defensive end
Wazzu keeps defensive end in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Second-half snaps tell the story of WSU's defensive breakdowns”, “Kirby Vorhees banged up for Fresno; Trey Leckner likely good to go”, and “Mouhamed Gueye traded buckets for defense, and it's working”. Keith Brown had to ask the score at halftime. Kirby Vorhees is banged up, and that changes the math for Washington State on Saturday. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every defensive end story on Wazzu, newest first.
Second-half snaps tell the story of WSU's defensive breakdowns
Keith Brown had to ask the score at halftime. That tells you everything about how Saturday went for the Cougs' defense. The sixth-year linebacker wasn't being cute, WSU had just taken a three-point lead into the break, but Brown was so locked into his own series that he'd lost track of the game. You don't hear that kind of tunnel vision from guys on losing teams very often. But here's the thing: the defense is playing too much, and it's starting to show in the fourth quarter. The numbers are brutal. WSU's giving up 4.3 points in the first quarter, that's top-half of the country. By the fourth? They're allowing 11.3, which is 123rd nationally. That's not a coincidence. That's what happens when your offense keeps handing the ball back. Seven turnovers in four games, and your defenders are racking up 60, 70 snaps a night. Khamari Terrell played 72 against Arizona. Brown logged 69. Those dudes are gassed by the time the game matters. Kirby Moore says it's about complementary football, and he's right. The front can't rush if they're spent, and the back end can't cover if the rush never gets home. The solution isn't just playing more guys, they're thin at key spots, with injuries stacking up. It's about the offense holding onto the ball. That's the real fix, and it's a big reason Saturday's game against Fresno State feels like a fork in the road.
Kirby Vorhees banged up for Fresno; Trey Leckner likely good to go
Kirby Vorhees is banged up, and that changes the math for Washington State on Saturday. The Cougars' first Pac-12 availability report has the tailback listed as questionable with an upper-body injury from practice this week. Kirby Moore says he's "a little dinged up," which is coach-speak for "we'll see." Vorhees has been the most consistent piece of a run game that's still finding itself, and if he can't go, Maxwell Woods becomes the feature back. Woods has looked shifty all season, and Leo Pulalasi is there too, but it's not the same comfort level. The bigger headline might be Trey Leckner. He's probable, which means his season debut is finally in sight after missing spring ball, fall camp, and most of the year with that foot injury. He caught 24 balls last year and tied for third-most touchdowns by a tight end in WSU history. This offense has been missing a reliable middle-of-the-field target, and Leckner is exactly that. If he's close to ready, it's a real boost. The defensive end depth is thinner than a Pullman frost. Malachi Wrice and Mike Hughes are out, and that means Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk keep stacking snaps. They've played 184 each through four games. That's a lot of miles. Ben Beatty and Fernando Lecuona Jr. need to step up. Nylan Brown's foot injury sounds serious, maybe season-ending. That hurts the linebacker room, even if he's mostly been a special teams guy.
Mouhamed Gueye traded buckets for defense, and it's working
Mouhamed Gueye walked into the NBA as a scorer. He's making his money as a stopper. That's the kind of pivot that keeps a second-round pick in the league, and after watching him play 77 games this season for Atlanta, it's working. Gueye averaged 14.3 and 8.4 at WSU. He was the guy. Then he got to the Hawks and realized everybody in the building can put the ball in the basket. So he figured out the other end. At 6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan, he can guard one through five. That's not a throwaway line. That's how you go from six games as a rookie to a rotation guy on a playoff team. The numbers won't jump off your phone screen, 4.4 points, 3.6 boards, but the Hawks don't need him to score. They need him to make life miserable for whoever he's guarding. He did that all season, and now Atlanta is the fifth seed in the East, headed to New York to open the playoffs Saturday. Gueye also keeps an eye on the Coug pipeline. Klay Thompson is still the standard, and Gueye says every time they see each other it's "Go Cougs." Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward are in Memphis. Isaac Jones is in Detroit. The fraternity is small, but it's growing. If you're tracking how WSU hoops is rebuilding, our story on the Cougs adding a big body from Northwestern is worth a read.