- Boise State comes to Pullman for the first time since 2017
Greg Woods
gregw@spokesman.com
PULLMAN — Here is a first look at Washington State’s home game against No. 21 Boise State on Saturday afternoon.
What is it?
Still looking for its first FBS win of the season, WSU (1-6, 0-3) returns home for the first time in three weeks to host No. 21 Boise State (5-1, 2-0), which was idle last week. It’s the Cougars’ and Broncos’ first time meeting in Pullman since 2017, when the late Tyler Hilinski came off the bench to lead WSU to a triple-overtime win.
It’s a full-circle moment for WSU coach Kirby Moore, who played for the Broncos from 2009-2013, which is also when he met quarterbacks coach Matt Miller and formed many of the connections that he uses today.
Where is it?
Gesa Field in Pullman.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
USA Network will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
WSU opened as a 14-point underdog.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
In a 48-30 loss to Oregon State, WSU redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman got his first start, completing 32 of 49 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one late interception in garbage time. He also racked up 136 rushing yards on 15 carries, sparking the Cougs’ offense to its most points against an FBS opponent all season, making coaches look wise for starting him and benching previous QB Caden Pinnick.
The Cougars’ offense looked much improved, at least in the passing game, but it wasn’t enough to upset the Beavers and their prolific offense. OSU QB Braden Atkinson piled up 347 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard strike to freshman Jesse Legree and an 88-yard completion to receiver AJ Newberry, both of which came after the Cougars elected to punt on fourth-and-short near midfield — making Moore pay for his conservative approach.
After those plays, WSU couldn’t climb out of an early hole, trailing 17-0 before the visitors got on the scoreboard with a short field goal from kicker Jack Stevens. The Cougars pulled to within three scores on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Eshelman to receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy, who finished with career-highs in both receptions and receiving yards, but it was too little too late for Washington State.
“I would just say we lost there,” WSU cornerback Khamari Terrell said. “It wasn’t really we got beaten there. Just a little technical, little details. The look that we got and that they scored on, we’ve got multiple times in practice, just doing the little details. And the technique part, just staying on top and just executing there.”
Eshelman may have looked sharp on the ground, but it was another slow day for the WSU running back trio of Maxwell Woods, Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalasi, who combined for just 26 rushing yards on 13 carries. Against FBS opponents this year, they are averaging only 52 yards per game, a far cry from the elite trio they were projected to be headed into the season.
“The tailbacks need to be able to run the ball better, but that starts up front,” Moore said on Monday. “We gotta block better, and we gotta have our hands inside. We gotta win our one-on-one matchups. We gotta put the ball in the corner in the safeties, and then from a running back standpoint, we gotta make people miss as well. So it’s a combination of things there, but we gotta do a much better job.”
Scouting Boise State…
Under head coach Spencer Danielson and veteran quarterback Maddux Madsen, the Broncos have followed a season-opening loss to Oregon with five straight wins, most recently a 38-31 win over Fresno State on Oct. 10. That has landed Boise State squarely in the discussion for the College Football Playoff.
The strength of the Broncos’ team is their rushing attack, which is averaging 235 yards per game, ninth nationally and second in the Pac-12. Running back Dylan Riley ranks second in the country with 139 yards per game, totaling six touchdowns on the ground, and fellow tailback Sire Gaines has provided an additional three scores and 354 yards. Those two have spearheaded the Broncos’ offense all season.
In his third season as BSU’s full-time starting QB, Madsen has taken phenomenal care of the ball, throwing zero interceptions and 13 touchdowns. He’s completed 110 of 166 passes (66%) for 1,296 yards. He’s also only taken five sacks, an impressive feat from the Broncos’ offensive line, which has only been responsible for three sacks according to Pro Football Focus.
The Broncos’ ground game has become so dangerous in part because their running backs are hard to bring down. Riley has forced 28 missed tackles, according to PFF, which is second in the Pac-12. Gaines isn’t far behind, with 18. Combined with Madsen’s ability to avoid turnovers — BSU has lost only three turnovers, tied for second-fewest nationally — and you get a machine of an offense.
“They’ve got a really good front,” Moore said. “They have a good scheme. They’ve got good backs. They put the ball in the corner, and a lot of times the back makes the corner miss, whether it’s a move or he breaks a tackle, and both those guys, Sire Gaines as well. They both do a really good job with the ball in their hand.”
What happened last time?
In a 2024 matchup in Boise, former Bronco running back Ashton Jeanty ran ragged over the Cougars, piling up 259 yards and four touchdowns, boosting his Heisman Trophy case. The Cougars were within one score early in the fourth quarter, but the Broncos ran away with three straight touchdowns.
- WSU's secondary gets its biggest test of the season against OSU's Legree
Washington State at Oregon State
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Line: Oregon State favored by 18½
TV: USA Network Radio: 920-AM
Key matchupWSU secondary against OSU receiver Jesse Legree: Nobody has the power to swing Saturday’s game quite like OSU freshman wideout Jesse Legree, who leads the country with 12 receiving touchdowns, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors all six weeks of the season thus far. He’s speedy and reliable, without a single drop on 54 targets. The Cougars’ secondary will have its hands full, particularly cornerbacks Jalil Tucker and Khamari Terrell, the latter of whom will likely get the Legree matchup.
Six teams have tried to slow quarterback Braden Atkinson, Legree and the Beavers’ offense. Six have failed. What does that mean for WSU’s chances on defense? To give themselves a shot, the Cougars’ pass-rushing duo of Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk will have to generate pressure on Atkinson. But OSU’s offensive line has been responsible for just two sacks.
To generate meaningful pass rush, the Cougars might target the two weak spots on the Beavs’ offensive line: right tackle Teko Shoats, who has been dinged for 10 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus; and right guard Tyler Voltin, who has given up two sacks. For WSU, that puts the onus on McLain and Zunk, plus interior linemen like Kaden Beatty and Jirah Leaupepetele, the latter of whom generated a solo sack last weekend against Utah State.
How the Cougs win…
To spring an upset, WSU would have to see one of two things happen: significantly limit Oregon State’s offense or get a big day from QB Owen Eshelman and the offense. If either happens, odds might skew the way of the Cougs’ offense, which has been rotten this season – but with Eshelman coming in for Caden Pinnick, whose turnovers and inability to stretch the field hampered his offense, the visitors might be able to surprise the Beavers.
If Eshelman can hit on a few passes early, it might open things up for WSU’s rushing game, which is still trying to break out in a consistent way. Tailbacks Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees haven’t gotten many chances on the ground, much of that a credit to their offense’s bad habit of quick three-and-outs, but with enough carries, they might have a chance to keep their offense on the field.
How the Beavers win…
Oregon State can win this game the same way it has each of its last four: by unleashing a surging offense. Atkinson and Legree could be in for a big day against the WSU defense, whose one weakness has been giving up big plays, which accounted for one of the touchdowns Utah State used to beat the Cougars last weekend.
The Cougs have defended the run well, especially in short-yardage situations, but they’ve never done so against a passing offense as potent as the Beavs’. That could mean opportunities for OSU running backs AJ Newberry and Cornell Hatcher Jr., who have combined for 475 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.
Key stat: 0
That’s how many times Legree has been held to under 100 receiving yards this fall. It’s also the amount of times Atkinson has passed for fewer than 300 yards. WSU might be able to find a way to pull an upset while allowing those trends to continue, but it doesn’t look likely.
Quotable
“I want to win out,” WSU linebacker Keith Brown said. ” I think we have the talent to win out. I wanna do that. I wanna go out my senior year with multiple wins under our belt, and yeah, just continue to try and get better every single day and put our best foot forward.”
- Eshelman gives Cougs hope, but D can't stop Oregon State
Washington State’s new quarterback showed some encouraging signs, but the Cougars couldn’t keep pace with Oregon State’s explosive offense. The Beavers built a big lead in the second quarter and rolled to a 48-30 Pac-12 Conference win on Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, keeping WSU winless against FBS opponents.
Owen Eshelman distinguished himself as WSU’s best option at QB. The Cougars defense, facing one of the nation’s most productive outfits, had their worst game yet.
The Cougars (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12) get no reprieve next week when No. 23 Boise State comes to Pullman.
Cougs can’t contain Beavs potent offense
WSU surrendered season highs in points and yards (555). Defensive coordinator Trent Bray, the former coach at Oregon State, didn’t have answers in the first half against the Beavers offense, which scored on five of its first six possessions and went ahead 27-3 late in the second quarter.
Beavs breakout star QB Braden Atkinson was exceptional, as expected. He avoided mistakes and tested WSU’s deep coverage consistently, hitting on a tone-setting, 90-yard TD strike to star true freshman Jesse Legree, who finished with 108 yards and two TDs.
It was about as bad as most would have guessed for WSU’s defense, which had been mostly respectable against lesser offenses before meeting OSU’s, which ranks among the most productive in the nation. Atkinson entered the game leading the FBS in passing yards and TDs, and Legree was tops in the country in receiving yards. The Cougs can live with the fact that they only let Legree get loose for one big play downfield, but they’ll be kicking themselves for giving up so many chunk plays and such a high yardage total.
Tackling seemed to be an issue for WSU defenders. OSU averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Beavs running back AJ Newberry had three explosive runs, plus an 88-yard TD on a screen pass. No one was there to cover the play, and Newberry made the final WSU defender look silly with a juke and a hurdle.
WSU QB situation receives answer
Eshelman was called into action this week to replace struggling starter Caden Pinnick, and the redshirt freshman performed well considering the circumstances. He should be the Cougs’ signal-caller going forward.
Eshelman finished 32 of 49 for 289 yards – a season high in passing yards for WSU QBs – with two passing TDs and an interception (at the very end of the game). He showed savvy on run-pass options, rushing for 136 yards and a TD on 15 carries for the most productive rushing day by a WSU QB since John Mateer.
Eshelman’s performance was a positive for WSU’s offense.
Junior receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy was also a bright spot. He got open more than any WSU wideout has throughout the season, catching 11 passes for 147 yards and a 40-yard TD just before the half. Give some credit to coach/playcaller Kirby Moore for looking to stretch the field a bit more, though WSU connected on just three passes of 15-plus yards. The Cougars finished with 459 yards, their most in a game this season against an FBS opponent.
But there still were too many negatives. WSU tailbacks combined for 25 yards on 13 carries. Eshelman accounted for all six of WSU’s runs that gained 10-plus yards.
The Cougars went 7-for-17 on third downs – they were 0-for-9 on third-down tries before the fourth quarter, when they made the score look more respectable with a couple of TDs after going down 41-16.
WSU punted on its first four possessions, going three-and-out on three of those, allowing Oregon State to get off to a fast start and jump out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
Another unfortunate note: WSU lost receiver Darrius Clemons to injury in the first half. He was on crutches after halftime. The Cougs are already down standout wideout Tony Freeman, who sustained a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1.
Beavs emerge as great story, Cougs still searching for identity
Seeing what the Beavers have become in Year 1 of the rebuilt Pac-12 is no doubt painful for WSU fans as their team has become irrelevant in 2026.
The teams had near-parallel paths to this point – left for dead after the Pac-12 imploded, playing through a couple of seasons without a conference home, going through coaching uncertainty, etc. Now, Oregon State is one of the best stories in the Group of Six, one of the best teams in the conference. The Cougars wish they were in their rivals’ shoes.
Sure, it would have been nice if both programs rose from the ashes as contenders in the new Pac-12. Unfortunately, only one has made the most of the situation thus far. The Beavers seemed to have picked a perfect fit as their new coach. They recruited the right transfer QB, a solid transfer running back and found a freshman gem at receiver. They created an identity and play with a style that’s entertaining and attracts attention.
Of course, it’s much too early to know if Moore was the right choice for WSU. He’ll get a grace period to build the program and to craft an identity. Pinnick seems to have been a miss, though. In any case, the Pac-12 legacy programs that have gone through the same struggles are facing opposite directions as of now. That can change. Hopefully, the Cougs/Beavs rivalry soon becomes one of the most competitive, anticipated G6 games of the year.
