fourth down
3 stories filed under fourth down on Wazzu. The newest of them: “The three plays that undid WSU in San Diego”, “Owen Eshelman and Branden Ganashamoorthy made the scoreboard hurt a little less”, and “Kirby Moore finally had something to say, and it wasn't about a tie”. Kirby Moore called a timeout before San Diego State's trick-play touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2. You can't sugarcoat a 48-30 loss, especially the fourth straight. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every fourth down story on Wazzu, newest first.
The three plays that undid WSU in San Diego
Kirby Moore called a timeout before San Diego State's trick-play touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2. The Aztecs only needed a field goal to go up two scores. By going for it, they risked getting stopped short. Moore gave them a chance to think better of it. They didn't. They scored. That's the kind of season it's been. WSU lost 26-20 in San Diego, and the final drive offered a sliver of hope. The Cougs reached midfield before a sack, a penalty, and two incompletions ended it. Moore burned his last timeout on that drive to avoid a 10-second runoff after a false start. He had nothing left for the final 74 seconds. Earlier, he sent kicker Jack Stevens out for a 53-yard field goal in spitting rain. It never had a chance. The defense WSU faced ranks 135th out of 138 FBS teams. The Cougs still couldn't crack it. They went 0-for-3 on fourth down. The offensive line got beaten by the same stunt Boise State used the week before. Moore said it starts with him. He's right. "We gotta learn how to finish, plays, drives, games," Moore said. Week 9, and those lessons aren't sticking. For more on what keeps this team from closing out wins, read "San Diego exposed what keeps WSU from closing out wins." Go Cougs.
Owen Eshelman and Branden Ganashamoorthy made the scoreboard hurt a little less
You can't sugarcoat a 48-30 loss, especially the fourth straight. But if you watched Owen Eshelman and Branden Ganashamoorthy work together in Corvallis, you saw something that looked a lot like a future. Eshelman, a redshirt freshman making his first start, threw for 289 yards and ran for 147 more. That's the second-most total yards by a WSU quarterback in a single game, ever. He looked nothing like the guy who started the first six games. He trusted his arm, trusted his legs, and trusted Ganashamoorthy, who hauled in 11 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown he described as tunnel vision. The offense put up 30 points, its best against FBS competition all season, and for the first time all year, they didn't turn the ball over (unless you count a meaningless late pick). So that's the good part. The bad part is real. The running game is stuck in neutral, 26 yards on 13 carries from three backs. That's a problem for a coach who made his name unlocking the run at Missouri. And Kirby Moore's decision to punt twice on fourth-and-short in the first half cost them 14 points on the very next play. He says he trusted the defense. It didn't work. But for the first time this season, the Cougars had a quarterback. If Eshelman and Ganashamoorthy keep that rhythm, a few more of these losses might start looking different.
Kirby Moore finally had something to say, and it wasn't about a tie
Kirby Moore finally looked like he had something to say, and it wasn't about a tie. After WSU's 48-30 loss to Oregon State, the head coach showed up to the postgame microphone visibly frustrated, animated, and far more fired up than we've seen all season. For a guy who usually sounds like he just finished a scrimmage, this was a real shift. He benched Pinnick, started Owen Eshelman, and the offense finally looked alive. Eshelman completed 32 of 49 passes for 289 yards and ran for 136 more, the second-most rushing yards by a WSU quarterback in program history. If you didn't know it was his first start, you'd have called your buddy a liar. Moore also punted on fourth-and-short from midfield twice, both times leading to long OSU touchdowns. He defended the calls after the game, saying he has confidence in the defense. That's the right thing to say to the room. But you can tell he's learning. The Cougs are 1-6 and this season is basically a lost cause. But Eshelman changes the look of the rest of the schedule. They might not beat Boise State next weekend, but San Diego State and Colorado State suddenly feel different. Moore took too long to make this call. That's fair to say. But he made it, and that matters. For more on the bright spots from that game, check out our piece on Eshelman and Branden Ganashamoorthy making the scoreboard hurt a little less. Go Cougs.