offense

Eshelman looks sharp but Cougs still chasing the Pac-12 pack

Owen Eshelman looks the part. He stands in the pocket, looks downfield, and will take a hit to deliver a third-and-long throw. But after two starts against the best the Pac-12 has to offer, the Cougs are still stuck chasing the pack. Saturday's 31-10 loss to No. 21 Boise State was another game that got away, tied at 10 entering the fourth quarter, then undone by a costly interception. It would be easy to blame the quarterback. Eshelman threw no touchdowns, one pick, and took four sacks. But the issues run deeper. The offensive line is getting flat-out whipped. When your running backs combine for 20 yards on 10 carries, it doesn't matter how patient your QB is. Eshelman completed just 21 of 40 passes while under constant duress. Still, there was something there. A 10-yard scramble on third down. Four-of-five on fourth-down conversions. WSU actually held the ball longer than Boise State, the nation's No. 1 time-of-possession team. It was chaotic, not clean, but chaos at least creates the possibility of a big play. Head coach Kirby Moore says nobody's quitting. With four games left and no bowl to chase, the Cougs need to show improvement, not just spirit. For a deeper look at how one bad snap turned a close game into a lopsided loss, check out "One bad snap cost the Cougs a chance at an upset in Boise." Go Cougs.

Owen Eshelman's first start gave Wazzu its best FBS offense yet

Owen Eshelman's first start gave Wazzu its best FBS offense yet, and that's the kind of sentence that makes you wonder what took so long. The Cougs lost 48-30 to Oregon State, which makes it four straight losses, but the offense finally looked like it had a pulse. Eshelman threw for two touchdowns, ran for another, and unlocked Branden Ganashamoorthy for career highs in catches and yards. The running game from the tailbacks? Still stuck in neutral. Maxwell Woods, Kirby Vorhees, and Leo Pulalasi combined for 26 yards on 13 carries. That's not going to cut it. Kirby Moore benched Caden Pinnick after six starts, and the question hanging over Pullman is whether he waited too long. Probably yes. With Eshelman, the Cougs likely beat Utah State, maybe Fresno State, maybe even Washington. Moore defended punting on fourth-and-short from midfield, saying he trusted the defense. The defense gave up 48 points. That math doesn't add up. The good news is Eshelman looked legit. The bad news is Boise State comes to town next weekend, and the Cougs still can't run the ball against FBS teams. For deeper coverage on that Boise State matchup, check out Greg Woods' piece on the first visit from the Broncos since 2017. For now, the take to text a friend: Eshelman might be the real deal, but Moore's clock management and a dead running game are going to make the rest of this season a grind. 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.

Eshelman and the O Show Signs of Life in Corvallis Loss

The O showed signs of life, and that alone felt like a win in Corvallis. Eshelman finally found a rhythm, the offense moved the ball with something resembling purpose, and for stretches, it looked like the unit that was supposed to show up in September. That matters. Not because it changes the record, but because it changes the conversation on the bus ride home. You want to know what that bus ride was actually like? We've got a separate story on that quiet trip back, and it pairs well with this one. Kirby Moore has spent weeks answering questions about what's broken. After this one, he finally had something to say that wasn't about a tie. That's progress. The scoreboard still says loss, and nobody in Pullman is popping champagne for a moral victory in Corvallis. But if you watched the whole thing, you saw a quarterback settle in, a line give him time, and a few throws that reminded you why you keep tuning in. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't enough. But it was something to build on, which is more than we had a week ago. Go Cougs.

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.

Eshelman and WSU need the offense to show up if they want to beat Oregon State

The rock is on the line, but that's the least of Wazzu's worries right now. Owen Eshelman gets his first college start Saturday in Corvallis, and the kid has barely played. Two snaps. Garbage time against Duquesne. Now he's supposed to fix an offense averaging 12.6 points a game, with a turnover margin that's dead last in the country. That's not a soft landing. Keith Brown, the veteran linebacker who started his career at Oregon, says he wasn't nervous when he faced Ohio State as a true freshman. He felt prepared. Eshelman might feel the same way. He's got the arm and the accuracy. But the Cougs need more than a live arm. They need the whole offense to show up for the first time all year. Oregon State, meanwhile, is rolling. Braden Atkinson is throwing for 376 yards a game. Jesse Legree has 12 receiving touchdowns. The Beavs' offense is ranked fifth in the country, and they just hung 66 on San Diego State. The WSU defense has been the one bright spot this season, but slowing that down is a tall order. Kirby Moore made the switch at QB. He took over playcalling last week. He's trying everything. Now it's on Eshelman to prove the change matters. If the Cougs can't score, it won't matter how well the defense plays. For more on the challenge facing WSU's secondary, check out "WSU's secondary gets its biggest test of the season against OSU's Legree." Go Cougs.

Eshelman walked in asking why, and WSU coaches took notice

Cougs turn to Owen Eshelman at QB, Pinnick benched for Oregon State

Six games, four touchdowns, one change at quarterback. That's where we're at. Kirby Moore benched Caden Pinnick on Monday and will start redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman against Oregon State. It had to happen. Pinnick threw three touchdowns against five interceptions this season. He fumbled away a turnover against Utah State. The offense ranks 133rd out of 138 FBS teams in scoring. That's not Cougar football. Eshelman is a 6-foot-3 kid from Norman, Oklahoma. He threw for 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns as a high school senior, plus another 19 on the ground. He's only played two snaps in college, both in garbage time against Duquesne. But Moore says he's prepared like the starter for 10 months. We're about to find out if that translates. The Oregon State defense is no joke. The Beavers boast the best offense in the country, and the Cougs are still searching for their first FBS win. Moore called plays for the first time against Utah State, and it didn't go great. But there's nowhere to go but up. Pinnick couldn't throw past nine yards downfield. He took 11 QB-fault sacks, tied for most in the nation. That's not a thing you can fix midseason. Sometimes you just need a new arm. For more context on what we're walking into, check out our earlier piece: "Oregon State looms as Cougs head south still searching for first win." Go Cougs.

Caden Pinnick is a good dude. That doesn't fix the QB room

Caden Pinnick sounds like a guy you'd be happy to have over for a BBQ. He's thoughtful, accountable, and clearly cares about his teammates. None of that makes him the answer at quarterback right now. The Cougs dropped a 17-16 stunner to Utah State after taking a 16-3 lead into the half. That's three straight losses. Four offensive touchdowns in five games against FBS competition. Pinnick went 23-of-36 for 156 yards and zero touchdowns. In Pullman, that stat line used to mean 400 yards and a couple scores. Now it means the offense is stuck in neutral. Kirby Moore has a decision to make. Pinnick has seven turnovers on the season. The second half produced 64 total yards. Penalties wiped out chunk plays. Jack Pedersen fumbled late, and Utah State turned it into the winning score. Moore was asked about Julian Dugger or Owen Eshelman. He said he needs to evaluate everything. That's coach-speak for "I don't have a great answer yet." Pinnick owned it. Said it breaks his heart. He's a 20-year-old trying to follow a line of Cougar QBs who set a high bar. That's not his fault. But running him out there every week when the offense can't move might not be fair to him or the team. If you want the full picture of this season's slide, check out "Cougs head south, run into a buzzsaw in Logan." Go Cougs.

Who starts at QB for WSU could decide the Utah State game

Friday night in Logan, the Cougs will go through all the same motions they always do. Stretches. Warmups. Jumping jacks. Then the tunnel opens, and something will actually be different. Kirby Moore is taking over playcalling. That alone is a big shift for an offense that ranks near the bottom of the country in scoring. But the real question, the one that decides whether this season has a pulse, is who takes the first snap. Caden Pinnick has been turnover-prone, leading the nation in QB-fault sacks. Owen Eshelman has the arm but hasn't played in a meaningful way. Julian Dugger brings athleticism and hasn't seen much time either. Moore says everyone will get reps, and that the decision comes down to what they see in practice. That sounds like a coach keeping his options open, which is about all you can ask for at 1-4. The good news? Utah State's offense might be even worse. Ten interceptions. 13.3 points per game. Our defense should have a day. Linus Zunk and Matyus McLain ought to be licking their chops. But defense alone won't win this one. The offense has to answer. If Moore picks the right QB, and his new play sheet makes a difference, the Cougs might save the season before it slips into November. If not, bowl eligibility becomes a memory. For a deeper look at what Moore's move means, check out our story on why the Cougs are letting a new voice call plays in Logan. Go Cougs.

Kirby Moore called his own shot. Now can his offense answer

Kirby Moore called his own shot. He took the playcalling duties from his longtime friend and offensive coordinator Matt Miller, because the Cougs' offense has been floundering. Something had to change. Moore understood the urgency. Now comes the hard part: Does it work? We're heading to Logan on Friday night, 6 p.m. on the CW, to find out. And honestly? I'm not optimistic. The prediction here is Utah State 13, WSU 7. That's a tough score to swallow. Quarterback Caden Pinnick could look sharper with a new voice in his ear. Fewer turnovers. Cleaner decisions. But if the problems are more about Pinnick than the plays being called, the Cougs are in the same spot. And it's not just him. Receivers have dropped passes. Routes have come up short. The offensive line hasn't been perfect. The tight ends haven't helped in the passing game. Nobody in that unit gets a pass. But the head of the snake is the quarterback. If Pinnick isn't the answer, Owen Eshelman hasn't seen meaningful time, and Julian Dugger would have to prove he can hurt a defense with his arm. That's a thin bench against a Utah State defense ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring. Moore made the right move. It just might not be enough. For more on why the Cougs are changing who calls the plays, check out "Why the Cougs are letting a new voice call plays in Logan." It's a deeper look at what went into this decision.

Kirby Moore talks Utah State, and the quiet work that wins in Pullman

Kirby Moore doesn't raise his voice to explain what wins in Pullman. He just points to the work that doesn't make the highlight reel. Talking Utah State this week, Moore broke down the kind of quiet, repetitive stuff that turns a good Cougar team into a tough one. That's the part of the season that doesn't get a headline, but it's the part that keeps you in games when the crowd gets loud and the road gets long. It's easy to forget, in the middle of baseball midweeks and volleyball preps, that football is still grinding through its own kind of spring. Moore's approach fits Pullman. No flash. Just film, fundamentals, and the kind of patience that only makes sense if you've spent a winter in that town. He knows what Utah State brings. More importantly, he knows what his guys have to bring back. If you're the type who tracks every pitch, we've got you covered with "Cougs Hit the Road for a Pair of Midweek Ballgames in Texas." Different sport, same kind of under-the-radar work that builds a season before anyone notices. Moore would probably approve of the overlap. Go Cougs.

Pac-12 power rankings leave little doubt about the gap ahead of WSU

The gap between the top three and the rest of the Pac-12 is a chasm, and the power rankings make it official. Boise State, Oregon State, and Fresno State are the class of the conference. Washington State? We're sitting at No. 7, and the takeaway from the rankings is brutal but fair: we don't have enough offense to secure a bowl berth, let alone sniff the championship game. It's one week into round-robin play, and the picture is already clear. The beauty of this eight-team league is everyone plays everyone, so there are no excuses. The defining dates are set: Boise State at Fresno State, Oregon State at Fresno State, and Oregon State at Boise State. The analytics favor the Broncos to sweep. Our hunch is they do. For the Cougs, the immediate concern is finding an offensive pulse. First-year coach Kirby Moore has no answers right now, and if that doesn't change in the next 19 games, Pullman will be in the market for a new coach. That's the hard truth. We've got deeper coverage on the situation, including a look at Moore taking over playcalls and what the Cougs need against Utah State this Friday. It's a short week, and the offense is MIA. Pullman is letting them hear it. Go Cougs.

Moore to Cougs after Fresno dud: The noise is fair, the fix is on us

Six points. One offensive touchdown all season. A stat line that puts WSU near the bottom of 138 FBS teams in just about everything that matters. Kirby Moore stood in the Gesa Field locker room and told his guys the noise is fair. He's right. It is. This offense isn't just struggling. It's historically bad. The Cougars haven't gone without an offensive touchdown twice in a season since 2008, and that's not company anyone wants to keep. Caden Pinnick has six turnovers, he's taking sacks he doesn't need to take, and he's bailing from pockets that are actually clean. The running backs got five carries in the second half. Five. For a group whose retention was supposed to be Moore's biggest offseason win, that's a head-scratcher. There were bright spots. Matyus McLain looked like a menace off the edge, and Jack Stevens drilling a career-long 50-yarder after a 1-for-5 start is a genuine feel-good story. But those are crumbs. Moore says the leadership group has to step up, and he's taking over playcalls. Good. Something has to change. The Cougs are 1-4 with a short week before Utah State, and our Pac-12 power rankings already have the gap drawn. The fix is on them. We'll see if they're actually willing to try something different, or if we're in for more of the same. Go Cougs.

The offense is MIA and Pullman is letting the Cougs hear it

The boo birds hit Gesa Field early Saturday night, and honestly? Fair. Three feeble drives to open the game. Three punts. A home crowd that drove hours, some from across the state, some from across the country, sat through it and let the Cougs hear it. That crowd is the hardiest bunch in college football. They don't deserve this. Here's the part that stings: this was supposed to be the payoff. When the Pac-12 collapsed and WSU got shoved into the wilderness, the silver lining was always the rebuild. A conference WSU and Oregon State built together. A level playing field. A chance to be a lead school instead of the smallest fish in the biggest pond. Saturday was the formal kickoff of that rebuilt Pac-12. The Cougars are now 0-1 in a conference they helped create. And they looked ready to settle into a familiar spot in the standings. Fresno State might be decent. They came in 3-1. But I can't sell that. This isn't Pat Hill's Fresno State. This is a team WSU was favored against, and the only offense the Cougars have is a kicker finally finding his range. Meanwhile, Oregon State looks great. Freshman receiver Jessee Legree has nine touchdowns, three times more than every WSU receiver combined. The Beavers are building something in Corvallis. What does Pullman have to offer? Playing time and fans who are almost hoarse from booing. There's no structural excuse for this. WSU made bowl games in both wilderness years.

Boo birds hit Gesa Field as WSU offense goes quiet again

The boo birds don't usually show up early at Gesa Field. Saturday night, they were out before halftime, and you couldn't blame them. Washington State just laid a 26-6 egg against Fresno State in the opener of the rebuilt Pac-12, and it wasn't the kind of loss you can shrug off. It was the kind where you start checking the record books to see if you've hit a new low. The Cougars managed 182 total yards. Six three-and-outs. Three-for-14 on third down. Two turnovers. Three offensive touchdowns in four games against FBS competition. That's not a slump, that's a pattern, and the crowd let Kirby Moore and everyone else hear it. Caden Pinnick threw for 152 yards and an interception, took seven sacks, and looked like a quarterback who couldn't find an answer no matter where he looked. The running backs combined for 45 yards. The receivers ran routes short of the sticks. It was the kind of offensive showing that makes you miss the Air Raid days, when at least the ball was in the air and something was happening. Credit the defense for keeping this close. They recovered a fumble, blocked a field goal, and held Fresno State to field goals for most of the night. Jack Stevens hit a career-long 50-yarder and looked like he's turning things around. But when your offense can't punch it in, that only gets you so far. Moore's homecoming was nice, but WSU's offense is now the problem.

Wazzu's Saturday math problem: Fresno takes the ball, Cougs give it back

Here's the math problem for Saturday, and it's not the kind you can solve with a calculator. Fresno State comes to Pullman ranked sixth in the country in turnover margin at plus-seven. Washington State is 119th at minus-four. That gap is the whole ballgame before kickoff even happens. The Cougars have given it away seven times this season. Five of those are Caden Pinnick's doing. The quarterback has been fine when he keeps it short, completing 71% of his throws inside 19 yards. But the moment he tries to push the ball downfield, the wheels come off. He's hit just 2 of 13 passes of 20-plus yards and thrown two picks on those attempts. That's not a matchup problem. That's a decision problem, and it's shown up against Washington and even Duquesne. So what's the counter? Run the ball. Keep the pressure off Pinnick and make Fresno's defense respect something underneath. That gets harder if Kirby Vorhees can't go with that upper-body injury. He's the best weapon Matt Miller has in the backfield, and without him, the offense loses its teeth. We're not going to overthink this one. The Cougars have a chance because the game is at home and the matchup is more even than the records suggest. But turnovers travel, and Fresno's defense feeds on them. Give us the Bulldogs, 24-20. If you need a break from the math, check out "Three Cougs who made the Boeing Apple Cup one to remember.

Cougs need to prove the offense can show up against FBS defenses

If the Cougs can't score against FBS defenses, Saturday in Tucson is going to feel a lot like the last two weeks. One offensive touchdown and four turnovers across two games against that level of competition. That's not going to cut it against Arizona, even if the Wildcats have been generous enough to force only one turnover all season. The good news: the offensive line that just ran for 300 yards against Duquesne is back intact. They don't need to duplicate that number, but they need to make Arizona respect the run. If they can't, it's going to be a long day for whoever is taking snaps. On the other side, the defense needs to get to Noah Fifita. He's completing 80 percent of his throws. That's not a typo. But he's also taken eight sacks, and when he's pressured, his numbers drop. Jaylen Thomas already has a pick-six this season. Another one would help. The problem is Arizona ranks 18th nationally in pass blocking, so Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk have their work cut out for them. The Cougs have talked about being more detail-oriented since Week 1. They'll need every bit of that attention to detail to pull the upset. If you want a look at how things went sideways last time these teams met, check out our story from that game: "Arizona lands a punch Wazzu never quite answers." Go Cougs.

DJ Warner's Arizona roots could fuel a Coug upset under the lights

DJ Warner grew up two hours from Arizona's campus, recruited by those coaches, and now he's suiting up for the other side. Saturday night under the lights in Pullman, he'll shake hands with old friends after the game. He'd prefer to do it with a win. That's the setup for a 4:30 p.m. CBS kickoff where Washington State is a 10½-point underdog against a Wildcats team that hung 42 on Northern Illinois. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is completing 81 percent of his passes and set a program record for career touchdown throws last week. He's the real problem. But there's history here. WSU has won five of the last seven meetings, and Arizona hasn't left Pullman with a win since 2014. Trent Bray, WSU's defensive coordinator, goes way back with Arizona coach Brent Brennan from their Oregon State days. Brennan called Bray "Uncle Trent" to his kids. That friendship pauses for three hours Saturday. The Cougars need this one. A 1-3 start would put a decade-long bowl streak in real danger. The offense finally showed life against Duquesne, but as we wrote in "Cougs need to prove the offense can show up against FBS defenses," this is the real test. Jack Stevens is 1-for-5 on field goals. Kirby Moore is 1-2 as a head coach. Warner is home for a night. If the Cougs can slow Fifita and get a bounce from their kicker, they might just make those postgame handshakes a little sweeter. Go Cougs.

Arizona lands a punch Wazzu never quite answers

The Cougars did the rope-a-dope thing Saturday, and it turns out Homer Simpson was right: at some point you have to punch back. Wazzu brought Arizona back to Pullman for a messy, physical grudge match, and for one glorious stretch it looked like the old magic might hold. Safety Jackquintin Bal, an Arizona kid, no less, broke on a Noah Fifita pass, put the receiver on his back, and danced into the end zone for a 14-0 lead. The defense was suffocating. Sacks on each of the first two drives. Arms in passing lanes. Chaos for the Wildcats' quarterback. Then Arizona scored 31 of the next 34 points. The pattern is getting hard to ignore. The Cougars have great defensive players, but not enough depth to sustain that level through four quarters, especially when the offense can't give them a breather. Caden Pinnick was miles from good, though he bounced back from mistakes the way you'd expect from a former Big Sky Freshman of the Year. The offense is still finding its way, and it's costing this defense. The solace? No more Power Four teams on the schedule. WSU should have one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. But as we saw Saturday, that doesn't matter much if the offense can't land a single counterpunch. For more on the special teams situation that didn't help matters, check out our piece on Max Dean's migraines making punting a game-time call. Go Cougs.

Trey Leckner's return is suddenly a Saturday question for Cougs

Trey Leckner's foot healed faster than the schedule said it would, and that's a small win in a 1-3 start that's felt heavier than the record. The Cougars' best pass-catching tight end is a game-time decision Saturday against Fresno State, per Kirby Moore, who's been cautious with him all month. Leckner was supposed to miss the first half of the season. Instead, he's back at practice, full-go, and ready to give an offense that's turned the ball over seven times a much-needed safety valve. That's the thing about this group: they've got backs, they've got receivers, but they haven't had a reliable middle-of-the-field target since Leckner went down. Jack Pedersen has filled in admirably, five catches, one score, mostly against Duquesne, but he's not the same mismatch. Moore said it himself: they want both guys on the field, and that's a problem for Fresno State's defense if Leckner's actually healthy. Elsewhere, Jalil Tucker's status remains a shrug emoji. He's dressed and warmed up the last two weeks but hasn't played since the Apple Cup. The silver lining? Jack Bal made the most of his shot against Arizona, picking off a pass and taking it back 25 yards for a score while logging a career-high 67 snaps. If Tucker can't go, you ride Bal again and hope the secondary doesn't bend too far. Moore also defended his clock management before halftime last week, and honestly, he's got a point. You don't give Noah Fifita extra chances.

Another Late Night Letdown as Cougs Can't Finish the Job at Gesa

That 14-0 lead felt like something, didn't it? Caden Pinnick punched one in on the ground, then Jackquintin Ball jumped a route and took it to the house. Gesa was loud. The old ghosts were stirring. Then Arizona remembered it had Noah Fifita and Tre Spivey, and the whole thing flipped. The Cougs hung around. Pinnick found Branden Ganashamoorthy for a 46-yard score late, cutting it to seven with seven minutes left. That's the part that stings. The defense got a stop, then couldn't push Arizona out of field goal range. Michael Salgado-Medina drilled a 51-yarder with two minutes left, and that was that. 34-24. This was the best effort of the year, which tells you where the bar is. Pinnick is now up to five turnovers in four games. The offensive line gave up three more sacks. The run game still isn't there. The secondary got torched for seven passes of 15-plus yards. All of that adds up to 1-3 and a lot of the same questions. The good news? Pac-12 play starts next week against Fresno State. First meeting in Pullman since 1994. The bad news is the same problems keep showing up. If you want to dig into how the offense left plays on the field, our story on Moore's unit has the details. Go Cougs.

Moore's offense showed some pulse, but the Cougs still left plays on the field

Three offensive touchdowns in three games against FBS teams. Six turnovers. Seven total giveaways. That's not a Power 4 problem. That's a self-inflicted wound problem, and it's the story of this Cougar season so far. Kirby Moore's offense showed a pulse Saturday against Arizona, especially on that opening 11-play, 71-yard touchdown drive where Caden Pinnick looked like he knew what he was doing. The quarterback keeper, the blocks, the finish. That's the offense we were hoping to see. Then it vanished. The third quarter was brutal. Three points, two three-and-outs, four punts, three sacks. Arizona turned a three-point deficit into a four-point lead and never looked back. The defense held up its end. The offense didn't. Pinnick is making bad decisions, not just Power 4 athletes making great plays. The interception into triple coverage against Duquesne. The fumble while trying to throw while being dragged down. The slide a yard short of a first down. Those aren't talent gaps. Those are judgment gaps. Moore said it starts with him. That's the right answer. But the fix has to show up against Fresno State next week. If these problems are about competition, they'll ease up. If they're about Pinnick's decision-making, they won't. We've got more on Moore's postgame comments in "Moore puts it plain after Cougs let early lead slip in Pullman." Worth a read. For now, the Cougs are what we thought: 1-3, right on schedule. The question is whether they're better than the schedule. Go Cougs.