Kansas State has too many edges for Washington State to ignore on Saturday, and the Cougars are walking into this one with a stack of problems already in place.
Tony Freeman may be out with a knee injury, and that leaves WSU without its top receiver and kick returner. The Cougars also have to deal with a body-clock kickoff that will feel like 9 a.m., and they’re doing it on a short week after opening their season on Sunday.
That’s a rough setup for a team still trying to settle in, and it’s why Kansas State is the pick in this game, which will be televised by TNT and streamed by HBO Max.
Washington State’s offense flashed enough late in the Apple Cup to make the fourth quarter interesting, stringing together two scoring drives. But the bigger picture was ugly: three turnovers and too many stalled possessions. Quarterback Caden Pinnick now faces a Kansas State defense that has some vulnerabilities, but the Wildcats’ pass rush should still make life difficult for a WSU offensive line that looks different than it did a week ago.
There’s a chance Cougars offensive coordinator Matt Miller gets to adjustments faster this time. His delay in making changes against Washington was a major reason WSU’s offense sputtered in that game. Even so, the gap here still feels real, even if it may not be as large as the 18.5-point spread suggests.
Special teams tilt things further toward Kansas State. Washington State’s fill-ins for Freeman in the return game struggled to secure the ball when given chances, while the Wildcats bring a long track record of impact plays there. Since 2005, Kansas State has produced 63 total return touchdowns, the most in the FBS by a wide margin.
None of that means a loss would be some kind of verdict on Washington State. The Cougars are in the middle of a brutal opening stretch, and this is the kind of game they were expected to lose.
Real judgment can wait until Pac-12 play. Still, if this one goes the way the setup suggests, WSU could be staring at its first 0-2 start since 2016.
In Other News...
WSU Brings Back A Look Fans Have Learned To Worry About
Washington State is dusting off a familiar road look for its meeting with Kansas State, going back to the white icy white combination that has become a talking point with fans. The set includes white helmets with crimson logos, white jerseys and white pants, and it was unveiled this week with Jaylen Thomas, a third-year player who transferred from San Jose State, serving as the model.
For a lot of Cougars fans, the appeal of the clean all-white look comes with a little hesitation, because the results in it have been uneven in recent seasons. Washington States last regular-season win while wearing the uniform dates back to 2021, so this trip to face Kansas State gives the Cougars another chance to make the outfit look a little more like a statement and a little less like a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States Upset Hopes Ride On One Defensive Swing
Washington State heads into its matchup with Kansas State as a heavy underdog, with the Wildcats installed as 17 1/2-point favorites, but the Cougars do have a path if they can make the game ugly. The defensive front will be under the spotlight, especially the edge rushers against Kansas States tackles, because Washington State needs pressure to slow the Wildcats and keep the game within reach.
The offense, meanwhile, has to find more consistency even before accounting for its latest personnel concerns. Top receiver Tony Freeman is likely out with a knee injury suffered in the first quarter of the Apple Cup, leaving the Cougars thinner in a spot where they could have used a reliable target, and the real swing factor may come on the other side of the ball if Washington State can create turnovers and give itself extra possessions. [Read more 🡒]
WSUs Upset Hopes May Hinge On One Huge Offensive Question
Washington State gets an early kickoff against Kansas State in a first-ever meeting between the programs, and the Cougars are still trying to settle their offense after the loss to Washington. The challenge only looks tougher against a Kansas State defense that should force WSU to be sharper from the start, especially with the game landing in the kind of morning window that can turn every possession into a test of focus.
Complicating matters is the uncertainty around Tony Freeman, the Cougars top receiver and return man, after he went down with a knee injury on his first-game snaps against Washington. WSU opened last week with three turnovers, two missed field goals and no points until the fourth quarter, so the margin for error is already thin if the Cougars are going to give themselves a real shot at an upset. [Read more 🡒]