Washington State may be heading into another weekend short-handed, with head coach Kirby Moore labeling wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard as day-to-day ahead of Saturday’s road game at San Diego State.
Moore said Monday that Clemons, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and Bernard, who is nursing a shoulder issue, are expected back on the practice field this week. Both sat out the Cougars’ home loss to Boise State last weekend.
WSU is still searching for its first FBS victory of the season after dropping to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in Pac-12 play with a 31-10 loss to the Broncos. The injuries have only added to the strain, especially at receiver. Without Clemons, who was hurt against Oregon State on Oct. 17, the Cougars did not widen the receiver rotation to include West Georgia transfer Jordan Dees or walk-on Caleb Northcroft, even though Moore had suggested that possibility beforehand.
Instead, Washington State leaned heavily on its top three wideouts. Branden Ganashamoorthy and Daniel Blood each played all 76 offensive snaps, while Tank Hawkins logged 65. Those were the only three receivers to see the field for WSU in the game.
Ganashamoorthy has been on the field more than any other Pac-12 wide receiver this season, with 503 snaps. He is one of four Cougars who have reached at least 500 snaps, making WSU one of only two Pac-12 teams with four players at that mark.
“We talk about deliberate practice,” Moore said. “That really starts with bringing great energy, having verbal combat, doing your assignment, making sure you’re not thinking out there, that you’re just reacting.
I think we’ve had too many errors from a practice standpoint, with guys knowing their assignments, whether it’s motions, details within the position. We’ve got lot of trust in the guys who are out there on the field.
If other guys improve and they’re to the standard, they’ll be out there.”
Bernard’s shoulder injury came in WSU’s loss at Oregon State earlier this month, Moore said, and he described it as “a little bit of a stinger.” In his place, Arizona State transfer Jackquintin Bal played 56 snaps, his second-highest total of the season and his most in four games. He was not targeted in the secondary against Boise State, but he did miss four tackles, the most on the team.
That was part of a larger defensive issue for the Cougars, who struggled to stop explosive plays. Boise State running back Dylan Riley ripped off touchdown runs of 33 and 72 yards, both coming during the Broncos’ 21-0 fourth quarter that sealed the game. Washington State missed 16 tackles as a team, pushing its season total to 93, second-most in the Pac-12 behind only Colorado State, which ranks last nationally in total defense.
Moore also said the Cougars are “going to explore” changes along the offensive line after that group allowed 16 pressures and two sacks on quarterback Owen Eshelman against Boise State. The Broncos repeatedly got through with stunts, and at other times WSU’s front five was driven backward at the line, helping limit Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalasi to 20 yards on 10 carries.
The current starting line features right tackle Jaylin Caldwell, right guard Nick Bakken, center Noah Dunham, left guard Jonny Lester and left tackle Ashton Tripp. Tripp returned last weekend after missing the Oregon State game with an ankle injury suffered against Utah State on Oct.
- Lester and Tripp are both returners from last season, and Caldwell had started two games before getting hurt.
There are plenty of ways the Cougars could shuffle things up, though the path to postseason eligibility remains complicated. WSU can no longer reach the six wins normally required for bowl eligibility, despite having qualified in nine of the last 10 full seasons. The only theoretical route now would be a 5-7 finish, which would leave the door open if there are not enough 6-6 teams.
Even then, the Cougars would need to end their five-game losing streak and run the table while also reaching at least a 930 multiyear Academic Progress Rate.
“We’re gonna explore that this week with, obviously, practice,” Moore said of possible offensive line changes. “We wanna give guys opportunities.
At the same time, right now in the season, we gotta understand where we’re at, the communication with who’s been on the right side, with who’s been on the left side. Naturally, we wanna give some reps to some other guys as well, and then we gotta make a call there by the time we get to Thursday.”
In Other News...
Washington State Still Has One Big Problem Heading Into Week 9
Washington State heads into Week 9 still searching for its first Pac-12 win of the season, and the latest stretch has only sharpened the focus on what first-year coach Kirby Moore wants to see from his team. As the Cougars turn their attention to San Diego State, the conversation around the program is less about style points and more about putting together a cleaner, more complete effort after a run of uneven results.
Moore has kept the emphasis on getting the Cougars to play a full game, which has become the central measuring stick as they try to steady themselves. The matchup also brings a familiar backdrop, since Washington State and San Diego State have met in each of the last three seasons, with the Cougars winning the past two, but this years trip comes with WSU installed as a slight underdog and still carrying the weight of that conference skid. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Strong Finish Changes The Feel Of The Pac-12 Race
Washington State had a chance to measure itself against one of the leagues early front-runners, but Boise State left the weekend looking very much like a team built to stay in the Pac-12 race. The Broncos went into Pullman and beat the Cougars 31-10, a result that nudged Boise State to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play while putting it level with Oregon State at the top of the standings.
For a league still sorting itself out with recent results and a crowded schedule ahead, the win carried the kind of weight that can reshape the conversation for a few weeks. Washington State now has to regroup in the middle of a stretch that also includes games for Oregon State, Texas State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State, with the Cougars left to wonder how quickly Boise State can turn a strong start into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Just Found Something Real In A Rivalry Win
An exhibition win over Washington is never just another tune-up for Washington State, even if the result wont go in the regular-season standings. David Riley treated the 84-80 victory as more than a November checkpoint, pointing to how valuable a game like that can be for shaping the Cougars identity and giving them a better sense of what they want to be before the season starts for real.
Ronnie Harrison looked like the kind of transfer who can steady a new group in a charged setting, giving Washington State the kind of inside-out production that travels. The seniors presence was a big part of why the Cougars could leave the floor with something concrete from a rivalry game, and Rileys postgame message suggested the next question is how much of that edge becomes part of the teams everyday formula once the games begin to count. [Read more 🡒]