Washington State can talk itself into this one. Kirby Moore’s team has the right words, the right emotional hook and 14 seniors to play for as it heads into a road matchup with San Diego State.
But the matchup still points the other way.
The Aztecs have been solid at home, going 3-1, while the Cougars are 0-4 away from Pullman. That gap matters, especially for a Washington State team that has not been able to clean up the issues dragging down its season. The offensive line has been leaky, the running game has struggled, and those kinds of problems rarely disappear in a single week.
San Diego State’s defense has its own flaws - it ranks among the worst in the country in several categories - but the Aztecs have gotten enough from their offense to cover some of those mistakes. That gives them a steadier path in this spot, even with backup quarterback Stone Saunders set to make only his second start.
Washington State’s defense has had bright moments, but it has not finished the job when it matters most. The Cougars have dropped six interceptions, tied for the national lead, and they have only eight sacks, which is one of the worst totals in the country.
There is still a clean narrative for the Cougars: a chance to respond, a chance to rally around the seniors, a chance to salvage something before the bye week. After nine straight demanding games, that break is coming at the right time.
Still, the pick here is San Diego State.
In Other News...
WSUs Best Chance At A Breakthrough Win Comes Down To One Thing
Washington State heads into a road game against San Diego State with a chance to make some real progress against a defense that has struggled badly this season. Owen Eshelmans last start gave the Cougars reason to believe the offense can function with him at quarterback, even with the interception, and the setup feels straightforward enough: protect him, keep the attack on schedule and make a vulnerable opponent pay for mistakes.
The problem is that the Cougars still need the pieces around Eshelman to hold up, starting with the offensive line and the backs trying to hit open lanes. The passing game has also been trimmed down to a small group of reliable targets, which puts even more pressure on every snap to go smoothly and leaves little margin if San Diego State is able to tighten things up early. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces A Quarterback Test With Bigger Stakes Than Usual
Washington State is heading into another quarterback matchup defined by youth and necessity, with the Cougars set to lean on redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman for a third straight start. It is a familiar kind of midseason pressure point for a program trying to settle itself under center, and it comes against a San Diego State team facing its own QB uncertainty after Sean Lewis said redshirt freshman Stone Saunders will get the nod again.
The wrinkle is that both sides are asking young passers to handle real stakes, not just reps. San Diego State is chasing bowl eligibility and needs to stack wins down the stretch, while Washington State is still sorting out the depth chart after Eshelman moved ahead of Caden Pinnick. In a game like this, the quarterback who looks the most composed could end up tilting everything, even before either staff knows exactly what it has. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Heads Into SDSU With Two Key Question Marks Still Looming
Washington States latest injury report brought some welcome movement heading into its trip to San Diego State, with a pair of names no longer showing up at all. Left tackle Ashton Tripp and linebacker Carsten Reynolds have cleared the report, while linebacker Nylan Brown remains out for the season, leaving the Cougars with a better look up front and on defense as they prepare for a tricky road game.
Still, the report is not clean yet. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard are the two Cougars listed as questionable, leaving a couple of important spots in limbo as WSU works through the final stretch before kickoff. San Diego State has its own list of probable, questionable, doubtful and out players, and the Pac-12 also announced a schedule for public release of player availability reports beginning in 2026, a sign that this sort of pregame uncertainty is becoming even more formalized across the league. [Read more 🡒]