There’s a good chance Washington State receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy gets treated differently Saturday against Boise State than he did at the start of the season. When a redshirt freshman quarterback or cornerback sees the 6-foot-3 target line up and then notices a safety shading over the top, that’s usually a sign the defense has taken notice.
That kind of attention would fit the way Ganashamoorthy has played since his breakout at Oregon State, where he hauled in 11 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets. For Washington State, he’s becoming a central piece of the passing game, and he knows exactly what it feels like when the ball keeps finding him.
“In the game, you feel like the ball is coming your way every time you are running a route,” Ganashamoorthy said. “Eighteen targets is more targets than I’ve had in the past two or three years of games.”
His game is more layered than just size. He can separate with quickness, he has the kind of stop-and-start burst that gets him past defensive backs, and he runs routes with polish. First-year WSU coach Kirby Moore has also pointed to Ganashamoorthy’s ability to create plays and adjust in real time, including against Oregon State.
The path that got him here didn’t start with football as the obvious choice. After transferring to Seattle-area Metro League powerhouse Eastside Catholic for his senior year, Ganashamoorthy was viewed as having more upside in track and field than on the gridiron. Washington State offered him a men’s track and field scholarship to come to Pullman and jump, and he took it on the condition that he could also try out for football.
He arrived for fall camp in 2023 and spent that season working strictly on the scout team. Once football wrapped, track took over, but it didn’t last long.
“I was in it for two months, and my body could not take it anymore,” Ganashamoorthy said.
From there, he talked things over with his mother, Emma, and prayed about the decision. In the end, he walked away from the safer track route and chose the uncertainty of football.
“To me, it was an easy decision,” Ganashamoorthy said. “I know to the naked eye, it sounded like the total opposite, wrong decision.”
He stayed with it as a walk-on, showing up daily and grinding through the climb up the depth chart. The rise wasn’t smooth. At times, it felt stalled.
“Doors weren’t really opening for me like I thought they would, so I had to stay down and keep working hard,” Ganashamoorthy said. “I knew I had the talent and gifts and if I kept working with the coaches around me, at some point I would reap exactly what I put in.”
Last season, as a redshirt sophomore, he played in all 13 games and made one start under then-coach Jimmy Rogers. Moore then came in to replace Rogers and quickly saw Ganashamoorthy flashing in spring ball and preseason camp.
By the time Week 1 arrived, he had worked himself into the receiver rotation. Each week since, he’s climbed a little higher.
“To me, I always have felt like I’ve been that player - it’s just the spotlight has not been there,” Ganashamoorthy said. “If you ask anyone here about the plays I make in practice, to me this is just a regular thing I do.”
In Other News...
Washington State Faces A Brutal Test In Boise State Upset Bid
Homecoming brings a familiar but still notable opponent back to Pullman, with Boise State visiting for the first meeting between the programs since 2017 and their first as Pac-12 foes. Washington State badly needs a lift after four straight losses, and the stakes are simple enough: keep bowl hopes within reach while trying to handle a Boise State team that has looked sharp and brings one of the nations most productive rushing attacks into a tough road setting.
The Cougars also arrive with plenty of uncertainty on offense after making a quarterback change, and the timing is rough with injuries thinning out the wide receiver group. Even with the reset under center, the challenge against Boise State is more than just finding rhythm through the air. Washington State will have to find answers against a physical opponent that has been winning in the trenches and forcing others to play on its terms. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Faces A Dangerous Test In Its Biggest Defensive Weakness
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Now Boise State has to prepare for a second-start version of a quarterback who already showed he can stress a defense in multiple ways. Spencer Danielson has already pointed to the issues his team has to clean up, emphasizing tackling and basic fundamentals over any major schematic overhaul, which makes this matchup a particularly tricky one for a Broncos defense trying to steady itself. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces A Brutal Measuring Stick In Pullman
Boise State comes to Pullman as the latest measuring stick for Washington State, and it is not a subtle one. The No. 21 Broncos have won five straight since a narrow opening loss, and they arrive favored in a Pac-12 matchup that will say plenty about where the Cougars stand against a team that has steadily built momentum.
For Washington State, the challenge is as much about keeping pace as it is about turning the game into something uncomfortable for a ranked opponent. Boise State has looked efficient and composed during its run, while the Cougars are trying to reset after their last result and find a way to make this one look less like a gap and more like a fight. [Read more 🡒]