After a week off, the WSU Cougars are back to work with a clear assignment: snap a six-game losing streak and clean up the details that have been holding them back.
They’ll try to do that Saturday night against Colorado State in a Pac-12 matchup at 7:30 p.m., coming out of their lone bye week of the season with a chance to reset. The extra time also gave the Cougars a chance to take a hard look at themselves, and head coach Kirby Moore said on the latest edition of Cougs Weekly on Seattle Sports that the self-scouting brought a few things into focus.
One of the biggest positives has been the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman, who has started the last three games. Moore pointed to Eshelman’s efficiency and decision-making as a real bright spot.
“From what Owen has done from a completion percentage standpoint, I think that’s one thing he’s done is be really efficient,” Moore said, “and making good decisions in some of the RPO (run-pass option) game and some of the quick game.”
Eshelman has completed 83 of 131 passes for a 63.4% completion rate. He’s thrown for 779 yards over those three starts and has added 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries. His biggest ground performance came in his first start on Oct. 17 at Oregon State, when he ran for 136 yards on 15 attempts.
The offensive issue Moore wants cleaned up is what happens when the Cougars get close to scoring but lose yardage instead of staying on schedule. He specifically called out third downs with 3 yards or less to go and situations in field goal range.
“We can’t go backwards. That’s the thing these last couple of games - you get to the 20, you get to the 25, you’re right on the fringe, (and) the worst thing we can do is go backwards,” he said.
“We can always stay there, attempt a field goal. We can’t take a sack, and so we gotta make sure we prevent the negative plays in that situation from an offensive standpoint.”
Moore also said the defense needs to do a better job against the run, especially in the tackling department. He said the Cougars have had stretches where they’ve handled opposing rushing attacks, but not consistently enough.
“We’ve shown in spurts that we can stop the run, but we’ve got to really improve our tackling. You look at the last couple of games, we’ve played some good backs as well.
Give Boise credit, give San Diego State credit. And these next couple of games, we’re gonna face some good players as well.
So we’ve got to win our one-on-one matchups.”
In Other News...
Washington State Has An Unlikely Defensive Bright Spot Fans Need To See
Even in a season that has not gone the way Washington State hoped, redshirt freshman linebacker Isaiah Hung has quietly become one of the more encouraging developments on the roster. Pro Football Focus has consistently given him strong marks, and Kirby Moore has singled out Hungs energy and effort as reasons he has stood out on defense. For a team still searching for steadier footing, that kind of emergence from a young player matters.
Hungs path makes the rise even more interesting. He came to Pullman after initially signing with South Dakota State, bringing with him a multi-sport background and the kind of athletic base that can translate quickly once a player finds his footing. Washington State has plenty still to sort out, but Hung has given the Cougars something tangible to build on, and his role is worth watching as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Bye Week Reset Put These Cougars In The Spotlight
Washington State spent its bye week doing what every team hopes to do in the middle of a long season: catch its breath, clean up the details and turn the page toward the next chance to get right. The Cougars now head into a matchup with Colorado State carrying the kind of focus a reset week is supposed to produce, with several familiar names set to shape how the game unfolds on both sides of the ball.
Browns role on defense looms large against a Rams offense built around quarterback Hauss Hejnys mobility, while Ganashamoorthy gives Washington State a clear path to stress a secondary that has not been especially sturdy. Up front, Ashton Tripp will be part of the push to get the run game moving, a key piece if the Cougars want to control tempo and keep building toward their first Pacific-12 Conference victory. [Read more 🡒]