Washington State’s defense didn’t sound like a unit that felt overwhelmed after a 34-24 loss to Arizona at Gesa Field in Martin Stadium. If anything, the Cougars came away believing they spent most of the night doing their job against a Wildcats offense led by quarterback Noah Fifita.
Linebacker Keith Brown said the issue wasn’t a lack of effort or fight. It was a handful of moments where Arizona made WSU pay, and those plays added up over the course of the game.
“When a team runs the ball over and over and over again, they are going to fall d for a couple extra yards here and there. That is kind of how it goes when a team is going to commit to running the ball every single play. We stopped them early in the game - most of the game - and they ran the ball multiple plays and every once in a while … they are going to fall forward here and there.”
Brown said the Cougars could have done more, whether that meant bringing pressure or getting back to the basics. But he also pointed out that Arizona had enough talent to win the key snaps.
“We could always do more, maybe running pressure or going back to the fundamentals. At the end of the day, they have good players, we have good players. In those couple plays, they got the best of us.”
His view matched the message from first-year coach Kirby Moore, who repeatedly praised the way the defense battled even as it wore down.
Brown felt the group was solid for most of the night, especially before the fourth quarter. He said the biggest damage came from self-inflicted mistakes, which the defense wants to eliminate.
“I thought, for the most part, we were great. Up until the fourth quarter, the only touchdowns we allowed were ones that were self-inflicted.
The biggest thing on this defense is no self-inflicted wounds. We want to make them earn everything.
I feel like defensively besides two or three series, we played a really good game.”
Fifita’s ability to threaten both as a passer and a runner also made the job tougher, Brown said. The problem, from a defender’s perspective, is that a mobile quarterback who can throw forces the defense into a difficult middle ground.
“Any time you have a mobile quarterback who can throw, it is hard. It is so much easier when you are playing against a quarterback who when they escape the pocket, they are looking to run versus a quarterback who is looking to throw, because you can’t necessarily come out of coverage.
You kind of have to play that in-between space as an underneath defender. Yeah, he is a good player.
Honestly it is hard to play against him … because you can’t really see him. But he’s a good player.”
Safety Jackquintin Bal echoed that the details matter, pointing to preparation and communication before the snap.
“It all starts with preparation … Pre-snap, the communication was there. We are talking.
That is just the play to make. I’ve got to be there.”
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Kirby Moores Washington State Debut Comes With Real History Attached
Kirby Moores first season at Washington State arrives with more weight than a standard coaching debut, because the matchup on the other sideline also carries its own layers. Fresno State comes in under second-year coach Matt Entz, a proven winner who built his reputation at North Dakota State, and the Bulldogs have already shown the kind of balance that can make a September or early-season test feel much bigger than the calendar suggests.
There is also some familiar coaching overlap in the backdrop, with Moore now trying to put his own stamp on the Cougars after stops as an offensive coordinator at Fresno State and Missouri. Meanwhile, Fresno State has gotten important recent production from quarterback Jayden Mandal and running back Rayshon Luke, giving the Bulldogs a steadier profile as Moore steps into a game that connects his present job to parts of his past in more than one way. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]