- 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.
- Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU
PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road game against San Diego State on Saturday afternoon.
What is it?
Looking to end a five-game slide and secure its first FBS win of the season, WSU heads to the Golden State to take on San Diego State, which has lost two of its last three games. The Cougars are coming off a 31-10 loss to Boise State, which marked quarterback Owen Eshelman’s second start.
It’s the first Pac-12 matchup between the Cougars and Aztecs, who have met each of the last two seasons, both wins for WSU. The Cougs, whose bye week comes next week, are also playing their third road game in the last four weeks.
Where is it?
Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
CBS Sports Network will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
WSU opened as a 2.5-point underdog.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
In a 31-10 loss to Boise State, WSU played the first-place Broncos to a 10-10 tie through three quarters, but that’s when things went south for the hosts. Boise State followed with a 21-0 fourth quarter, turning a costly Eshelman interception into a touchdown, then adding two more on each of its next two drives.
In Eshelman’s second start, it was another slow offensive outing for the Cougars, who tied the game shortly before halftime on a long touchdown drive and again on a field goal from kicker Jack Stevens, who has now connected on eight in a row. But that’s all the scoring WSU did, punting on four of its first five drives of the game.
The Cougars weren’t at full strength on offense. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons missed the game after going down the previous week with an ankle injury, a tough blow to a WSU receiver corps that has been thin since star wideout Tony Freeman tore his ACL in Week 1. But the Cougs didn’t exactly expand their rotation at that spot, instead opting to play receivers Branden Ganashamoorthy and Tank Hawkins heavy snaps and leaving Jordan Dees and Caleb Northcroft – both of whom WSU coach Kirby Moore said would get increased snaps – on the bench entirely.
Plus, the Cougars didn’t get much of anything from their rushing game, which produced only 53 yards on 33 carries. Running backs Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalasi accounted for only 20 yards on 10 carries, while fellow back Maxwell Woods played only 11 snaps and did not get any carries. In seven games against FBS competition, WSU running backs are averaging 15 carries for 48 yards.
That helped spotlight the problems facing WSU’s offensive line, which allowed 16 pressures and two sacks on Eshelman, who took four total. On several occasions, the Cougs were beaten on stunts. On others, they weren’t able to generate any push on running plays, a key reason why their running backs haven’t gotten anything consistent going. A group of five returners – left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Noah Dunham, right guard Nick Bakken and right tackle Jaylin Caldwell – have shared a good dosage of the blame for a paltry offense.
“Offensively, we weren’t good enough, especially up front,” Moore said, “protecting the quarterback, running the football, and it led to 17 third downs. We want to limit the number of third downs. We gotta be more efficient on first and second down and create more explosive plays.”
On defense, the Cougs allowed several more big plays, including two long touchdown rushes from Boise State star running back Dylan Riley, who piled up 128 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. WSU, which whiffed on 16 tackles, has had some issues preventing explosive plays all season.
Perhaps just as important: Washington State couldn’t generate any real pass rush. The Cougars finished with only eight pressures on QB Maddux Madsen, according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him ample time in the pocket to complete passes. Madsen completed several key third-down conversions, including a 17-yard scramble in the third quarter, which later led to a touchdown.
Scouting San Diego State…
In head coach Sean Lewis’ third season, the Aztecs are 3-5 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play, coming off a 56-49 road loss to Colorado State. In that one, backup QB Stone Saunders made his starting debut and threw two touchdowns against two interceptions, totaling 369 yards through the air.
But the Aztecs’ defense couldn’t make it count, as has been the case all season. After eight games, SDSU ranks No. 135 of 138 FBS teams in total defense (462 yards per game), No. 133 in scoring defense (36 points per game), No. 109 in rush defense (178 ypg) and No. 134 in pass defense (284 ypg). That group is also allowing opponents to convert third downs at a 47% clip, which is No. 129 nationally.
It hasn’t been pretty for SDSU’s defense, which had to replace several key pieces on last year’s unit, including cornerback Chris Johnson, a first-round NFL draft pick in the spring, as well as edge rusher Trey White and three others who transferred to Power Four schools.
The Aztecs are dealing with an injury to quarterback Jayden Denegal, the team’s starter for the first seven games. The Aztecs opened the season with a home romp over FCS Portland State, only to drop three straight games, including road matchups with UCLA and Toledo and a home contest against James Madison. Since then, SDSU has dispatched Texas State at home, lost to Oregon State on the road, bounced back with a home win over Fresno State then fell in a road tilt with CSU.
In the Aztecs’ win over the Bulldogs, Saunders came on for the injured Denegal, leading fourth-quarter two scoring drives to secure the win. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds, Saunders profiles a pure pocket-passer, and he does it well. In his first start last weekend, Saunders completed 23 of 33 passes for 369 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. He isn’t much of a mobile threat, posting only four carries for negative-9 yards, an indication of the two total sacks he’s taken.
“They’re doing a nice job of playing complementary football,” Moore said. “They got in a shootout last week. They’re 3-1 at home. For us, it’s gonna be a challenge, third out of four games being on the road.”
What happened last time?
WSU and San Diego State’s last meeting came last fall in Pullman, where former Cougar quarterback Jaxon Potter led his team to a 36-13 win, scoring 22 unanswered points to pull away. Potter would go on to make one more start, in a loss to North Texas, before being benched for veteran Zevi Eckhaus for the rest of the season.
- 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
