Washington State left Saturday with more than a 48-7 win over Duquesne. It also walked away with the kind of special teams jolt the Cougars had been chasing since the season began.
The biggest sparks came in the punt return game. Safety Jaylen Thomas opened the sequence with a 47-yard return for a touchdown, then, one punt later, Tank Hawkins broke free for a 65-yard score of his own. Back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns gave WSU its first such play in a decade, and it marked the first time the Cougars had piled up two punt return touchdowns in the same game since 1973.
“Jaylen Thomas, who’s done it on defense, doing it now on special teams. That guy’s special,” Moore said of Thomas, who also picked off two passes against Kansas State last weekend. “Tank Hawkins, really good to see him out in space.”
For Washington State, the timing mattered as much as the spectacle. The Cougars had stumbled through two rough special teams outings to start the year, including losses to Washington and Kansas State.
Against UW, they botched two kick returns. Against K-State, they gave up a punt return of about 60 yards that helped set up a short touchdown moments later.
That made Thomas’ and Hawkins’ returns about more than beating an FCS opponent. They were a needed reset for coach Derek Sage, who handles both special teams and wide receivers. He didn’t get the camera treatment during the broadcast, but the unit he oversees finally looked dangerous instead of shaky.
The other end of the special teams picture remains a concern, though. Kicker Jack Stevens missed his only field goal attempt Saturday, a 30-yarder from the left hash, and he is now 1-for-5 on the season.
He also missed an extra point for the first time in his career. His only made field goal came on a 42-yard kick against Washington, and he has missed three straight field goal tries since then.
That’s a sharp turn from where Stevens stood a year ago. He missed just three field goals last season and finished 16-for-19, and he was steady throughout fall camp. Now, the Cougars may have to consider a change.
“I got a ton of confidence in Jack,” Moore said. “He’s done it throughout the off-season.
We gotta look at the whole operation. There’s snap, there’s hold, there’s protection, there’s a lot of pieces to that.
Obviously, we gotta improve, and we’re gonna do that.”
The alternative is North Texas transfer Miguel Arenas, who handles kickoff duties and has the stronger leg, even if Stevens has been the more accurate option in the past. With Stevens continuing to miss the kinds of kicks that looked automatic last season, Arenas could be in line for a larger role.
Washington State kept Stevens on extra points even after the field goal miss, and even after he missed one of those, which may have been an effort to keep him settled. But with Arizona coming to Pullman next week for a primetime CBS matchup, the Cougars will want the whole operation cleaned up.
WSU already showed Saturday it isn’t afraid to make a move, benching left guard Kyle Martin. The question now is whether the same willingness shows up in the kicking game.
In Other News...
Washington State Built Exactly The Momentum Fans Wanted Before Arizona
Washington State finally gave its fans the kind of clean, complete performance they were hoping to see, rolling past Duquesne 48-7 after a brief early scare. The game was tied 7-7 before the Cougars took control and piled up 41 unanswered points, with Caden Pinnick driving the offense efficiently through the air and on the ground while the special teams and run game kept adding to the pressure.
Pinnick finished with 196 passing yards, two touchdown throws and 76 rushing yards plus a rushing score, giving Washington State a little bit of everything as it heads into a tougher stretch. Kirby Vorhees added a rushing touchdown, and the Cougars also got punt return scores from Jaylen Thomas and Hank Hawkins, the sort of depth and explosiveness that can change the feel of a season if it carries over next week against Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Finally Showed Why Its New Offense Could Matter
The first half against Duquesne did not exactly announce a breakthrough, but it did offer a reminder of how much room Washington States new offense still has to grow. The Cougars were dealing with an under-resourced opponent, and the early stretches were uneven enough to leave some questions hanging even in a one-sided game.
Then the second half arrived, and the difference was hard to miss. Washington State found its rhythm, stacked up multiple touchdowns and let the new system start to show its shape, with Caden Pinnick settling in after halftime and throwing two touchdowns without an interception. It was only one game, but it was the kind of finish that suggests the Cougars may have something worth building on. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Finally Has An Offensive Spark To Build On
Caden Pinnick gave Washington State something to carry out of its home opener at Martin Stadium, leading the Cougars to a 48-7 win over Duquesne with a steady mix of arm and legs. The offense looked far more functional than it did in the opener, and the improvement showed up in the details too, including a better third-down rate that helped the Cougars stay on the field and build rhythm.
Special teams added the kind of jolt that can change the tone of a game, with Jaylen Thomas and Tank Hawkins delivering back-to-back punt return touchdowns in a rare burst for the program. It was a good step forward for a team that needed one, but the challenge gets tougher next week with Arizona coming to town, where Washington State will find out whether this spark can hold up against a more demanding test. [Read more 🡒]