Grasu's late field goal caps Cougars' wild rally

PULLMAN (AP) - Nico Grasu's 18-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining capped a 16-point fourth-quarter comeback as Washington State defeated Montana State 23-22 on Saturday to end a 10-game losing streak.

The Cougars (1-1) were almost the third FBS school to lose at home to an FCS team on Saturday. Virginia Tech and Minnesota were beaten by lower-division foes.

Jeff Tuel threw fourth-quarter TD passes to Andrei Lintz and Jared Karstetter, helping Washington State cut a 22-7 deficit to 22-20. Then, Alex Hoffman-Ellis intercepted Denarius McGhee's tipped pass and returned it to the 2-yard line, setting up Grasu's winning kick.

Montana State (1-1) drove to the Cougars' 26 in the final minute, but linebacker C.J. Mizell made a game-sealing interception.

Tuel was 18 of 29 for 204 yards for Washington State, and James Montgomery had 116 yards on 20 carries.

McGhee was 23 of 35 for 295 yards with two TDs and an interception.

Montana State capitalized on turnovers on the Cougars' first two possessions, turning both miscues into field goals for 6-0 lead after the first quarter.

Trailing 13-7, Washington State was almost done in by a nightmarish sequence in the third quarter. McGhee threw a 45-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker to Julius Lloyd with 8:02 to go in the quarter, and after recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Bobcats tacked on another field goal to take a 22-7 advantage.