FBS win
Wazzu keeps FBS win in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU”, “Boise State's offense is the test WSU's D hasn't passed yet”, and “Boise State comes to Pullman for the first time since 2017”. Five straight losses. All season, Washington State's defense has been a little tricky to parse. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every FBS win 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.
Boise State's offense is the test WSU's D hasn't passed yet
All season, Washington State's defense has been a little tricky to parse. On one hand, the Cougars have excelled in tough spots, jumping into action after short fields thanks to offensive turnovers. The pass rush has been above average. So has the tackling. But when you're playing No. 21 Boise State, above average won't fly. That's why we're picking WSU to fall Saturday afternoon in Pullman. The Cougars are tasked with doing something only Oregon has done this season: slow down tailbacks Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. Riley ranks second in the country with 139 rushing yards per game. Gaines has cleared the century mark in each of his last two. Complicating matters is Boise State's average time of possession: 36 minutes, which leads the entire country. That puts serious strain on the defense, especially if the offense commits a turnover. New quarterback Owen Eshelman did well to avoid that in meaningful settings last weekend in his first start. It's a lot to ask out of this WSU team, and there's no shame in losing to this Boise State squad. But the Cougars will have to look elsewhere for their first FBS win of the season. Final score: Boise State 30, WSU 20. If you need a break from the defensive math, go check out how Kamie Ethridge and the Cougs broke down 2026 WBB at Media Day. That squad is still the top of the West, and it's a better kind of stress. Go Cougs.
Boise State comes to Pullman for the first time since 2017
The last time Boise State came to Pullman, Tyler Hilinski came off the bench and won it in triple overtime. That was 2017. This Saturday, the Broncos are back at Gesa Field, ranked No. 21, and WSU is still looking for its first FBS win of the season. The Cougs are 14-point underdogs. That feels about right. Boise State has won five straight since losing to Oregon, and running back Dylan Riley is averaging 139 yards per game. Quarterback Maddux Madsen has thrown 13 touchdowns and zero picks. Zero. That offense is a machine, and WSU's defense just gave up 347 passing yards to Oregon State. But there was something to like last week. Owen Eshelman got his first start and looked like a different offense. 32 of 49, 289 yards, two touchdowns, and 136 rushing yards. The running backs? Still stuck in neutral, 26 yards on 13 carries. Moore said it starts up front, and he's right. This is also a full-circle game for Kirby Moore, who played at Boise State and built the coaching connections he uses now. You can read more about what worked for him after the Oregon State win in our piece "Kirby Moore breaks down what worked after the win over Oregon State." It's a long shot. But it's Pullman, and it's Boise State, and that 2017 game still echoes. Go Cougs.