Darrius Clemons
Darrius Clemons at Wazzu is a file of 5 stories. The newest of them: “Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU”, “Clemons and Bernard day-to-day after Boise loss, SDSU ahead”, and “Kirby Moore knows how to pronounce Boise, and how to beat them”. Five straight losses. Two starters are day-to-day, and that's about the best news the Cougs got this week. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Darrius Clemons story on Wazzu, newest first.
Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU
Five straight losses. That's the weight the Cougs are carrying into San Diego on Saturday. WSU hasn't beaten an FBS team all season, and after a 31-10 loss to Boise State where they tied the game through three quarters only to watch it fall apart in the fourth, the frustration is real. Owen Eshelman is still settling in as the starter, but the offense around him isn't helping. The running game is basically nonexistent, 53 yards on 33 carries against Boise, and the offensive line is getting beat on stunts and push. Kirby Moore didn't sugarcoat it: they weren't good enough up front. San Diego State isn't exactly rolling either. They've lost two of three, their defense ranks near the bottom of the entire FBS, and they're on their backup quarterback after an injury. Stone Saunders can throw, 369 yards in his first start, but he's not running anywhere. The Aztecs give up yards and points in bunches. That should be an opening for a Coug offense that desperately needs one. This is the third road game in four weeks for WSU, and the bye is next week. A win here changes the conversation. A loss makes that five-game skid feel a lot heavier. For more on who might be missing from the lineup, check out our update on Clemons and Bernard being day-to-day after the Boise loss. Go Cougs.
Clemons and Bernard day-to-day after Boise loss, SDSU ahead
Two starters are day-to-day, and that's about the best news the Cougs got this week. Darrius Clemons (ankle) and Jeremiah Bernard (shoulder) will both try to practice ahead of San Diego State, but after a 31-10 loss to Boise State where WSU missed 16 tackles and ran the ball 10 times for 20 yards, "day-to-day" feels like a coin flip. Kirby Moore is talking about exploring changes on the offensive line, which let Boise State's Dylan Riley run for 33 and 72 yards in the fourth quarter alone. That's the kind of fourth quarter that ends a game and a hope of bowl eligibility. The math is ugly: 1-7 overall, 0-4 in Pac-12 play, and the program's streak of bowl eligibility in nine of the last 10 full seasons is almost certainly over unless they win out *and* hit a 930 Academic Progress Rate. That's a lot of ifs. What stings is how thin the roster is. Branden Ganashamoorthy, Daniel Blood, and Tank Hawkins played every offensive snap against Boise. No rotation. No relief. Moore wants "deliberate practice" and fewer assignment errors, but at some point, guys just need a break. The Cougs have four players with 500-plus snaps this season, one of only two Pac-12 teams that can say that. That's not a badge of honor; it's a warning light. For a deeper look at how this team is holding up, read our piece on the kratom study. Different kind of pain, same Pullman fight. Go Cougs.
Kirby Moore knows how to pronounce Boise, and how to beat them
Kirby Moore knows how to pronounce Boise. The Washington State coach spent his playing days at Boise State, so he's heard plenty of Idahoans correct the Z-sound newcomers reach for. Now he's bringing his Cougs, 1-6 and still searching for their first FBS win under him, against the No. 21 Broncos for homecoming. That's a full-circle moment that probably stings a little if you're competitive. The good news: Owen Eshelman looked like a different offense last week against Oregon State. Nearly 300 yards passing, two touchdowns through the air, one on the ground. The bad news: Boise State's rushing attack ranks eighth in the country, and the Broncos have a running back averaging 139 yards per game. WSU's defense is going to have to tackle, and tackle well, to give Eshelman a chance. The receiver room is thin. Tony Freeman is out for the year. Darrius Clemons is doubtful. That leaves Branden Ganashamoorthy, Daniel Blood, and Tank Hawkins carrying the load, with two guys who've barely played all season ready to spell them. It's not ideal against a ranked team. Mathematically, bowl eligibility is still possible. Realistically, it would take five straight wins. That's asking a lot from a team that hasn't shown it can string one together yet. But the quarterback change gave fans something to text about. If Eshelman repeats that performance, maybe the Cougs make it interesting.
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.
Pinnick's five turnovers make Saturday a test of Cougar ball security
Caden Pinnick has given the ball away five times this season. Washington State as a team has turned it over seven times. That's a minus-4 turnover margin, good for No. 119 nationally. Fresno State, meanwhile, sits at plus-7, ranked No. 6. Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on USA, that math is the whole game. Pinnick is sharp when he keeps it short. He's completed 71 percent of his throws from zero to 19 yards. But on passes of 20-plus yards, he's hit just 2 of 13 with two picks. Fresno State corner Simeon Harris already has three interceptions. Pinnick does not need to test him deep. The Cougs can help their quarterback by running the ball. Kirby Vorhees is a game-time decision with an upper-body injury. If he can't go, Maxwell Woods gets the carries. Fresno State's defense is a better matchup for this WSU offense than some others have been. A credible ground game early would let Pinnick settle in instead of pressing. That pressing is where the trouble starts. The flip side: Fresno State knows what WSU gives up. The Cougar defense allows just 4.3 points per game in the first quarter. By the fourth, that number jumps to 11.3, ranking No. 123 nationally. That's a tired unit. Fresno can lean on long drives and let WSU's own mistakes do the rest. For a deeper look at how this math problem has been building, check out "Wazzu's Saturday math problem: Fresno takes the ball, Cougs give it back.