PULLMAN, Wash. - The 87^th battle of the Palouse was the kind of game in which almost nothing seemed to go right for the Idaho football team. The Vandals fell to rival Washington State 49-8 in front of 34,858 at Martin Stadium.

For four quarters, the Vandals (0-3) followed their mistakes with still more mistakes, and the Cougars (2-1) responded with many big plays.

"I know it was a good opponent. Give Washington State credit," head coach Nick Holt said. "But that's not the kind of football we adhere to."

Washington State quarterback Josh Swogger connected with wideout Jason Hill for three touchdowns in the first half, including a 78-yard scamper late in the second quarter.

That, along with three Vandal fumbles and a pass interception, allowed the Cougars to build a 28-0 halftime lead despite holding a total yards advantage of only 233-158.

Unfortunately for the Vandals, the Cougars barely slowed down in the second half - if at all. For the game, the Cougars gained 286 yards on the ground and 223 by air. The Vandals, by contrast, amassed only 276 yards overall.

"We had too many fumbles. Too many stupid penalties," Holt said. "We were not flying around like we need to be. It was really sloppy."

The Vandals held a 33:13-to-26:47 time of possession advantage over the Cougars. The Vandals have won the time of possession battle in each of their three games this season.

Vandal starting quarterback Mike Harrington completed 12 of 18 passes for 66 yards and one interception, yet struggled to complete mid-range passes.

"We didn't connect down the field, we connected on our short passes," Harrington said.

Swogger shredded the Vandal defense with 12 completions for 196 yards, which included four touchdowns.

The Vandals' lone touchdown came with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, on a six-yard pass from backup quarterback Brian Nooy to Ryan Heacock. That play was preceded by an impressive 46-yard pass from Nooy to Heacock two plays earlier. The two also connected on the two-point conversion.