John Mateer threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth Saturday night as No. 21 Washington State kept its longshot hopes of a College Football Playoff berth alive with a 49-28 thumping of Utah State in Pullman, Wash.

Mateer completed 18 of 24 passes for 179 yards while running for 38 yards on 12 carries. But he got a lot of help when freshman Wayshawn Parker added a game-high 149 rushing yards on just 11 attempts.

The Cougars (8-1) became the latest team to rip through the Aggies’ porous running defense, racking up 286 yards on the ground and finishing the game with 465 total yards. It was the fourth time this year that they scored at least 42 points in a game.

Spencer Petrus hit on 28 of 45 throws for 208 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Utah State (2-7). The Aggies hurt themselves with mistakes, turning the ball over twice and committing nine penalties for 79 yards.

Mateer got Washington State off to a good start, firing a 17-yard goal to Kyle Williams just over 4 1/2 minutes into the game. Utah State answered when Petrus capped a nearly 5 1/2-minute drive by throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to Jack Hestera.

The Cougars took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter after Parker’s 1-yard scoring run. Mateer made it 21-7 when he capped a 75-yard drive by hitting Williams for a 14-yard touchdown with 7:17 before halftime.

Washington State made it a blowout when Parker ran for a 75-yard touchdown and Mateer scored on a 1-yard run for a 35-7 lead with 5:52 left in the third quarter. Bryson Barnes scored on a 2-yard run for the Aggies at 2:02 of the period.

Williams’ third touchdown catch, a 5-yarder, came 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. Mateer capped his big night by throwing a three-yard strike to Cooper Mathers with just over a minute remaining.

–Field-level media