Washington State is heading into its trip to Kansas State with a major question mark at wide receiver, and the answer looks bleak: Tony Freeman is probably not going to play.
Coach Kirby Moore said Monday that Freeman is “trending on being out” after suffering a knee injury in Sunday’s Apple Cup. The Cougars are still waiting on MRI results, Moore said, but the early signs point to Freeman missing Saturday’s game. He was hurt in the first quarter against Washington, played only 10 snaps, then headed to the locker room with a trainer before later returning to the sideline in warmup gear.
That would be a significant hit for WSU. Freeman was expected to be the team’s top receiver this season, and he also plays a key role in the return game.
At 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds, he gave the Cougars a proven weapon a year ago, starting seven of 13 games while catching 54 passes for 590 yards and three touchdowns. He also turned into one of the most dangerous punt returners in the country, averaging 17.3 yards per return - sixth-best nationally - while setting a WSU single-season record.
His 415 punt return yards were another program mark.
Without him on Sunday, Washington State still found some production from the passing game. Daniel Blood finished with five catches for 57 yards, and Darrius Clemons added three receptions for 40 yards. If Freeman can’t go against Kansas State, those two figures figure to be even more important, with Tank Hawkins and Branden Ganashamoorthy also candidates for expanded roles.
Depth at receiver remains one of the thinner spots on the roster. Freeman, Blood and Clemons form the strongest trio, but the next options have not logged much game action. How long Freeman is out could quickly determine whether that changes.
His absence showed up in the return game too. After Freeman left, WSU turned punt-return duties over to starting safety Jaylen Thomas, who muffed a punt on a Washington kick in the third quarter before recovering it and getting 10 yards. Later, Hawkins had trouble fielding a kickoff, and the Cougars lost two yards on the play.
“We gotta really, during practice this week, do a better job emphasizing all the variability of returns and where you’re at on the field,” Moore said. “I think he might have been on the 20, 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.”
There was better news elsewhere for Washington State. Cornerback Jalil Tucker and defensive end Ben Beatty are both expected to be available this weekend, Moore said. Tucker left a play hobbling with what Moore described as a lower-leg injury, while Beatty went to the locker room late in the game.
Tucker, a starter at cornerback, posted an overall Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 56.1. Beatty, a backup at defensive end, checked in at 60.9. Both grades are about average on PFF’s scale.
In Other News...
Washington State Faces A Huge Receiver Problem Ahead Of Kansas State
Washington State is heading into its matchup with Kansas State with a concern that could reshape the offense for a week. Wide receiver Tony Freeman is likely to miss the game because of a knee injury, according to head coach Kirby Moore, and his exit from the previous game came early enough to raise immediate questions about the Cougars depth at the position.
Freeman was seen on crutches afterward, which adds to the uncertainty around how quickly Washington State can get back to full strength on offense. There is some better news on the injury front, with cornerback Jalil Tucker and defensive end Ben Beatty expected to be available, but the receiver situation leaves the Cougars with a key issue to sort out before they face Kansas State. [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 🡒]