Washington State may be heading into Saturday’s trip to Kansas State without one of its biggest weapons.
Head coach Kirby Moore said Monday that Tony Freeman is “still trending on probably being out” after leaving the 24-10 loss to Washington with a knee injury. Freeman was on crutches after the game and has not yet received the MRI results Moore said the team is waiting on.
“Still trending on probably being out,” Moore said. “But waiting for the imaging updates on Tony Freeman ... knee (injury). We're still waiting for the MRI.”
Even before the imaging comes back, the outlook doesn’t sound good for the 5-8, 174-pound fourth-year receiver from Richmond, Calif. Freeman played only 10 snaps on Sunday, but he had been projected to be Washington State’s top receiver this season and also its primary punt returner.
If he can’t go, the Cougars will need others to absorb a much larger share of the offense. Moore pointed to several receivers who already started to see expanded work after Freeman went down.
“You saw Tank Hawkins have a number of reps out there in the second half,” Moore said. “Obviously, Daniel Blood did a great job stepping up there, Darrius Clemons and BG (Branden Ganashamoorthy) as well from a receiver position standpoint.”
Blood led the group on Sunday with five catches for 57 hashes, though he also dropped a screen pass he’d like back. Clemons finished with three receptions for 40 hashes, while Hawkins caught one ball for five yards. Hawkins may also be used as more of a gadget option; it was him that Caden Pinnick faked the pitch to before Pinnick powered in for the Cougars’ only touchdown, an 11-yard run.
There was better news elsewhere on the injury front. Cornerback Jalil Tucker and defensive end Ben Beatty both appear likely to be available Saturday at Kansas State.
“Jalil Tucker, he went out with a little bit of a lower leg injury, but he should be good,” Moore said. “He was in the training room this morning, and then Ben should be good as well.”
Moore also gave a broader read on what stood out from the film after the loss. He said the Cougars showed “great effort, fight and response throughout the team,” and he praised the offense for finding some rhythm in the fourth quarter. At the same time, he said turnovers and situational football need to get cleaned up, and special teams must tighten up its spacing and ball-fielding work.
“Defense responded on short fields throughout the game, did a nice job against the run. That has to carry over vs. Kansas State.”
Pinnick’s ability to create outside the pocket was another point Moore highlighted.
“There's a lot of variability to that with teammates, but he did a nice job on making some throws out of the pocket. Obviously, extended some plays with his legs.
But we have to be able to stay in the pocket too and make throws. The protection's got to hold up, and that's got to be a focus this week.”
Looking back at the tape, Moore said the game came down to small details.
“Just the margins. It was a very tight game.
It's a play here, it's a play there. And we have to execute to finish drives.
And then defensively, we did an awesome job responding throughout the game. And then you look at about three minutes left there, third-and-nine, and we have the quarterback kind of dead to rights there on the scramble drill, and he does a great job of making a play, cutting back on us, and we have to make sure we're consistent on our angles from a tracking standpoint.”
Washington State’s run game also drew a blunt assessment. Moore said the Cougars were facing “a targeting piece to it” and noted that Kansas had “good players up front,” adding that a couple of downfield shots could have changed how the defense played it.
Special teams, meanwhile, was another area Moore wants sharpened before Saturday.
“Execution. First one, snap's a little high, so all around, the operation has to be better.
I thought the punt team did a good job. I know the one got out there a little bit on the left side.
Kickoff, we had the one inside the 20 to start the second half. Punt return, once Tony went out, right, JT (Jaylen Thomas) stepped in there.
“And during practice this week we have to really do a better job emphasizing all the variability of returns and where you're at on the field. The one I think might have been on the 20-yard line and the kick went over 60 yards. And so just having some awareness there where the ball's going and letting it go in the end zone.”
In Other News...
Washington State May Be Without Its Most Dangerous Weapon At Kansas State
Washington State may have to head into its game at Kansas State without one of its most explosive playmakers after wide receiver Tony Freeman suffered a knee injury in the Apple Cup. Coach Kirby Moore said Freeman is trending on being out while the Cougars wait on MRI results, a development that would leave them trying to replace a receiver who has been one of the biggest threats in the passing game and on special teams.
Kirby Moores update at least brought some clarity elsewhere on the roster, with cornerback Jalil Tucker and defensive end Ben Beatty expected to be available. But Freemans status is the one that matters most for an offense that will need other receivers and return men to absorb his workload if he cannot go, and the final medical word will shape how Washington State approaches a difficult road matchup. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Has Two Costly Problems To Fix Before Kansas State
Washington States 24-10 loss to Washington in the Apple Cup left the Cougars with a familiar kind of frustration: too many stalled drives, too many wasted chances and too little margin for error. Coach Moore and quarterback Caden Pinnick both pointed to the same broad issues afterward, with turnovers and special teams adding to the damage in a game that never really gave WSU a chance to settle in.
The most glaring concern is the offenses inability to stay on the field, a problem that showed up against the Huskies and will loom even larger with Kansas State next on the schedule. Add in the kicking-game hiccups, and the Cougars enter the new week knowing the fix is not about one area alone but about cleaning up several parts of the operation before the competition level rises again. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Heads Into Brutal Road Test With One New Offensive Concern
Washington State heads into its first-ever football meeting with Kansas State on Saturday morning in Manhattan, Kansas, still trying to find some rhythm on offense after a 24-10 loss to No. 17 Washington in the Apple Cup. The Cougars never really got going in that one, and the challenge does not get much easier against a Wildcats team that opened with a 71-3 rout of Nicholls and now gets a home game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, with kickoff set for 9 a.m. PT on TNT and HBO Max.
The bigger concern for WSU may be the availability of veteran receiver and kick returner Tony Freeman, who left the Apple Cup with a knee injury and is likely to miss this game while he awaits MRI results. Losing Freeman would take away one of the most experienced pieces on the perimeter and on special teams, leaving the Cougars with even less margin for error in a road matchup where they are already facing long odds. [Read more 🡒]