- Khamari Terrell tackles like he's the only one on the field
PULLMAN – When Khamari Terrell makes a tackle in space, for a brief moment, he enters a world all by himself. Washington State’s veteran cornerback will usually lower his head, staring down into the turf, maybe closing his eyes, closing himself off to the chaos unfolding around him.
Then he usually takes his hands and slaps himself on the helmet. Once. Twice. Lets his energy seep off him like condensation off a glass of ice water.
Then he rejoins the action, ready to make another play for the Cougars, for whom he’s playing his fifth and final season of college football.
“I think it’s big, especially in college, just knowing that the corners have to tackle every game,” Terrell said earlier this week. “Especially this week, I’m gonna make it noticed that you’re not gonna be able to just run to my side and just think that you’re gonna get a big gain or anything.”
Terrell and the WSU defense will get a chance to prove it this weekend, when No. 21 Boise State comes to town for a showdown, the teams’ first clash in Pullman since 2017, the night the late Tyler Hilinski came off the bench to lead the Cougars to a triple-overtime comeback.
Here’s the short version of why Terrell and his fellow defensive backs, like cornerback Jalil Tucker and safety Jaylen Thomas, will have to come up big for their team: The Broncos own one of the country’s best rushing attacks, spearheaded by junior tailback Dylan Riley, who ranks second nationwide with 139 rushing yards per game. As a team, the Broncos’ 234 rushing yards per contest ranks ninth in the country.
That figures to put quite the strain on this WSU defense, which was gashed last weekend, giving up 48 points to Oregon State’s prolific offense in a three-score loss. But for the Cougars, as they prepare for their next outing, it’s not all about preventing scoring. It’s about one of Terrell’s favorite parts of the game: tackling.
All things considered, WSU (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12) has done a fine job of that this season. The Cougars have earned a Pro Football Focus tackling grade of 61.4, which ranks No. 93 nationwide, fifth in the Pac-12. They’ve turned in some gems of tackling outings, including in their loss to Fresno State earlier this season, when they missed just three total tackles.
In fact, some of the WSU defenders who have logged the most snaps are also the ones who have tackled the best. Veteran linebacker Keith Brown, who leads the team with 418 snaps, has missed only six tackles. Terrell, who has played 339 snaps, has whiffed only three times. And redshirt freshman nickelback Jamarey Smith, who has 313 snaps, has missed only one tackle all season.
So from a 30,000-foot view, the Cougars have done well to tackle, and their coaches deserve credit for that: Defensive coordinator Trent Bray, cornerbacks coach Brandyn Thompson and defensive line coach Eti Ena, among others. Past Cougar teams have not tackled particularly well – Jake Dickert’s 2024 team finished the season ranked fifth-to-last in PFF’s tackling grades, while Jimmy Rogers’ 2025 club finished dead last – so for the program, this represents a key step in the right direction.
“Game to game, you gotta be prepared to tackle,” Terrell said, “especially going against a team that runs a lot. So just be physical and just shut down the side of the field and just stop the run, so they won’t try to keep running to that side.”
The only problem at hand: Boise State’s playmakers have excelled at forcing missed tackles. In six games, Riley has forced 28 whiffs, which ranks second in the Pac-12. Riley has forced 18. They have excelled in space, and while the Cougars have usually done well to tackle in those types of settings, they aren’t coming off a particularly encouraging outing on that front.
In WSU’s loss to Oregon State last weekend, the Cougs missed 18 tackles, one off their most of the season, which came in a season-opening loss to Washington back in early September. In Corvallis, safety Jeremiah Bernard led the way with five whiffs, while fellow safety Jaylen Thomas followed with three and two players missed two tackles apiece: Linebacker Isaiah Hung and cornerback Kai Rapolla.
How will those two realities clash on Saturday afternoon on the Palouse? If the Cougars can’t make tackles in space, they might be in for a long day, and as 14-point underdogs, they’re expected to meet that fate anyway. But it’s an interesting conversation because of one key development: Bray’s unit has done a stellar job of stacking up runs up the middle.
That’s where some of the Cougars’ best defenders play, from defensive tackles like Leaupepetele and Kaden Beatty to defensive ends Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk, which is why opponents haven’t enjoyed much success running up the middle this season. Even Brown, a linebacker, has graded out as the Cougars’ best run defender, with a mark of 79.9.
It’s on the outsides where the Cougs have had less luck, at least in their most recent showing. To turn that fortune around – to reverse the fortune of this entire season – WSU defenders will have to clean that up. Maybe that’s where Terrell, a veteran cornerback, could come in handy.
- Boise State's offense is the test WSU's D hasn't passed yet
PULLMAN – All season, Washington State’s defense has been a little tricky to parse.
On one hand, the Cougars have excelled in tough spots, given short field after short field, jumping into action in pinch after pinch thanks to offensive turnovers. Their pass rush has been above average. So has their tackling.
But when you’re playing No. 21 Boise State, above average won’t fly, which is why we’re picking WSU to fall to the Broncos Saturday afternoon in Pullman.
The Cougars are tasked with doing something that only Oregon has done this season, which is slow down BSU tailbacks Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines, one of the country’s best running back tandems. Riley ranks second in the country with 139 rushing yards per game, and Gaines has cleared the century mark in each of his last two games.
Complicating matters for WSU is Boise State’s average time of possession: 36 minutes. That leads the entire country. That will put some serious strain on the Cougars’ defense, especially if their offense commits a turnover, which new quarterback Owen Eshelman did well to avoid in meaningful settings last weekend in his first start.
Overall, it’s a lot to ask out of this WSU team, and there’s no shame in losing to this Boise State team. But the Cougars will have to look elsewhere for their first FBS win of the season.
Final score: No. 21 Boise State 30, WSU 20
- 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.
