The noise in Martin Stadium wasn’t the kind a home crowd usually makes for its own team. By the time Washington State’s offense had slogged through a miserable night in a 26-6 loss to Fresno State in the Pac-12 opener, the boos were rolling hard enough to cut through the broadcast.
More than 26,000 fans were on hand Saturday night, and plenty of them made their frustration loud and clear. Even some defensive players acknowledged the reaction in their postgame comments, though the real target of that anger was obvious. The Cougars’ offense had just turned in a brutal, inept performance, and the final score was almost generous.
WSU did not make any offensive players available after the game. The only person from that side of the ball who spoke publicly was head coach Kirby Moore. During a radio segment with Cougar legend Alex Brink outside the locker room, Moore came across as soft-spoken, which only sharpened the sense that the questions around this team are getting harder to dodge.
Those questions have been building for weeks. They surfaced after Week 1, got louder after Week 2, eased a bit in Week 3, surged again in Week 4 and now, with Week 5 in the books, they’ve reached a boiling point.
What happens next matters. Washington State has a short week before a road game at Utah State, and that trip will help reveal whether this can actually turn into something better or whether the Cougars are simply stuck. If the same kind of reaction shows up again in two weeks against Boise State, the situation could get ugly fast.
And online, the frustration was just as obvious. Twitter lit up after Washington State’s first loss in the new Pac-12.
In Other News...
Washington State Suddenly Has An Offense Crisis Kirby Moore Can't Ignore
Washington States Pac-12 opener turned into a long night in Fresno, where the Cougars managed just six points in a 26-6 loss and came away with more questions than answers on offense. The defense did enough to keep the game from getting completely out of hand, and Jack Stevens gave the team a small bright spot by knocking through both of his field-goal attempts, but the bigger issue was clear from the start: Washington State could not find any rhythm putting points on the board.
Kirby Moore said the offense will be reevaluated before the next game against Utah State, and that can mean more than just a few tweaks around the edges. When a coach opens the door to possible changes at quarterback or even at play-caller, it signals a deeper level of concern, and the Cougars now have a short week to sort out what needs fixing before the next kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces An Early Offensive Problem It Cannot Ignore
Washington States first-half offense in its Pac-12 opener at Martin Stadium was stuck in a place the Cougars cannot afford to linger, with little rhythm and even less production. The unit managed just 116 yards before halftime and had to settle for two Jack Stevens field goals, including a 50-yarder that tied the game at 6-6, a sign that the defense and special teams were doing their part while the offense searched for answers.
Caden Pinnick finished the half 11 of 16 for 82 yards, but the numbers did not tell the whole story, as several throws missed their mark and the drive-killing sack added to the frustration. For a team trying to set the tone in league play, the bigger concern is not just the score but whether Washington State can clean up the execution quickly enough to keep this from becoming a familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Just Hit A Point Cougs Fans Feared
Washington States rough start got a little rougher Saturday night, as Fresno State handed the Cougars a 26-6 loss and left them searching for answers on offense. The Cougars could not find much rhythm all night, finished with fewer than 150 yards, and managed only a 3-for-14 mark on third down as the Bulldogs controlled the game from there.
The bigger concern for Washington State is where this leaves the season now. The Cougars are 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play, a spot few around the program wanted to be in this early, especially after being held scoreless in the second half. There is still time to steady things, but the margin for error is shrinking fast. [Read more 🡒]