Washington State finally found some life on offense Saturday, and it came at the right time.
The Cougars’ 48-7 win over Duquesne was the kind of result that usually doesn’t reveal much beyond the scoreline. Duquesne came in under-resourced and had already lost its first two games by a combined 104-13, so on paper this was supposed to be a mismatch. For one half, though, Washington State looked every bit as stuck as it had in the Apple Cup and at Kansas State, opening with an interception and taking only a 14-7 lead into halftime.
That first half had to leave plenty of WSU fans uneasy, maybe even staring at the schedule and wondering how bad things could get if the Cougars slipped against their weakest opponent. The offense had been so flat in the previous two games that even a narrow halftime lead over Duquesne didn’t feel especially reassuring.
Then the third quarter happened.
Washington State scored touchdowns on its first three possessions after the break, and the game changed fast. The final Cougars score was also helped by something that has apparently never happened before in program history: consecutive punt return touchdowns by two different players. It was the kind of sequence that turned a sleepy afternoon into a showcase.
Caden Pinnick was a different quarterback after halftime, too. He entered the game still looking for his first touchdown pass of the season and carrying three interceptions.
From that point on, he threw two touchdowns without a pick. It’s a small sample, sure, but it also offered a clean reminder that confidence matters in football.
That’s the bigger takeaway here. This is a brand-new offense, with a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator and a new offensive-minded head coach.
No one should pretend the work is finished. The training wheels are still on, and this group probably wouldn’t fare much better if it lined up against Kansas State again tomorrow.
But Washington State doesn’t play Kansas State again tomorrow. The Cougars have one more power conference opponent left, Arizona next weekend, and then the rest of the regular season is against peer schools.
Saturday didn’t prove the offense has arrived. It did show that there’s something there to build on. For one half, at least, Washington State looked like a team with a higher gear.
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There were also several individual season and career highs scattered through the night, the kind of contributions that can make a close defeat feel more like a marker than a setback. The result still stings, but it left WSU with enough evidence of fight and depth to make the next one against Fresno State worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]