Oregon State gets Washington State on Saturday afternoon at Reser Stadium, and one of the clearest ways to size up the Cougars is through the eyes of someone who covers them every week.
The Oregonian/OregonLive asked The Spokesman-Review’s Greg Woods to break down five key questions about Washington State and weigh in on how the game might unfold. His answer starts with the Cougars’ offense, which has had trouble in just about every corner of the operation.
Caden Pinnick has taken plenty of heat, but Woods said the issues run much deeper than quarterback play alone. He pointed to Jack Pedersen’s fumble that turned into Utah State’s go-ahead touchdown last week, plus quiet stretches from receivers Darrius Clemons and Daniel Blood.
The run game has also lagged, with Maxwell Woods, Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalasi still looking for a true spark. Woods also noted that the offensive line has contributed to the mess, from false starts by Washington transfer Maximus McCree and costly holding penalties from linemen including Jaylin Caldwell.
He added that Pinnick himself factored into the protection problems, tying for the nationwide lead with 11 QB-fault sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s part of why Washington State is expected to turn to Owen Eshelman. Woods said Eshelman likely has the team’s best arm and could open up the intermediate-to-deep passing game that was absent with Pinnick.
He has only played two snaps at the college level, both in garbage time against FCS Duquesne a few weeks ago, so the sample is tiny. Still, Woods described a quarterback who showed live arm talent and sharp mobility in spring and fall camp, along with accuracy that stands out.
He also pointed to Eshelman’s background in Oklahoma, where he rushed for more than 1,300 yards in his senior season at the 6A level. Woods wouldn’t call him especially fast, but he said he’s fast enough to matter and could make plays on the ground Saturday.
Washington State’s defense, meanwhile, has looked stronger than the record might suggest. Woods said Trent Bray’s group has consistently pressured quarterbacks and covered well in the secondary, where it has picked off three passes, including two pick-sixes against Power Four competition.
He also praised the linebacker play and the pass rush from Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk. Even so, the unit has given up too many explosive plays.
Woods mentioned the 75-yard Kansas State touchdown run, three passes of 25-plus yards allowed against Fresno State and a long touchdown pass surrendered to Utah State last weekend. He also said Washington State’s offense has left the defense with awful field position, noting the Cougars rank last in the country in BCF Toys’ field position rankings.
The Pedersen fumble in Logan was the example he used: Utah State took over at the Cougars’ 19 and scored three plays later.
As for any extra emotion tied to the matchup, Woods didn’t sound like there’s been much public display of it. He said Bray isn’t much of a talker and hasn’t said much about his time at Oregon State since arriving at Washington State. Woods added that receiver Darrius Clemons was sidelined all 2025 with an injury at OSU, while cornerback Jalil Tucker has not been made available to the media, making his feelings on the game unclear.
On the outcome, Woods sees Oregon State as too much for the Cougars to handle. He wrote that Washington State likely doesn’t have the pieces to keep up with the Beavers on either side of the ball, especially with a 19-year-old quarterback making his first collegiate start.
Even if Eshelman plays well, Woods said, the Cougars’ defensive issues make an upset hard to see. His prediction: Oregon State 35, WSU 20.
Oregon State enters at 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12, while Washington State is 1-5 and 0-2. The game is set for Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m.
PT at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. Oregon State is favored by 18.5 points, and the game will air on USA.
Radio coverage is on KEX 1190 in Portland and KEJO 1240 and 93.7 in Corvallis.
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