he was frazzled or that he was shell-shocked at all. He came like that. Credit his family and the way he was raised. He was a cool customer and I loved the way he was leading out there.”

The Cougars, who trailed 14-0 midway through the first quarter, took the lead for good on an end-around play that befuddled the Buffaloes. Bachmeier faked an inside handoff before flipping the ball to Hagen, who sprinted into the backfield from his receiver spot. He was hardly touched and followed a convoy to the end zone with 14:02 remaining.

The Buffaloes (2-3, 0-2) had something going on the next drive, but Omarion Miller was called for holding on a big run from Salter. A play later, Salter was sacked for a 22-yard loss with Dre’lon Miller wide open. As Salter walked off the field, coach Deion Sanders appeared to be saying “wide open.”

Colorado finished with six penalties for 67 yards, including two defensive pass interference calls.

“Sometimes, it felt like the moment was just too big for some of our athletes, and they’ve got to do something about that,” Sanders said.

Can Sanders fix that?

“I'm not going to make excuses for them,” Sanders said. “They've got step up. They've got to step up. I don’t know what else I can say about it.”

On their last drive, the Buffaloes had the ball at their 4 yard line with 1:49 left and two timeouts. Colorado struggled with clock management before Salter's interception ended the comeback attempt.

This game wasn't nearly as easy for the Cougars as when they rolled over the Buffaloes 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl last season.

Salter rushed for 49 yards and a score and threw for 119 yards and a TD. Dre’lon Miller, a wide receiver who was moved to running back due to injuries, rushed for a TD and caught another.

Behind TD runs by Salter and Dre’lon Miller, Colorado scored more points (14) in the first quarter than BYU's defense has allowed in a full game this season.

“We had ‘em,” Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard said. “We had ’em.”

Quarter streak

The Cougars have now scored in a program-record 27 straight quarters. The last time they didn't score in a quarter was the first at Arizona State last November.

The takeaway

BYU: The Cougars improved to 30-9 under Sitake when the team is ranked. “Just settling down a little bit and playing football the way we know we can play,” Sitake explained of overcoming the early deficit. “It worked out we had enough time to get the lead and to hang on to it.”

Colorado: The Buffaloes are 1-7 over the last two seasons when they don't score 30 points.

Up next

BYU: Hosts West Virginia on Friday.

Colorado: At No. 24 TCU on Saturday.

Alejado throws for 457 yards, sends Hawaii past Air Force in 44-35 thriller

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Micah Alejado threw for a season-high 457 yards and three touchdowns, Jackson Harris had seven receptions for 144 yards, and Hawaii took down Air Force, 44-35 on Saturday.

The Rainbow Warriors (4-2, 1-1 Mountain West) took the lead for good with a 24-yard scoring grab from Brandon White in the first quarter. The Falcons (1-3, 0-3) rallied back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns, but Hawaii answered each time.

The teams scored a combined 41 points in the fourth quarter and 24 in the last six minutes. They scored within a minute of each other three times.

Hawaii ran down the clock and Matsuzawa kicked a 25-yard field goal to go up by nine with 34 seconds left and effectively end the game.

White had seven receptions for 50 yards, and ten Rainbow Warriors had catches in the game.

Liam Szarka was 10-for-12 passing with 278 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He added 139 yards rushing on 17 attempts with a long of 64.

Sinatra's 4 field goals, Brooks' 166 yards lead Idaho State to 26-18 win over Northern Colorado

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — Trajan Sinatra kicked four field goals to remain perfect on the season and Dason Brooks rushed for 166 yards to lead Idaho State Bengals to a 26-16 win over Northern Colorado in a Big Sky opener for both teams on Saturday.

Brooks set up multiple scores for the Bengals (2-3), and helped trim time off the clock in the fourth quarter to seal the result.

Sinatra’s four makes came from 26, 27, 48 and 49 yards. He’s now 9 for 9 on the season.

Three of those makes and a Carson Sudbury 6-yard touchdown run gave Idaho State a 16-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

Jordan Cook was 12-for-33 for 209 yards, but connected with Tsion Nunnally for a 33-yard touchdown with two seconds remaining in the first half to push the lead to 23-7. Nunnaly had four catches for 71 yards.

Cook was replaced by backup Davis Harsin, who was 2-for-6 for 41 yards. He ripped off a 41-yard rush with two minutes remaining to help secure the win.

Eric Gibson threw for 396 yards and two touchdowns for Northern Colorado (2-3). Carver Cheeks had seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Charles Garrison tallied three for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Justin Verlander earns a win in final start of year as Giants hold off Rockies 4-3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out seven and walked one over six innings to win his final start in a challenging year, and the San Francisco Giants held off the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Saturday.

Casey Schmitt hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the second inning to support Verlander (4-11), who received 62 total runs of support in his 29 starts.

T he 42-year-old right-hander signed a $15 million, one-year contract in January and wrapped up his 20th major league season with career start No. 555 — which ranks 27th all-time. He also tied Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th place on baseball’s career win list with 266.

Rafael Devers added a key RBI double in the eighth for insurance before Colorado's Jordan Beck homered in the ninth off Ryan Walker. Walker then surrendered Brenton Doyle's double and was done after walking Kyle Karros one out later.

Spencer Bivens entered and struck out Warming Bernabel, then plunked Ryan Ritter to load the bases. Third baseman Matt Chapman then made a tough catch in foul territory on Ezequiel Tovar's popup to end it as Bivens earned his second save.

Hunter Goodman homered in the first before Doyle connected the next inning for Colorado, which lost its fifth straight.

After Schmitt's home run, Kyle Freeland retired the next 12 San Francisco hitters in order until Heliot Ramos singled to start the sixth.

Freeland (5-17) was tagged for three runs on three hits in six innings.

The Rockies' 118th defeat is the most in NL since the 1962 Mets lost 120.

Key moment

Tovar hit a two-out triple in the fifth before Verlander issued a four-pitch walk to Goodman. Then, Blaine Crim struck out swinging as Verlander escaped unscathed.

Key stat

The Giants improved to 10-2 against the Rockies this season. Their best showing vs. Colorado came during the club's NL West-winning 2021 season when they went 15-4.

Up next

RHP McCade Brown (0-4, 7.54 ERA) pitches the season finale for the Rockies opposite Giants All-Star RHP Logan Webb (14-11, 3.30), who is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 13 strikeouts facing Colorado this year.

Broncos' Marvin Mims Jr. added to injury report with hip ailment

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A healthy week of practice for the Denver Broncos was marred Saturday when wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was added to the injury report with a hip ailment.

Mims was limited in practice and listed as questionable for the Broncos' Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Denver coach Sean Payton didn't mention anything during his post-practice availability about how Mims got hurt. Mims was present and participating in the early portion of practice open to the media.

Mims has six catches for 40 yards and a touchdown this season. A two-time All-Pro punt returner, he has a 17.2-yard average on a half dozen punt returns this season to go with a 27.6-yard average on nine kickoff returns.

Every other Denver player on the injury report was a full participant Saturday, including tight end Evan Engram, who missed last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with a back injury.

Asked to evaluate Engram's week, Payton said, “Good. Good. He's doing well. He's full. He's playing.”

Engram could be key to the Broncos ending a two-game skid in which they've lost on walk-off field goals.

“Listen, I think there are certainly matchups — third down, red zone come to mind — but with him on the field, we're a better offense,” Payton said.

The Bengals have two players who were ruled out for Monday night's game: tight end Noah Fant (concussion) and defensive end Shemar Stewart (ankle).