Washington State got a jolt from Jaylen Thomas in the first half at Kansas State, but the Cougars still walked into halftime with a 17-7 hole after a rough 30 minutes in Manhattan.
Thomas delivered the one moment that truly flipped the energy. At the literal buzzer, he jumped another route for his second interception of the day and returned it 47 yards for Washington State’s only score before the break.
Earlier, he had already come up with a fourth-down pick, reading the hitch and racing into open field before being pushed out past midfield. After not recording an interception in 12 starts as a second-year freshman at San Jose State last season, Thomas already had two in a half.
On the TNT studio side, Champ Bailey called him “my guy Jaylen Thomas” while breaking down the turnovers. When asked whether he could match Thomas’ backflip after the pick six, Bailey - a former perennial Pro Bowler in Denver - said no way.
For Washington State, though, Thomas’ heroics were the exception, not the rule. Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson had plenty of time to work through the pocket and repeatedly found space against the Cougars’ 4-2-5 zone looks. Washington State allowed eight third-down conversions on 10 tries, and many of those came on longer yardage snaps, especially in the second quarter when the Wildcats kept landing 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-9 conversions.
That control showed up in the clock as well. Kansas State held the ball for 20:11 in the first half, while Washington State had it for just 9:49. The Cougars also struggled with tackling and bad angles, two issues that have been persistent in 2025 and surfaced again in a big way.
The defense did force some plays early. Thomas’ first interception came after the Cougars got off the field on fourth down, but the momentum didn’t last long. Washington State turned the ball over on downs, and Kansas State answered with a 10-play march to the end zone.
The opening stretch was rocky, too. Kansas State put together an 18-play, 69-yard drive to start the scoring with a field goal, carving up the WSU secondary along the way.
Johnson did miss on a few throws, but otherwise the Wildcats found answers. Linebacker DJ Warner led the Cougars with six tackles, Keith Brown added five, and Washington State finished with only three tackles for loss.
The offense never found much rhythm to support Thomas’ defensive work. After the interception, the Cougars tried running Kirby Vorhees three straight times, including a 3rd-and-1 that went nowhere. Kirby Moore then went for it on fourth down, but Pinnick was stuffed against man coverage and the drive died right there.
Pinnick finished the half 5-of-8 for 52 yards. The run game was stuck again, producing just 32 yards at 2.5 per carry. With Tony Freeman out after getting hurt in last week’s game, the wide receiver group still hasn’t produced a clear go-to target.
Special teams added another issue. Jack Stevens missed a 37-yard field goal, with the kick partly blocked but also coming out low and drifting far off line. Stevens, who missed only three field goals all last season, appears to be swinging before the ball is lined up.
Kansas State added more damage in the second quarter with a 60-yard punt return that set up its second touchdown of the day.
In Other News...
Washington State's Budget Surge Comes With A New Cost Fans Can't Ignore
Washington States athletics budget is heading into 2026 with a rare bit of breathing room, projecting $86 million in revenue against $85.9 million in expenses for a slim $100,000 surplus. The numbers reflect a department that is growing on both sides of the ledger, with revenue and expenses each rising about 15 percent from the previous year as game day income, donor support and institutional backing all moved upward.
The biggest new line item is the one fans have heard plenty about across college sports: $5.4 million set aside for student-athlete revenue sharing after NCAA approval. Compensation remains the departments largest expense at $27 million, a reminder that Washington States financial picture is getting bigger and more complicated at the same time, with the pressure now shifting from simply balancing the books to making sure the new model holds together. [Read more 🡒]
WSUs Defense Delivered A Huge Spark But The Offense Didnt Follow
Washington State got the kind of first-half jolt every team hopes for when its defense starts dictating the game. Safety Jaylen Thomas picked off two passes against Kansas State, one of them turning into a 47-yard touchdown return, and the Cougars used that swing to stay in the fight while weather delays kept the rhythm choppy.
The problem was that the offense never matched the energy. Washington State managed only 84 yards before halftime and came away empty on a 37-yard field-goal try, leaving all that defensive work without much support. In a game shaped by the conditions, the Cougars showed they could create momentum on one side of the ball, but they still had to find a way to turn it into points. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Has A Bigger Problem Than This Loss
Washington State spent much of the game stuck in neutral while Kansas States defense dictated the terms, and the Cougars never found a rhythm on either side of the ball. The Wildcats got steady pressure up front from Wendell Gregory, who was around the play all night and helped make the pocket uncomfortable whenever Washington State tried to settle in.
The lone bright spot came from the secondary, where Jaylen Thomas turned in a disruptive performance with two interceptions, including a pick-six that accounted for the Cougars only points. Even with that kind of individual effort, the larger issue for Washington State was hard to ignore, because one defensive playmaking burst was never going to cover for everything else that went missing. [Read more 🡒]