- 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.
- Boo birds hit Gesa Field as WSU offense goes quiet again
PULLMAN — The boo birds rained down on Gesa Field like volcanic ash on scorched terrain, directed at all the men responsible for Washington State’s latest anemic showing, from the head coach to the quarterback to the offensive coordinator to the running backs who couldn’t free themselves, no matter which angle they tried, left or right or forwards or backwards.
Early on in WSU’s second straight loss, a 26-6 home setback to Fresno State to open competition in the rebuilt Pac-12, frustration was already beginning to set in. Quarterback Caden Pinnick was missing throws. Receivers were running routes short of first-down markers. They couldn’t handle a shotgun snap and lost a fumble.
So WSU coach Kirby Moore heard about it from the crowd at Gesa Field, where the Cougars generated 182 yards of total offense in this loss, losing two turnover and going 3-for-14 on third down. WSU slogged through six three-and-outs, too. In their fourth loss of the season, the Cougars showed almost no ability to move the ball, turning in one of the most ghastly offensive showings in program history.
With this performance, WSU now has three offensive touchdowns in four games against FBS competition.
For the game, Pinnick completed 21 of 34 passes for 152 yards and an interception, his worst showing of the season, but the Cougars’ lack of execution also lost them this game. Pinnick, who was sacked seen times, couldn’t throw the ball away when opportunities surfaced. On one third-down pass late in the game, he threw behind tight end Jack Pedersen. On one earlier in the game, Pinnick threw short of wideout Branden Ganashamoorthy.
Above all, it amounted to the kind of listless offensive showing that rarely shows up at Washington State, which is known for fun offenses: The Air Raid, the run-and-shoot, quarterbacks throwing for 500 yards a game, running backs breaking into the open field. Here on Saturday night, WSU tailbacks Kirby Vorhees, Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi combined for 45 total rushing yards.
It was also the second time this season WSU has failed to score an offensive touchdown. Before the first time this season, which came in the Cougars’ road loss to Kansas State, the last time that happened to this program was in 2010. Back then, WSU’s coach was Paul Wulff.
The Cougars did produce two scoring drives in this game, both of which resulted in field goals from kicker Jack Stevens, who is beginning to turn things around after a sluggish start to the season. In the second quarter, he hit two field goals, the first a 32-yarder to tie the game at 3-all and the second a 50-yarder — the longest of his career — to tie the game at 6-all right before halftime.
Thanks to WSU’s defense, that was enough to keep the Cougars within one and two scores the entire game. The Cougars were beaten by a handful of Bulldog trick plays — quarterback Jayden Mandal, who connected on 23 of 32 passes for 248 yards, hit a flea-flicker — but they acquitted themselves well otherwise. The Cougs recovered a fumble, and their special-teams unit blocked a field goal, the second time they’ve done that this season.
But the story here on Saturday night was WSU’s offense, which turned in one of the worst outings the program has ever seen. Even in the Cougars’ most forgettable showings in recent memory — a 10-7 loss to Stanford in 2023, a 15-14 loss to Wyoming in 2024, 59-10 loss to North Texas in 2025 — they scored offensive touchdowns. They showed an ability to move the ball. They showed some level of energy, albeit low and listless.
WSU showed almost none of that in Saturday’s game, putting Moore and offensive coordinator Matt Miller under a harsh microscope. Will the Cougars consider a change at QB? What changes will they make in response to this blowout?
WSU returns to action next Friday at Utah State, which is the conference’s only winless team. The Cougars could bounce back in that one, but looking at the way Saturday’s game unfolded, not much will inspire confidence.
BOX SCORE
First quarter
7:01 - FSU 3, WSU 0: Manaki Watanabe makes a 27-yard field goal after the Cougars’ defense stiffens near the goal line.
Second quarter
12:34 - FSU 3, WSU 0: Fresno State quarterback Jayden Mandal fumbles on a QB sneak and WSU’s Khamari Terrell recovers.
9:27 - WSU 3, FSU 3: Jack Stevens makes a 32-yard field goal to tie the score.
6:06 - FSU 6, WSU 3: Watanabe connects on a 22-yard field goal.
0:00 - WSU 6, FSU 6: Stevens hits a career-long 50-yard field goal to even the score.
Halftime
Washington State and Fresno State spent the first half trading field goals.
WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick finished the first half with 82 passing yards, 28 of those yards to his leading receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy.
Fresno State QB Jayden Mandal has passed for 112 yards so far.
Third quarter
9:41 - FSU 13, WSU 6: Josiah Freeman scores the game’s first touchdown on a 3-yard rush.
9:37 FSU 13, WSU 6: FSU recovers a Pinnick fumble and starts its drive on the Cougars’ 24.
7:13 - FSU 13, FSU 6: Damarjhe Lewis blocks a Watanabe field goal attempt to keep WSU within one possession.
Fourth quarter
11:00 - FSU 16, WSU 6: Watanabe hits a 31-yard field goal to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 10.
3:54 - FSU 23, WSU 6: Julius Gillick bounces outside to rush for an 8-yard touchdown to extend the Bulldogs’ advantage.
3:44 - FSU 23, WSU 6: Pinnick is hit as he throws and the ball is intercepted by Justin Johnson.
3:15 - FSU 26, WSU 6: Watanabe makes his fourth field goal of the game, this time from 33 yards.
Pregame
Washington State is ready to turn the page on the nonconference portion of its schedule, which resulted in a record of 1-3, and welcome new Pac-12 Conference rival Fresno State.
The Bulldogs are riding a three-game win streak after a season-opening loss against USC.
To knock off Fresno State and get back on track toward bowl eligibility, the Cougars will need to take care of the ball and keep quarterback Caden Pinnick in rhythm. The ground game will also be important as WSU may be without running back Kirby Vorhees.
Washington State’s defense will also be able to play with more energy if the offense stays consistent.
Kick off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the TV broadcast can be found on USA.
Series history
Washington State holds a 4-2 advantage over Fresno State, winning the last matchup in 2024 on the road 25-17.
Notable stat
Washington State quarterback Caden Pinnick has a deep passing grade of 32.6, according to Pro Football Focus. Pinnick’s grade is four spots up from last among quarterbacks who have tried at least 13 passes of 20-plus yards.
Game preview
More on the Cougs
- Moore's offense showed some pulse, but the Cougs still left plays on the field
PULLMAN – The beginning of this Washington State season, the gauntlet the Cougars would see to open the Kirby Moore era, was always going to be difficult to parse. They faced three Power 4 teams in their first four games. Two were on the road. One came on a short week.
The Cougars were expected to come away from that stretch with one win and three losses. Thanks to a 34-24 setback to Arizona here on Saturday evening, WSU has fulfilled that much, which is not an indictment on these Cougars. But it does bring up the question that may define the rest of this season.
How many of the problems WSU’s offense is facing are a product of the stiff competition, and how many are the product of self-inflicted wounds that the Cougars would commit against the Pac-12 foes coming up?
We won’t know that much until conference play arrives when WSU hosts Fresno State next weekend, but the early returns on the Cougars’ offense are far from encouraging. Think about this stat, which is now official after Saturday’s game: In three games against FBS competition, WSU has produced three offensive touchdowns and committed six turnovers. The Cougars have lost seven total.
Moore’s team was expected to lose the games it has. It’s the way the Cougs’ offense is costing the team, though, that raises cause for concern.
“We gotta make sure we have a plan that everyone’s on the same page,” Moore said, “going from the half to the third quarter, especially in a tight game like that where our defense is battling, and we gotta find more ways to create explosive plays. We had them in the first quarter, in the first half, and had opportunities there to score even more. And then in the second half, we didn’t. So we gotta look at the film and see where we went wrong.”
In this one, WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick completed 24 of 41 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception, which came in the first quarter. If an Arizona defender hadn’t bobbled the ball later in the first half, Pinnick would have thrown two. Those were two costly decisions. Consider the other turnover Pinnick lost, a fumble that happened because he tried to throw the ball while being dragged down, and you start to see some of the poor decision-making that has led to Pinnick’s total turnover number this fall: four.
The reason that trend looms large for WSU: Pinnick is committing turnovers because of listless decisions, not because Power 4 athletes are making spectacular plays. Remember his interception last week against FCS Duquesne, when he threw into what became triple coverage downfield? Those are the kinds of poor decisions that have created such a gaping hole in the Cougars’ offense.
It would be one thing if Pinnick was playing a solid brand of football and a freak Power 4 defender, the kind that Arizona and Kansas State can afford, used his strength to jar the ball loose. That would be forgivable. But that’s not what’s happening. It may be Pinnick’s first season of FBS ball, but he has been too slow to differentiate a good decision from a bad one, especially when he’s looking to stretch the field vertically.
That raises a fair question: How can WSU coaches help Pinnick avoid those kinds of turnovers? How can they help Pinnick make better decisions, like in the third quarter, when he slid and gave himself up one yard short of a first down?
“We’re all in this together,” Moore said. “So it starts with me, obviously the offensive staff. Just having that dialogue with him, whether it’s in practice on the headset, reminders, making sure he knows exactly the stipulations, or even there on the third down. We ran the quarterback, he slides. That’s an unfortunate one. It’s a QB-designed run, and so we got to make sure he’s on the same page with that.”
The other problem the Cougars are facing is consistency. Their first drive in Saturday’s game, an 11-play, 71-yard scoring series, was nearly flawless. It ended when Pinnick took a QB keeper 11 yards into the end zone, following a string of perfect blocks, capping a perfect series. If that’s the way the Cougs were going to play in this one, well, the Wildcats should have been on their heels.
But WSU’s offense hardly looked the same after that. In the third quarter, the Cougs put up these numbers: 3 points, 149 total yards, 44 rushing yards, two three-and-outs, four punts and three sacks taken, giving Pinnick 10 sacks taken on the season. That opened the door for Arizona to turn a three-point deficit into a four-point lead, adding two more scoring drives in the fourth frame.
The Cougs can rebound from this. They showed what their offense can look like on that first series, and by showing an increased willingness to take shorter throws, Pinnick looks more than capable of making adjustments. But the biggest one he’ll have to make to avoid meeting the same fate against Pac-12 teams is more about trimming things out of his game.
He’ll have to make better decisions, better calls on when to try to stretch the ball down the field and when to be OK with checking it down. Fresno State’s defense figures to give him more opportunities to show that kind of acumen. But it’s on Pinnick, Moore and offensive coordinator Matt Miller to put themselves in a position where those changes don’t become just possible, they become probable.
“Give Arizona credit; they have a unique scheme,” Moore said. “So there was different variations of zone, whether it was inside, outside. Obviously, the quarterback pin-pull there we scored on in the first quarter. So there were some ID things there. Give them a ton of credit with how fast and hard those guys played. But we gotta have an answer as well with protecting the quarterback and having some more opportunities in the pass game.”
