passing yards
passing yards at Wazzu is a file of 4 stories. The newest of them: “Owen Eshelman and Branden Ganashamoorthy made the scoreboard hurt a little less”, “Braden Atkinson keeps slinging it, now tops in the FBS”, and “Bray's defense brings the heat, and a little revenge, to Corvallis”. You can't sugarcoat a 48-30 loss, especially the fourth straight. Braden Atkinson threw a 90-yard touchdown in the first half and never looked back. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every passing yards story on Wazzu, newest first.
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.
Braden Atkinson keeps slinging it, now tops in the FBS
Braden Atkinson threw a 90-yard touchdown in the first half and never looked back. The Oregon State quarterback, a sophomore transfer from Mercer, is now the FBS leader in passing yards and touchdown throws. He went 23 of 38 for 347 yards, three scores, and zero picks against Washington State. That brings his season totals to 2,604 yards and 24 touchdowns with just two interceptions. The guy won the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS freshman of the year last season. He looks like he belongs at this level. The Cougars could not stop him, and they could not stop AJ Newberry either. The Oregon State running back, a Vanderbilt transfer, put up 225 total yards and a touchdown. He ran for 105 yards on 11 carries, averaging 9.5 a pop, and caught five passes for 120 more. His 88-yard screen pass touchdown in the second quarter made it 27-3. That was more than WSU could climb back from. The Cougars found some offensive rhythm with a new quarterback, but consistency is still missing. If you want the full picture, check out "Kirby Moore finally had something to say, and it wasn't about a tie" for the head coach's take on this stretch. Go Cougs.
Bray's defense brings the heat, and a little revenge, to Corvallis
Trent Bray is going back to Corvallis, and he's bringing a defense that has earned the right to be a little salty. Three interceptions, two of them pick-sixes, and a unit that ranks among the best in the conference. That's the kind of stat line that makes you believe in a homecoming upset. But then you look at the other side. Oregon State's offense is a different animal. Braden Atkinson leads the country in passing yards per game, and Jesse Legree is a freshman who has yet to be slowed down. Even in losses. That's the wall Bray has to run through. Kirby Moore made a call. He benched Caden Pinnick and is handing the ball to redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman. Big arm, good accuracy, zero meaningful college snaps. It's a lot to ask a 20-year-old to match wits with the Beavers' high-flying attack. We're picking Oregon State 35-20, and the Cougs are 18.5-point dogs for a reason. But here's the thing: starting Eshelman might not be about winning Saturday. It might be about getting him the reps he needs to settle in. Throwing him into the fire in Corvallis is a trial by combat. If he can keep pace, even in a loss, that's a win for the future. For a deeper look at how that decision played out in real time, check out our coverage in "Eshelman finds the end zone, but Beavers build a big lead." Go Cougs.
Fifita shakes off the rust, hits Smith twice to flip the script on Arizona
Jackquintin Bal saw it coming before Noah Fifita let it go. The Washington State safety jumped the route, snatched the ball, and ran 25 yards untouched into the end zone. That pick-six put the Cougs up 14-0 early. It felt like one of those nights in Pullman where the old magic shows up. Then the second quarter happened. Fifita shook off the rust. Arizona's veteran quarterback started slow, but he found Caleb Smith for a 41-yard bomb, then hit him again for a 38-yard touchdown on the very next play. By the fourth quarter, Fifita was dropping a pinpoint over-the-shoulder pass to Isaiah Mizell for an 11-yard score. He finished 22 of 36, 297 yards, four touchdowns. The Wildcats erased that 14-point deficit and never looked back. Bal still had a night. The Arizona State transfer led the team with nine tackles, nearly grabbed a second pick in the end zone, and made open-field stops all over the field. But one great individual performance doesn't win a game when the other side's quarterback finds his rhythm. For the full story on how that early lead slipped away, check out "Cougs jump Arizona early, then watch a 14-point lead dissolve." The script flipped. Fifita improved to 2-0 in Pullman. That one stings. Go Cougs.