- Boise State week hits a snag as Tripp and Clemons hobble in
PULLMAN – Washington State’s offense is looking better, but that group may not be at full strength this weekend when No. 21 Boise State comes to town.
Left tackle Ashton Tripp is day-to-day with an ankle injury, WSU coach Kirby Moore said Monday, while wide receiver Darrius Clemons is dealing with his own ankle injury. Medical staff is “determining the extent of that injury here early this week,” Moore said.
Tripp missed WSU’s road loss to Oregon State on Saturday, which prompted Washington transfer Maximus McCree to take his place, marking the first time someone other than Tripp has played left tackle for WSU since 2023. Tripp is a key cog on the Cougars’ offensive line.
Clemons’ injury could also be costly for the Cougs, who were already running low on depth at the wide receiver spot thanks to a season-ending ACL tear to Tony Freeman in the Sept. 6 Apple Cup. Clemons played just 12 snaps in Saturday’s game before coming out with his injury, getting carted to the locker room and returning to the bench with crutches by his side.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds, Clemons had played a big role in the pass-catching department, hauling in 20 receptions for 218 yards, starting in all seven games. If Clemons can’t play this weekend against Boise State, the Cougars will ask more from receivers Daniel Blood, Tank Hawkins and Branden Ganashamoorthy, the latter of whom posted 11 catches for 147 yards last weekend – both career highs.
A couple other receivers could get more reps, Moore added , West Georgia transfer Jordan Dees and walk-on Caleb Northcroft. A year after reeling in 35 receptions for 508 yards and three touchdowns at the FCS level, Dees has played just four snaps this season, all of which came against FCS Duquesne in Week 3.
Asked what’s preventing Dees from seeing a bigger role, Moore said , “There’s guys ahead of him right now on the depth chart. He’s gotta work to continue to be consistent, just like his teammates, and that’s the big focus for him is just focusing on doing his job, alignment, assignment, obviously playing catch with the quarterbacks and being on the same page.”
• In other injury news, defensive ends Malachi Wrice and Michael Hughes are expected to play “full speed” this weekend, Moore said. After missing five straight games, Hughes returned against Oregon State, posting one pressure in 30 snaps. Wrice, who has been out since Week 2, suited up but didn’t play.
That’s a meaningful development for WSU, which needs some depth behind starting pass rushers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk, who combined for five pressures against Oregon State.
• On Monday, Moore also said name, image and likeness earnings have no bearing on playing time: “No, the best players are gonna play. We’ve had those evaluations at a number of positions, whether that’s quarterback, receiver, D-tackle. It’s really about who gives us the best opportunity to win.”
That has been something of a discussion lately in the wake of the coaches’ decision to bench QB Caden Pinnick, a transfer from UC Davis, in favor of redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman. Did NIL play a factor in Pinnick remaining the starter for six games? Moore said no.
So what separated those two in fall camp, and how much of what Eshelman put on display in Saturday’s game – completing 32 of 49 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one garbage-time interception, plus 15 carries for 136 yards and one score – did he seem capable of earlier in the year?
“He definitely showed flashes,” Moore said. “I think the one thing, and he would say it as well, in fall camp there, there was probably some (issues) in terms of taking care of the football. Probably had a few more than we wanted, and he’s definitely grown from that. Obviously, it starts in practice and preparing like you’re the starter, and he continued to do that throughout the season.”
In fall camp, Eshelman did commit an interception or two, including coming inches away from another at the hands of safety Jaylen Thomas. But Pinnick also had his share of turnover problems, including a three-interception (two tipped) outing in the team’s second and final scrimmage.
- Kirby Moore knows how to pronounce Boise, and how to beat them
PULLMAN – When people look at the word Boise, the capital city of Idaho, most feel compelled to pronounce it with a Z. Boi-zee.
Not Washington State coach Kirby Moore. He knows better.
“We had quite a few guys on the team from Idaho,” Moore said earlier this week, “and they would correct you if you use the Z.”
That’s because Moore’s playing days came at Boise State, the very team his Washington State team is hosting this weekend for homecoming, set for a 3 p.m. Saturday kickoff on USA Network. It’s a full-circle moment of sorts for Moore, who didn’t just play for the Broncos. Many of the connections he used to build his WSU staff came courtesy of his days in Boise.
It’s an intriguing matchup for WSU, which is hosting Boise State for the first time since 2017, when the late Tyler Hilinski came off the bench to lead a wild triple-overtime comeback. It’s also the first Pac-12 matchup between the Cougars and No. 21 Broncos, who find themselves on opposite ends of the conference standings headed into this one.
WSU (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12), which last week pivoted from Caden Pinnick to Owen Eshelman at quarterback to try and snap out of an offensive lull, is looking to end a four-game losing streak. Boise State (5-1, 2-0), which was idle last weekend, has followed a season-opening loss to Oregon with five straight victories.
Still looking for their first FBS win of Moore’s tenure, the Cougars’ offense looked far sharper in a loss to Oregon State last weekend than it ever did in Pinnick’s six games at the helm. Meanwhile, the Broncos’ offense ranks among the best in the country, much of it generated by their rushing attack, No. 8 nationally with 235 yards per game.
What’s on the line for WSU in this one? Mathematically, the Cougars can still earn bowl eligibility, which they have done in 10 of the past 11 full seasons. But to get there, they will have to end the regular season with five straight wins, and that would require them to buck just about every pattern they’ve shown in their first seven games. WSU is about a 13-point underdog in Saturday’s game, according to most sportsbooks.
“At the end of the day, ultimately, it’s about winning, though,” Moore said, “and we gotta do a better job on what it takes to win. This week, we’ll challenge our guys with (their) attitude when they hit the building. What’s their attitude? That’s their choice on a daily basis, and to make sure we’re being as prepared and detailed as we can for the Boise State game.”
Can the Cougars turn things around in such a big way? If there’s a glimmer of possibility, it stems from the change they made at quarterback, which paid off to the tune of nearly 300 passing yards from Eshelman last week. He passed for two touchdowns and added one more on the ground, where he tallied 136 yards against OSU, turning heads and making people wonder: Where was this guy all along?
If Eshelman can turn in similar results Saturday afternoon, his team might have a chance to pull the upset on Boise State, whose defense ranks No. 130 of 138 FBS teams in Pro Football Focus’ tackling grades. The Broncos have only missed a combined 17 tackles in their past two games, though, indicating that coach Spencer Danielson’s team may have cleaned up that issue.
The other issue facing Eshelman and WSU’s offense this weekend: Who will step up at receiver? The Cougars have spent all but 10 snaps this season without star wideout Tony Freeman, who has a torn ACL. Then last weekend in Corvallis, fellow receiver Darrius Clemons went down with an ankle injury, and he’s listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game. That is putting a serious strain on the Cougars’ wide receiver corps, which was already thin to begin with.
That puts three WSU wideouts in the spotlight: Branden Ganashamoorthy, who set career-highs last weekend with 11 catches for 147 yards and one touchdowns, plus Daniel Blood and Tank Hawkins. Those are just about the only receivers WSU has left who have generated any production this season. Depth is a serious concern for the Cougars.
Can the Cougs survive with only those three? Last week, Blood hauled in his first career touchdown pass, finishing with six receptions for 59 yards. He’s been fairly consistent this season. Then there’s Hawkins, whose playing time has come and gone this fall. He played 50 snaps of offense against Oregon State, though, and he will likely be in line for even more against Boise State.
But there could be two other candidates to get more snaps at wide receiver, Moore indicated: West Georgia transfer Jordan Dees and walk-on Caleb Northcroft, who have combined for just 17 snaps of offense. Those two have been low on the depth chart all season. It might be asking a lot for them to jump into action and produce against a ranked team, but that’s the kind of spot the Cougars are in at the moment. At the very least, those two wideouts could give their top three counterparts a breather.
“They’ll get a bunch of reps this week, and then we’ll evaluate where they’re at,” Moore said, “whether that’s 11 personnel, 12 personnel. What gives us the best opportunity to win? And then we’ll play that way.”
Still, perhaps a bigger theme in this one involves Boise State’s running back tandem of Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines, who have carved up just about every defense they’ve faced. Riley is averaging 139 yards per game, which ranks second in the country, while Gaines is going for about 89 yards per game in four outings. Those two have made things easy on quarterback Maddux Madsen, who has 13 touchdowns and no interceptions, taking care of the ball exceptionally well.
The Cougs, whose defense ranks fifth in the Pac-12, will have to tackle those two to give themselves a chance to spring the upset. Their coach may know how to pronounce Boise, but he’ll hope that the next time he says the city’s name in a public setting, he’ll be talking about a win.
- Kirby Vorhees banged up for Fresno; Trey Leckner likely good to go
PULLMAN – Washington State might not be at full strength at the running back spot on Saturday.
That’s according to the first Pac-12 availability report, which listed tailback Kirby Vorhees as questionable, casting doubt on whether he’ll be able to play in WSU’s conference opener at home against Fresno State , set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on USA Network.
Vorhees is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained during practice this week, WSU coach Kirby Moore said, adding that Vorhees is “a little dinged up, but he’s done a good job getting back into practice. So we’re just working through that.”
Also on the availability report is the news that tight end Trey Leckner is probable, which would mark his season debut. He’s been out most of the year, missing all of spring ball and fall camp with a foot injury, which he reaggravated over the summer. It’s big news for the Cougars (1-3) and their offense, which has yet to find its footing against FBS competition.
A redshirt junior from Snohomish, Leckner started nine of 13 games last season, catching 24 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns, which tied for the third-most by a tight end in WSU single-season history. In 2024, he played in 12 games (two as a starter), reeling in three passes for 56 yards and one score.
Moore described Vorhees and Leckner as “gametime decisions,” as he did with cornerback Jalil Tucker, who started the Sept. 6 Apple Cup but has been out since with an injury he sustained in that game.
In other news from the availability report, linebacker Nylan Brown is expected to miss “a significant amount of time” with a foot injury, Moore said. That happened during WSU’s loss to Arizona last weekend, Moore said, when Brown played 12 snaps of special teams before going down with his injury.
Brown’s injury could end his season, Moore said, but he indicated that “we’re determining that right now.”
Brown has taken a reserve role at linebacker, where the team’s top options have emerged in starters Keith Brown and DJ Warner, plus key backup Isaiah Hung. Redshirt sophomore Gage Jones could see an expanded role as well, Moore said. Nylan Brown has played only 22 snaps of defense this season.
The rest of WSU’s availability report looks like this: Linebacker Jack Ellison is doubtful and safety Kyle Peterson is out, as are defensive ends Malachi Wrice and Mike Hughes. Wrice and Hughes’ absences could loom the largest for WSU, which has relied on starting pass rushers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk for heavy snap counts – 184 each through four games.
The Cougars’ other options at defensive end include redshirt sophomore Ben Beatty, a key backup, as well as redshirt sophomore Fernando Lecuona Jr., who is light on experience.
In four games, Vorhees has totaled 36 carries for 210 yards and two touchdowns, the majority of that production coming from his 109-yard outing against FCS Duquesne, scoring a touchdown in that game. Most recently, in WSU’s loss to Arizona last weekend, Vorhees posted 39 yards on nine carries.
If Vorhees can’t play Saturday, expect more carries to go to WSU running back Maxwell Woods, who has looked sharp to open the season. He’s picked up 173 yards on 28 carries, a large majority of those numbers also coming in his team’s win over Duquesne, but he has looked shifty and elusive, no matter the opponent.
Fellow running back Leo Pulalasi could also play a key role if Vorhees can’t go, though Pulalasi hasn’t seen the same playing time that Woods has.
The rebuilt Pac-12 is in its first season of rolling out its availability report, following suit with the Power Four leagues of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
