Daniel Blood
Daniel Blood at Wazzu is a file of 4 stories. The newest of them: “Cougs answer Boise State's punch with a Vorhees touchdown, 7-7 at the half”, “Boise State week hits a snag as Tripp and Clemons hobble in”, and “Utah State on a short week? Cougs need an offensive pulse”. Kirby Vorhees punched it in from a yard out, and just like that, the Cougs were even with Boise State at the half. Ashton Tripp is day-to-day with an ankle. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Daniel Blood story on Wazzu, newest first.
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Cougs answer Boise State's punch with a Vorhees touchdown, 7-7 at the half
Kirby Vorhees punched it in from a yard out, and just like that, the Cougs were even with Boise State at the half. 7-7. Martin Stadium had something to yell about. Owen Eshelman found Daniel Blood for 13 yards to set it up, and Vorhees finished the job. That drive answered Boise State's opening punch, Sire Gaines up the middle for nine yards on a 33-yard Maddux Madsen setup. The Broncos answered back with a field goal as time expired, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room. This is the spot. WSU came in needing its most complete game of the season. A 1-6 record. Bowl eligibility on the line. A 13½-point underdog at home. First-year head coach Kirby Moore facing his old team, the one he starred for alongside his brother Kellen. The Broncos are on a five-game win streak, the presumptive Pac-12 favorites, and their offense has spent more time on the field than anyone in the country. None of that matters in the second half. What matters is whether the Cougs can finish a drive and stop one. For more on how the team got here, check out our preview on Terrell saying run his way and Boise State will find out. It sets the table for what the second half has to deliver. Go Cougs.
Boise State week hits a snag as Tripp and Clemons hobble in
Ashton Tripp is day-to-day with an ankle. Darrius Clemons is on crutches. And Boise State rolls into town this weekend ranked 21st in the country. That's not ideal. The offense was starting to look like something. Owen Eshelman put up 289 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon State, and the run game finally had some teeth. But now the left tackle who's held that spot since 2023 might not be available, and Clemons, 20 catches, 218 yards, seven starts, is getting his ankle evaluated. Kirby Moore said depth at receiver is thin already after Tony Freeman's ACL in the Apple Cup. So if Clemons is out, you're looking at Daniel Blood, Tank Hawkins, and Branden Ganashamoorthy to carry the load. Ganashamoorthy just posted career highs last weekend, so maybe that's something. On the other side, the defense might actually get some help. Malachi Wrice and Michael Hughes are expected to play full speed. Hughes got 30 snaps back against Oregon State after missing five games. Wrice hasn't played since Week 2. If those two can spell McLain and Zunk, that's a real boost. Moore also put to rest any talk about NIL deciding playing time. Said the best players play. That came up after the decision to bench Caden Pinnick for Eshelman. Moore said Eshelman had turnover issues in camp but kept preparing like a starter. He's grown. We saw it Saturday.
Utah State on a short week? Cougs need an offensive pulse
Kirby Moore is calling the plays now. That's the headline out of Pullman, and honestly, it had to happen. Washington State's offense has been so quiet this season that the boo birds at Gesa Field have become a regular part of the gameday soundtrack, something we covered in "Boo birds hit Gesa Field as WSU offense goes quiet again." After a 26-6 loss to Fresno State where the Cougars didn't score an offensive touchdown for the second time this year, Moore had to shake something loose. Caden Pinnick turned in his worst game of the season. The running backs combined for 45 yards. The third-down conversion rate is 27 percent, which is five spots from dead last in the country. That's not a blip. That's a pattern. So Moore steps in for Matt Miller. He says everyone will get reps at quarterback this week. That's not a vote of confidence for Pinnick, and it shouldn't be. The good news? Utah State is 1-4 and has thrown 10 interceptions, worst in the nation. Their offense is barely better than WSU's. The bad news? The Cougs are still 4.5-point underdogs on the road. This is a rematch of last year's Potato Bowl, which WSU won 34-21. That feels like a different era. Right now, this team needs a pulse. Friday night in Logan is as good a place as any to find one. Go Cougs.
Moore's homecoming was nice, but WSU's offense is now the problem
The boos at Gesa Field Saturday night weren't just about one bad game. They were about a promise that hasn't been kept. Kirby Moore came home in December under a gorgeous sky, waving from a Jeep Wagoneer, telling fans he was excited to build something. The offense was supposed to be the fun part. Instead, WSU just laid a 26-6 egg against Fresno State. No touchdowns. Eight turnovers on the season. Three offensive scores in four games against FBS competition. That's not a rebuild, that's a regression. Moore said the Cougs needed 27 points to win. They scored six. He also said the fans deserve better, and he's right. But "better" has to start with a hard look at the quarterback room. Caden Pinnick took five sacks, threw a pick, and wasn't ready for a snap. He wasn't made available to the media after the game, which is a bad look for a guy who talked about giving the program pride after an earlier loss. Coaches should have at least given Julian Dugger or Owen Eshelman a look in garbage time. Even if Moore sticks with Pinnick, that evaluation has to be real. The defense played well enough to win. The offensive line didn't. The running game didn't. And the passing game didn't stretch the field. This offense hasn't improved since fall camp, and that's the most frustrating part. There's still time to fix it, but it starts with honesty.