Washington State lost. Cameron Ward showed he has star potential.

Yes, the Cougar quarterback tossed two interceptions. Yes, the second one effectively ended the game. But Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said after Saturday’s 44-41 loss to Oregon that Ward showed what he’s capable of against one of the best in the Pac-12.

“He has magic in his hands,” Dickert said after the game. “That fourth-down play was unbelievable. He was gritty, he was tough.”

The fourth-down play in question was one that kept a Cougar scoring drive alive early in the fourth quarter. Washington State had a five-point lead at that time in the game. Ward dazzled, evading a couple of Oregon defenders before flipping it back across the field to Nakia Watson, who picked up the first down on fourth-and-6.

A little 1-yard pop pass from Ward to Robert Ferrel coming across the formation ended the drive with seven points and put the Cougars up 34-22 with 6:42 to play. That looked like it would seal the deal.

But Oregon had magic at the end and the Cougar defense couldn’t stop the Ducks.

Ward finished with 375 yards and three total touchdowns, completing 37 of his 48 pass attempts. He and Washington State (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) will look to get back in the win column next week against Cal (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.