scoring defense
3 stories filed under scoring defense on Wazzu. The newest of them: “Saturday night under the lights in Pullman with nothing left to lose”, “Cougs fall in San Diego rain as another fourth-quarter push falls short”, and “Kirby Moore called his own shot. Now can his offense answer”. Saturday night in Pullman. The rain in San Diego didn't wash away the same problem that keeps showing up: Washington State can't close. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every scoring defense story on Wazzu, newest first.
Saturday night under the lights in Pullman with nothing left to lose
Saturday night in Pullman. Seven-thirty kick. Nothing left to lose. That is the situation for these Cougars. Washington State hosts Colorado State this weekend, and if you have not checked the standings lately, here is the short version: WSU is 1-8. Zero FBS wins. Six straight losses. Worst season since 2009. The bye week gave Kirby Moore's team a chance to breathe, but the last time we saw them, they lost 26-20 at San Diego State in a game where the comeback ran out of gas. Here is the thing, though. Colorado State might be exactly what this team needs. The Rams have lost six of seven. Their defense ranks dead last in the country, giving up 44 points and 542 yards per game. They just allowed 669 yards to Boise State. Their own coach said he has never been involved with anything like it, and he meant that as an insult to his own team. WSU opened as a 9.5-point favorite. That feels real. The Cougars have problems, 68 rushing yards against SDSU, eight sacks all season, missed tackles everywhere, but Colorado State's defense makes everyone look competent. If Owen Eshelman and the offense can get the run game going against the worst run defense in the country, this might be the night the streak ends. For the full picture on where this team sits in the conference, check out the Pac-12 power rankings. The top spot is not Pullman, but Saturday is a chance to stop the slide.
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Cougs fall in San Diego rain as another fourth-quarter push falls short
The rain in San Diego didn't wash away the same problem that keeps showing up: Washington State can't close. Down six with the ball and under five minutes left, the Cougars couldn't reach midfield. Ten plays. Two sacks. A false start. A turnover on downs. The final drive was a summary of the season. This one stings a little more because the defense finally gave the offense a shot. They forced a three-and-out on SDSU's last possession, got the ball back, and the offense did nothing with it. Managing only 20 points against a defense ranked 133rd in the country is hard to explain. It's not like the Aztecs suddenly got stingy. They came in giving up 36 points a game. The Cougars just couldn't take what was there. Owen Eshelman threw for a career-high 299 yards and ran for two scores, but the running game is basically gone, 34 yards on 14 carries. That's not a ground game. That's a suggestion. And the defense, usually a strength, got gashed on the ground again. 202 rushing yards allowed. 5.5 per carry. Seven runs over 10 yards. That's three straight games over 200 yards rushing allowed. It's getting dark. One-win seasons are possible. If you want to know which plays broke this one, our piece "The three plays that undid WSU in San Diego" walks through the exact moments. It's not a fun read, but it's honest. 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.