Washington State’s first Pac-12 game under Kirby Moore carries a little extra meaning for the new Cougars coach.
Saturday’s matchup with Fresno State is more than just the conference opener. It also pulls Moore back into a familiar part of his football journey, since he spent 2022 at Fresno State as an assistant under Jeff Tedford and served as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator for the first time that season during his six-year run in the Mountain West Conference. A year later, he landed at Missouri as offensive coordinator, and that move eventually helped set up his hiring at Washington State last December.
Moore won’t be the only coach on the field with an impressive resume. Fresno State coach Matt Entz has built one of the more accomplished recent track records in the sport.
Entz took over at North Dakota State in 2019 for his first head-coaching job after previous stops as a defensive coordinator, and the results were immediate. He went 60-11, won FCS national titles in 2019 and 2021, and oversaw the first 16-0 season in the modern era when the Bison beat James Madison 28-20 for the championship.
That made NDSU one of only two programs in history to do it, alongside Yale in 1894.
Entz followed that up with a season as an assistant in 2024 before leading Fresno State to a 9-4 mark in 2025, capped by a win over Miami of Ohio in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.
Fresno State’s offense is also getting a lift from quarterback Jayden Mandal, whose path to this point has been anything but ordinary. As a kid, he went to Bulldogs baseball games and watched future American League MVP Aaron Judge, dreaming of one day pitching and hitting for Fresno State. He even gave the program a verbal pledge as a sophomore at nearby Buchanan High School.
Now Mandal is making his mark under center after missing the entire 2025 season with serious shoulder and arm injuries. He won the starting job in preseason camp and has quickly become a steadying force. After making just his second career start in the opener against USC, he has gone three straight games without a turnover.
Against Rice, Mandal threw for 210 yards and a career-best three touchdowns.
“I thought he took some shots (down the field) and made some big-time throws,” Entz said.
Another Bulldog who changed the game against Rice was Rayshon Luke, and his nickname says plenty. Known as “Speedy,” Luke is a 10.5-second 100-meter sprinter who can punish a defense once he gets into space.
He was looking for a breakout after a quiet start to the season, and he found it with a career-high 167 rushing yards, highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown run. When Rice packed things in against Fresno State’s inside running game in the first half, the Bulldogs went to the edge, where Luke does his best work.
On that long touchdown, he said, “I ended up out-running everybody,” he told reporters in his post-game press conference.
Luke began his college career in Arizona’s rotation before transferring to Fresno State last season. He led the Bulldogs with 702 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2025 and earned all-Mountain West honorable mention recognition.
“I always have confidence,” Luke said. “This ups it even more.”
In Other News...
Jack Bal Is Forcing A Bigger WSU Role Than Anyone Expected
Jackquintin Bal did not arrive at Washington State with the kind of fanfare that usually comes with a season-shaping defensive piece, but he has worked his way into that conversation fast. The Arizona State transfer has started the last three games for the Cougars, and his snap count has climbed each week as he has become more comfortable in the defense. He also leads the team with nine tackles and turned in one of the defenses biggest plays of the year with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown against Arizona.
What makes Bals rise more interesting is how steady it has been. Pro Football Focus credits him with missing only two tackles all season, which fits with the kind of reliability Washington State has needed while dealing with an injury to another player in the secondary. Kirby Moore has praised Bals mindset and the way he has handled the opportunity, and for the Cougars, his emergence has started to look less like a fill-in and more like a role they will have to keep finding room for. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces An Early Home Test It Cant Take Lightly
Washington State is back at Martin Stadium for its first true Pac-12 home test of the season, and Fresno State brings just enough intrigue to make this one feel less routine than a typical early conference date. The Bulldogs arrive at 3-1 after a relatively soft non-conference slate, but they have still shown enough on offense to demand attention, with quarterback Jayden Mandal steering the attack and giving the Cougars a different kind of challenge than they have seen so far.
For Washington State, the game also sets up a few individual matchups that could shape the afternoon. Fresno State receiver Josiah Freeman has been one of the names to track, while cornerback Simeon Harris will be part of the Cougars' effort to keep the Bulldogs from finding easy answers outside. Early conference games can punish a team that assumes the record tells the whole story, and this is the sort of home opener in league play that can reveal whether Washington State is ready to handle the details that matter. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Could Get A Big Offensive Boost At The Perfect Time
Washington State may be getting a timely lift on offense as it heads into the Fresno State game, with tight end Trey Leckner trending the right way after a foot injury. What looked like a longer wait has moved faster than expected, and coach Kirby Moore said Leckner should take part fully in practice this week, with a chance to work back into the lineup as a starter.
For the Cougars, the timing matters. The offense could use another dependable target and another layer in the passing game, especially with a road test on deck, while the defense is still managing uncertainty of its own with starting cornerback Jalil Tucker not yet settled in after his injury. If Tucker cannot go, WSU may have to lean on the same defensive rotation it has been using, making Leckners possible return even more significant. [Read more 🡒]