Cougs need to prove the offense can show up against FBS defenses

Briefing

Source

Spokesman.com

Published

October 2, 2026

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• One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was

  PULLMAN – For a moment, let’s be frank about Washington State’s most recent game, a home blowout win over Duquesne. The Cougars beat a bad FCS team, which entered allowing some of the most yards in the country. WSU coach Kirby Moore did well to make key adjustments, especially those on offense, which should encourage scores of fans. Quarterback Caden Pinnick looked excellent in the second half, and thanks to running backs Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees, the hosts looked like a juggernaut in the second half. But as WSU prepares to host Arizona in primetime on Saturday, we must keep this in mind: In two games against FBS competition, the Cougars have managed one touchdown and four turnovers. Their offense has looked meager at best. That’s no way to topple Arizona as a 10½-point underdog, which is a key reason why we’re picking the Wildcats to beat the Cougars. Look for Arizona to win a close game at Gesa Field. But here’s what’s important: This isn’t to say the Cougars have no chance. In fact, far from it. Thanks to a few shrewd adjustments, their offense looks far different than it did even a few weeks ago. Moore has shared some input in the playcalling department, WSU has shuffled its offensive line and Woods has gotten more opportunities to attack on the ground. The Cougs should feel encouraged by those changes, which should help them win several Pac-12 games this season. But here’s predicting it won’t be enough to win a game against a Big 12 foe, especially with speedy wide receiver Tony Freeman out for the season with an injury. Final score: Arizona 23, WSU 16

• Cougs jump Arizona early, then watch a 14-point lead dissolve

  It was a dream start for Washington State against its old Pac-12 foes from Arizona. The Cougars built a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter after a stellar opening possession and a pick-six. But the Wildcats rallied, and WSU began to lose steam in the second half. Arizona contained the Cougs’ offense, and too much was asked of the WSU defense, which eventually faded. The Wildcats scored on their final four drives to close out a 34-24 win over WSU on Saturday at Gesa Field in Pullman. A long time between TDs WSU’s first drive of the game was inspiring. It surely had fans wondering if the Cougars had found the recipe for offensive success after the unit struggled in its first two games against FBS opponents. The Cougs coasted downfield with precision, scoring on quarterback Caden Pinnick’s 11-yard keeper to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive. The passing game was fluid, with quick throws to the sideline most effective. The tempo game was working. But the Cougs couldn’t maintain that level of flow offensively. Not by a long shot. The Cougars’ first five drives of the second half resulted in 22 net yards on 20 plays. WSU punted four times and Pinnick lost a fumble on a sack during that stretch. That allowed Arizona to gradually build its lead. WSU’s offense didn’t score another touchdown until a prayer was answered midway through the fourth quarter – a 46-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-10 to Branden Ganashamoorthy, which cut the Arizona lead to 31-24 and gave WSU life after it appeared the game was out of reach. Before WSU’s last two possessions, the team had barely surpassed 200 total yards. The Cougs’ ground game was largely ineffective (3.1 yards per carry on 30 attempts). Arizona’s blitzing became more impactful as the game wore on, and Pinnick seemed like he was constantly under pressure. Does that explain the Cougs’ offensive fall-off after the first series? Whatever the case, WSU showed that it can have a capable offense. It just needs to find a way to sustain it for more than one drive. Credit to the defense Star Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was gifted short fields on the Wildcats’ first two possessions of the second half – lousy punt return coverage by WSU set up Arizona at the WSU 33, then Pinnick lost a fumble at his own 32. The Wildcats didn’t score on either drive. WSU’s defense stuffed two runs and came up with an open-field tackle to force a three-and-out on the first one, and Arizona missed a 42-yard field goal. The Cougars showed more impressive open-field tackling on the next Arizona series, and a low kick on a 43-yard field goal try was blocked by WSU’s Damarjhe Lewis. The Cougs’ defense accounted for seven of WSU’s 17 first-half points – Jackquintin Bal made a heady interception and returned it for a touchdown – and the unit kept the game in reach as WSU’s offense continued to stall. Finally, as the fourth quarter approached, WSU’s defense couldn’t hold any longer. The group had just been on the field too much and was clearly getting tired. Fifita, as a fifth-year player should do, started to find the cracks, and Arizona scored 20 points over its final four possessions – though it should be noted that the Cougar defense came up with a big stand on Arizona’s final drive, stuffing three consecutive runs to force a 51-yard field goal attempt. But the kick sailed through, dashing WSU’s hopes of tying the game on its final drive. Some positives for WSU’s defense: It held Arizona to less than 3 yards per carry through three quarters before the Wildcats amassed 93 yards on the ground in the fourth; Fifita, one of the nation’s top passers, was thrown off his game on six of Arizona’s 12 possessions and completed a season-low 61% of his passes, and the Cougs’ pass rush got home for three sacks. Otherwise, just a few too many explosive plays allowed. Fifita and receiver Tre Spivey, who had a career day in the first half alone with 125 yards and two TDs, connected for four passing plays of 18 or more yards before halftime. When WSU’s defense adjusted and covered Spivey up, Fifita found Caleb Smith on back-to-back deep balls of 41 and 38 yards. There were some clear miscommunications in the secondary for WSU. More of these games, please It’s uncertain whether WSU, now effectively relegated to the Group of Six, can bring more former Pac-12 rivals to Pullman for nonconference games in future seasons. But if at all possible, the Cougars should make it happen. These games feel important, giving the Cougars a chance to show that they’re still more than capable of competing with Big 12/Pac-12 legacy programs like Arizona. For the most part, it was an entertaining and well-matched game, and evoked some feeling of “Pac-12 After Dark” nostalgia, though it – thankfully – didn’t kick off at 8 p.m. Certainly, the WSU/Arizona matchup was one of the three most highly anticipated games on the Cougs’ schedule, alongside the Apple Cup and the Oct. 24 home game against Boise State.

• Arizona lands a punch Wazzu never quite answers

  The problem with boxing’s rope-a-dope technique, made famous by Muhammad Ali and perfected by Homer Simpson, is at some point you have to punch back. Washington State welcomed a former Pac-10/12 rival, now with the Big 12, back to Pullman, for a messy, physical grudge match. Before the game CBS sports relished in rehashing the history of Arizona’s star quarterback, Noah Fifita, whose starting debut was a 44-6 route in Pullman over the 19th-ranked Cougars in 2023. But the final trip to Pullman wouldn’t be so pretty. The Cougars did what they needed to give themselves a chance with an offense that is still finding its way. The game was a sloppy slugfest, one that featured blocked kicks and straight misses by both teams. WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick was many miles from good, but he bounced back well from mistakes, at first. If one squinted in the first half, one could see the capability he must have exhibited when winning Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors at UC Davis last year. The defense began the game by forcing a three-and-out, and almost had a second following the offense’s ensuring touchdown drive. They gave that up on third-and-nine, but held firm and got the ball back, eventually. The benefit of a low-scoring, high-friction game for an underdog, which WSU was on Saturday, is that one key play or mistake can make the difference. That could have come courtesy of safety Jackquintin Bal, an Arizona native whose exceptional break on a Fifita pass put him in position to intercept the pass, put the intended receiver on his behind, and dance into the end zone to give the home team a 14-0 lead. With the way the defense was suffocating Arizona at that point, one might think they could pull this off. Absorb the Wildcats’ best shots, do that rope-a-dope, hold them down long enough and walk out with a gritty, low-scoring win. Arizona scored 31 of the next 34 points. A problem that is turning into a pattern for the Cougars is stellar defensive play that wears down over the course of the game. In addition to the first quarter interception, the Cougars sacked Fifita on each of Arizona’s first two drives. The defensive linemen’s long arms were up and active in passing lanes and creating chaos for the diminutive Arizona quarterback. WSU got one more shot when an ill-advised Arizona blitz led to a wide-open Branden Ganashamoorthy, whose 46-yard touchdown reception brought WSU within seven of the Wildcats. The Cougars have some great defensive players, but it does not appear to have enough depth to sustain that level of play all game. Particularly when the offense is not giving them much time to rest in between drives. The solace for WSU is that things are, probably, about to get a mite easier. The Cougars have only lost to Power Four teams at this point, and there aren’t any left on the schedule. The Cougars should have one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. But as we’ve already seen, no matter how good the defense is, WSU won’t win many games if the offense can’t manage a punch.

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