Washington State expected an offensive lift when Kirby Moore arrived in Pullman. Two games into the season, the Cougars have gotten almost none of it.
The numbers tell the blunt version of the story: WSU’s offense has scored the same number of touchdowns as its defense through two games, one apiece. That’s not the kind of start anyone pictured when a coach with Moore’s background took over an offense that was supposed to have some snap.
Moore’s résumé is built on football that usually moves. He caught 131 passes for 2,126 yards in his senior year at Prosser High School, then played at Boise State under Chris Petersen on teams known for creativity. He learned coaching under Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb at Fresno State, then directed an explosive Missouri offense that became one of the few ever to produce a 3,000-yard passer, 1,500-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season.
That’s why the early results in Pullman have been so jarring. Against Kansas State, the Cougars spent much of the road loss leaning on the run game, even as the defense repeatedly met those plays with force. The offense never found a rhythm, and it finished without a point.
Caden Pinnick, who won the job as the face of the offense, did not exactly offer much in the way of a rallying cry afterward. Asked a series of questions after the game, he answered: “We just lost.
Next question. … Good team.
We lost. Will get better.
… Not for me to say, got to get better.”
That’s not much to build on, especially when the offense looks so disconnected from the pedigree that brought Moore to Washington State in the first place.
What makes the slow start more frustrating is that the Cougars may actually have a defense worth leaning on. It’s a group with the size and depth to stand up to Washington’s linemen in the Apple Cup, and it already flashed playmaking ability when Jaylen Thomas returned an interception for a touchdown to close the first half and give WSU a jolt against Kansas State.
There is still time for the season to change shape. Washington State has seen this before.
Some of Mike Leach’s best Cougar teams stumbled out of the gate with ugly losses and lifeless offense. The 2016 team dropped its first two games before winning eight straight.
The year before, WSU opened with a bad home loss to Portland State and still finished by beating Miami in the Sun Bowl.
Even last season, the offense started slowly before Jimmy Rogers made the bold move to change starting quarterbacks, a decision that helped push the Cougars into a bowl game.
So the possibility of a course correction is still there. But two games in, this team may need something more dramatic than patience. With no proven backup like Zevi Eckhaus waiting in the wings, the suggestion is obvious: Moore may need to take back the play-calling himself.
That would not be the normal arrangement. Head coach is already a full-time job, and most coaches prefer to leave the offense in the hands of their coordinator. Plenty of offensive-minded head coaches have held onto those duties for too long out of pride.
Still, the current version of Washington State’s offense does not look like the kind of attack Kirby Moore built his reputation on. If the Cougars are going to get there, the head coach may need to be the one showing the quarterback how to take more ownership.
In Other News...
Washington States Offensive Debate Just Got Harder To Ignore
Washington States 0-2 start has put the spotlight squarely on an offense that has had trouble finding any rhythm, and the latest game only sharpened the concern. Caden Pinnick managed just 65 passing yards, while the protection in front of him has become a clear issue, with Ashton Tripp and Kyle Martin drawing low pass-blocking grades as the Cougars have struggled to give the quarterback time or space to operate.
With the schedule moving on, the debate inside the program is no longer whether the offense needs a reset, but how far that reset should go. Changes in playcalling are being considered, and lineup adjustments are now part of the conversation as Washington State looks for any combination that can make the passing game more functional before the early-season slide gets harder to fix. [Read more 🡒]
Cougars Showed Fight Against Washington But One Problem Still Looms
Washington State showed some grit in its matchup with Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena, but the result still tilted the wrong way in a 3-1 loss. The Cougars put together 46 kills and hit .228, which was enough to keep stretches of the match competitive, even as Washington finished with 61 kills and a .289 hitting percentage.
Kambree Rodriguez did a little of everything with 19 digs and seven assists, while Naomi White added 10 kills and four blocks and Audrey Hollis chipped in 15 assists and 15 digs. The effort was there, but the gap in offensive efficiency remained the issue, and it is the kind of problem Washington State will need to clean up if it wants to turn tight nights into wins. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Is 0-2 But This Texas Tech Loss Changed The Debate
Oregon States 35-24 loss to Texas Tech added a fresh layer to the early-season Pac-12 conversation, and for Washington State that matters because the leagues pecking order is already getting tested in September. The Beavers had enough production from Jesse Legree and Braden Atkinson to stay in the game, but the late controversy around a call in Lubbock made the result feel heavier than a typical nonconference setback, especially with the conference trying to establish some stability across a mixed weekend.
Washington State is still sorting through its own issues after first-year coach Kirby Moore pointed to offensive struggles following the loss to Kansas State, so the Cougars are watching these results with a practical eye. Boise States win over Memphis, Washingtons narrow escape against Utah State and Colorado States lopsided victory over Southern Utah all fed into a busy opening stretch, but Oregon States trip to Texas Tech may end up being the one that shifts how the leagues second tier is viewed for now. [Read more 🡒]