Washington State’s season has been rough enough to make a bye week feel like a rescue mission. At 1-8 and sitting in last place in the Pacific-12 Conference, the Cougars have spent most of the fall searching for answers.
But even in a year like this, there are still players who have given the program something to hang onto. Through nine games, a few Cougars have stood out as the most valuable pieces at their positions, based on production and Pro Football Focus grades.
At quarterback, Owen Eshelman has become the spark. In three starts, he has gone 83-of-131 for 779 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, while also adding 54 carries for 203 yards and three scores.
He has played 236 snaps and earned a 68.9 PFF grade. The sample is still small, but Eshelman has brought life to the offense with his toughness as a runner and his willingness to take hits.
The gap between him and Caden Pinnick is not as wide as it may look at first glance, though Pinnick’s play fell off sharply after an encouraging start. By PFF, Pinnick actually posted a higher debut grade at Washington (74.0) than Eshelman did at Oregon State (73.8), but the decline that followed opened the door for Eshelman to take over.
In the backfield, Kirby Vorhees gets the nod despite a modest 58.0 PFF grade in 344 snaps. He has logged 66 carries for 292 yards and four touchdowns, plus 16 catches for 85 yards.
Maxwell Woods has the higher PFF grade at 66.7 in 176 snaps and arguably the most upside, while Leo Pulalasi has made a strong case lately, especially with his 54-yard touchdown run at Utah State. Still, Vorhees has been the workhorse.
He runs with physicality, earns trust from the coaches and owns the longest run from scrimmage on the team, a 58-yarder against Duquesne.
At receiver, Branden Ganashamoorthy stands out as the Cougars’ lone true deep threat. He has 34 catches for 459 yards and three touchdowns in 575 snaps, with a 61.1 PFF grade.
Daniel Blood has actually posted the best grade in the room at 61.9 in 519 snaps and leads the group with 38 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown, while Darrius Clemons has a 61.7 grade in 343 snaps but has missed the last two games with an injury. Even so, Ganashamoorthy gets the edge because of what he means to the offense downfield.
The 6-foot-3 former walk-on is the target Eshelman leans on in big moments.
Trey Leckner earns the tight end spot after returning from a lingering foot injury in the Utah State game. He has 19 receptions for 151 yards in 146 snaps and a 64.5 PFF grade.
Jack Pedersen has played all season after transferring from UCLA, but his 46.5 grade in 507 snaps is among the team’s worst. Leckner has looked more explosive on routes and has also become a dependable pull blocker in the run game.
If he had enough snaps to qualify, he would rank 126th in the country in PFF grade among tight ends.
Up front, left guard Jonny Lester gets the call. The small-school product just outside Spokane began the season at right tackle before sliding back to his old spot at left guard, and that move has suited him.
He has played 616 snaps and owns a 66.5 PFF grade. Lester has become the line’s best run blocker and has improved as a pass protector.
His snap total trails only center Noah Dunham, who has a 61.7 grade in 625 snaps, and right guard Nick Bakken, who has a 61.2 grade in 620 snaps.
On defense, Matyus McLain has been one of the strongest edge rushers in the Pac-12. He has 32 tackles and one sack in 400 snaps, along with a 75.4 PFF grade.
Alongside Linus Zunk, who has a 70.1 grade in 398 snaps and two sacks, McLain has helped form one of the conference’s better pass-rushing duos. McLain may not have the sack total Zunk does, but he has been the more explosive player getting into the backfield.
Inside, Damarjhe Lewis leads a group with four players graded 60.0 or better and has a 68.0 grade in 185 snaps. He has also blocked two kicks.
At linebacker, Keith Brown is the steady force in the middle. He has 71 tackles, one sack and two passes deflected in 533 snaps, with a 75.9 PFF grade.
Brown is the player coaches trust most in the center of the defense, and he has backed that up with consistency. Isaiah Hung has been excellent too, posting a team-best 82.3 grade in 300 snaps as he has earned more playing time.
But Brown’s value as a captain and as the defense’s most dependable presence gives him the edge. He is coming off his best game of the season at San Diego State, where he posted an 88.0 grade.
In the secondary, safety Jaylen Thomas gets the nod. He has 37 tackles, three interceptions, one defensive touchdown and one special teams touchdown in 528 snaps, with a 62.8 PFF grade.
Thomas has given up some long completions in coverage, but he has also been the back-end playmaker for Washington State. He picked off his third pass Saturday at San Diego State.
Jackquintin Bal has the best grade among the safeties at 71.4 in 311 snaps, and he posted the highest single-game PFF grade on the team this season with an 89.9 against Arizona. Cornerback Khamari Terrell has also been solid, with a 67.5 grade in 433 snaps, but Thomas gets the spot for his impact plays.
There are no shortage of problems in Pullman right now. But even in a season this difficult, Washington State has found a handful of players who have kept showing up, snapping after snap, week after week.
In Other News...
Washington State Already Has An Early Offensive Problem
Washington States home opener was supposed to be an early chance to settle in on offense and build some rhythm, but Davidson quickly made it a rough night in Pullman. The Wildcats left with a 76-61 win, powered by Sam Browns 22 points and Nick Janowskis 21, while also knocking down 12 3-pointers to keep the Cougars chasing from the start.
The bigger concern for Washington State was the lack of punch on its own side, especially with projected offensive leader Ronnie Harrison unavailable because of ankle soreness. Jaylen Harrell provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, but the Cougars never found enough consistent scoring to keep pace, leaving an early question about how this group will generate offense when one of its key pieces is out. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga Passed Its First Real Test But One Question Already Looms
Opening night around the Pac-12 brought a little bit of everything, but for Washington State the early storyline was less about the leagues strong start and more about a flat showing at home. While Gonzaga handled Purdue, Utah State rolled past Idaho State and Oregon State cruised by Weber State, the Cougars were left trying to make sense of a 76-61 loss to Davidson in a game that never really tilted their way.
Washington States offense never found much rhythm, and the numbers told the story of a team that struggled to get comfortable from the start. The Cougars shot 35% from the field and made just 5 of 24 three-pointers, leaving them with an early reminder that the margin for error in a new season can disappear quickly when the shot-making dries up. [Read more 🡒]