Kirby Moore knows exactly what Saturday means.
When Washington State lines up against No. 21 Boise State, the first-year Cougars head coach will be staring across the sideline at the program where he built his playing career.
Moore was a wide receiver at Boise State from 2009-13, and now he gets a shot at the Broncos as the leader of a Washington State team trying to steady itself at 1-6 overall and 0-3 in Pac-12 play. The Cougars will host Boise State at 4 p.m.
Mountain time.
Moore made clear Monday that this one carries plenty of personal weight, but he also framed it as a challenge his team can use.
“It’s a great program, had a lot of great memories there,” Moore said in Monday’s press conference.
He added, “Where I got into coaching was probably the coaches I was able to be around and the players and teams and everything that came with that.”
Now Moore gets another look at a Boise State group that has been built to control the game from start to finish. The Broncos lead the nation in time of possession at 36 minutes, 8 seconds per game, while Washington State sits 97th at 28:47. Moore pointed to the Broncos’ backfield, quarterback play and defensive aggression as the formula behind that efficiency.
“They do a really good job possessing the ball,” Moore said. “Two running backs … quarterback (Maddux Madsen has) played a ton of football, does a great job taking care of the ball, finding the open receivers, extending plays.
“Defensively, they’re really aggressive and with that, they’ve gotten people off the field, and then they possess the ball … so they play very complementary. … They’re very aggressive.
I think their players, there’s not a lot of gray area. Their players know what they’re doing, they’re playing fast and they let their talent take over.”
Boise State’s ground game has been one of the biggest reasons for that identity. Dylan Riley enters the matchup as the fourth-leading rusher in FBS, with 127 carries for 835 yards and six touchdowns.
He’s also added 11 receptions for 120 yards and another score. Sire Gaines gives the Broncos a second option, with 65 carries for 354 yards and four total touchdowns.
As a team, Boise State averages 234.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks first in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally.
“They’ve got a really good front,” Moore said. “They have good scheme, they’ve got good backs.
They put the ball on the corner, and a lot of times the back makes the corner miss, whether it’s a move or he breaks a tackle. And both those guys … do a really good job with the ball in their hands.”
Moore also said his relationship with Boise State coach Spencer Danielson remains a strong one.
“He’s been very supportive of a lot of alumni,” Moore said. “When I was at Missouri in ’24, went to Boise for a spring break and went by and watched practice and sat in on some meetings there. He’s got a really good culture and a really good thing going there.”
In Other News...
WSU Offense Suddenly Has A Boise State Problem Fans Will Watch
Washington States offense is heading into the Boise State game with a couple of important injury questions hanging over it. Coach Kirby Moore said left tackle Ashton Tripp is day-to-day with an ankle injury, while wide receiver Darrius Clemons is also managing an ankle issue. Moore added that defensive ends Malachi Wrice and Michael Hughes are expected to be full-go this weekend, and he also addressed a separate talking point by saying NIL earnings do not factor into playing-time decisions.
The timing matters because both Tripp and Clemons fill spots that can shape how comfortable the Cougars feel on offense, especially against a Boise State opponent that will pressure any weakness it sees. Washington State has not had much room for error as it tries to settle things up front and keep its passing game on schedule, so the status of those two players is one to watch as kickoff gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Faces A New Road Problem At Washington State
Boise States trip to Pullman comes with a little more uncertainty than a typical road game, thanks to Washington States latest change under center. The Cougars have turned to redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman after moving on from Caden Pinnick, and the timing adds a fresh wrinkle to a matchup that already had plenty of numbers to sort through on both sides of the ball heading into Saturday.
For Boise State, the challenge is not just facing a new quarterback, but trying to do it on the road against a Washington State team still settling into its revised offensive identity. The statistical comparison of the two teams key players suggests there are matchups worth watching all over the field, and Eshelmans first extended look gives the Cougars at least one variable the Broncos could not have fully planned around. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Moores Washington State Rebuild Is Taking Shape Around One Influence
Kirby Moores rebuild at Washington State is taking shape with a familiar coaching imprint behind it. Moore has leaned on several influences over the course of his career, including his father, Tom Moore, and Chris Petersen, and the connection to Petersen runs especially deep. Moore played for Petersen at Boise State before later joining him as a graduate assistant at Washington, giving him a firsthand look at how one of the sports more exacting coaches organized a program.
That background matters now as Moore puts his own stamp on the Cougars. The principles he absorbed along the way have helped shape how he approaches the job in Pullman, where attention to detail and structure are becoming part of the identity. In a rebuild, those habits can matter as much as any scheme, and Moores appreciation for what he learned from Petersen is showing up in the way Washington State is being put back together. [Read more 🡒]