Washington State’s offense has been stuck in the mud, but the Cougars are still hanging around in the Apple Cup.
Despite gaining fewer than 100 total yards, Wazzu trailed No. 17 Washington just 10-0 on Sunday afternoon inside Husky Stadium, kept afloat by a defense that spent the first half throwing itself into the backfield and making life miserable for Demond Williams Jr.
The revamped front six has been one of the early bright spots for Kirby Moore’s staff, and it showed again against the Huskies. Defensive coordinator Trent Bray, the former Oregon State head coach, has given Washington State a look that has clearly bothered Williams early, while the secondary has repeatedly rallied with its back to the wall.
Washington got four of its six first-half possessions in favorable field position, including two drives that started on Washington State’s side of the field. The Huskies reached the end zone on a scramble, and after a whistle-related officiating mess wiped out a Kirby Vorhees run and led to a reversal on the previous play, Washington got the ball back. Three plays later, a missed field goal kept the margin at two scores.
Washington State’s biggest stop came on the final play of the first half. Facing 4th and goal from the 1-yard line, the Cougars stood up an inside run and forced a turnover on downs, giving themselves some momentum heading into the locker room.
Jeremiah Bernard and Keith Brown each finished the half with four total tackles, and Malachi Wrice recorded the only tackle for loss in the opening 30 minutes.
On the other side, Moore and offensive coordinator Mike Miller have a lot to sort through if they want to avoid being blanked. Caden Pinnick, the UC Davis transfer who won the starting job this fall, opened with a zone read that fooled most of the Washington defense and turned into a 25-yard run. His first pass went to Daniel Blood for 11 yards.
After that, the offense barely moved. Washington State produced just 37 yards the rest of the half, Pinnick was sacked twice, and one of those came on a delayed blitz the offensive line never picked up. The Cougars also went 0-for-5 on third down and averaged only 2.4 yards per carry.
Tony Freeman’s first-half injury may have made the climb even steeper. Washington State’s top receiver suffered a non-contact injury and was ruled doubtful to return. He was later seen on the sideline with a heavy bag of ice on his right knee.
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Caden Pinnick Owned WSUs Biggest Problem After Apple Cup Loss
Caden Pinnick was at the center of Washington States rough afternoon in the Apple Cup, and the numbers told the story. In the Cougars 24-10 loss to No. 17 Washington, the quarterback was responsible for three turnovers, including two interceptions, even as he tried to keep the offense moving with 142 passing yards, 61 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Pinnicks postgame comments pointed back to the same issue that has haunted Washington State at times this season: cleaner execution when the stakes rise. The Cougars had enough chances to make the game interesting, but the mistakes proved costly against a ranked rival, leaving plenty for Pinnick and the offense to sort through as they look for a sharper response next time out. [Read more 🡒]
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Kirby Moore pointed to the need for cleaner offensive execution as the main takeaway after the game, and the Cougars also have a personnel situation to monitor at receiver. Tony Freeman went down with a knee injury late in the first quarter, and Moore said he will have an update on Freeman later this week, leaving another layer of concern as Washington State turns the page. [Read more 🡒]
Cougars Showed Apple Cup Fight Before Familiar Mistakes Took Over
Washington State did enough on defense to make the Apple Cup interesting for long stretches, and there were moments when the Cougars looked like they might turn a choppy, tense game into something more. Caden Pinnick managed the offense unevenly but also gave the Cougars a spark with his legs, while the defense kept producing the kind of stops that can change a rivalry game if the offense cashes in.
Instead, familiar problems kept piling up. Turnovers blunted promising drives, and the kicking game left points sitting on the field before Washington State finally got a field goal late. By then, the damage was mostly done, and the Cougars were left with another reminder that effort and resistance are only part of the equation when a rivalry game starts tilting on the details. [Read more 🡒]