Jimmy Kimmel Bowl: Washington State QB Runs Out of End Zone for Safety

Washington State’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed this yr. The Cougars began 4-1, misplaced three in a row, gained three in a row, and closed their common season with a 51-33 loss to Washington within the Apple Cup.

Appropriately, it was this unpredictable Washington State group that supplied the most important blooper of the younger 2022 bowl season.

With a bit of over 11 minutes left within the second quarter and the Cougars trailing Fresno State 14-0 within the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, quarterback Cameron Ward dropped again into his personal finish zone to cross. Pressured by the Bulldogs, Ward stepped out of bounds for a security to increase Fresno State’s result in 16-0.

It was an inauspicious second for Ward, who threw 23 touchdowns towards eight interceptions in a strong first season in Pullman.

The security drew instantaneous comparability to one of the notorious safeties in NFL historical past. On Oct. 12, 2008, Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky dropped again to cross towards the Vikings and equally ran out of the again of the tip zone. It has change into an emblematic picture of Detroit’s 0-16 season, the Lions franchise, and Orlovksy’s profession — in addition to a useful comparability level for each unlucky sojourn out of the again of the tip zone taken by quarterbacks since.