Washington State got the kind of bounce-back performance it had been searching for Saturday night, but the win also left one issue squarely in view.
The Cougars rolled past Duquesne 48-7 in their home opener at Gesa Field in Martin Stadium, shaking off a sloppy beginning and then burying the Dukes with a third-quarter surge. It was also Kirby Moore’s first win as a head coach at any level.
Caden Pinnick did a little bit of everything for WSU, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another score. Kirby Vorhees added two rushing touchdowns, including a 58-yard burst on the final play of the third quarter. Later, Jaylen Thomas and Tank Hawkins Jr. each brought back punt returns for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The game turned fast after halftime. WSU came out moving at a quicker pace, and Duquesne had no answer. The Cougars ripped off a 75-yard scoring drive in six plays to open the third quarter, with Pinnick breaking loose for 26 yards down the left sideline before finding tight end Jack Pedersen for an 11-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.
That was just the start. On the next possession, Pinnick worked the ball around the field, connecting with Daniel Blood for 19 yards and Branden Ganashamoorthy for 23 before hitting Ganashamoorthy again for a 10-yard score in the back of the end zone. Then, on WSU’s final drive of the quarter, Vorhees turned the corner off left tackle and sprinted untouched down the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown as the lead swelled to 35-7.
The defense held up its end too, allowing only 27 yards in the quarter.
The ground game was the big story for WSU. Maxwell Woods led the way with a game-high 116 rushing yards, Vorhees finished with 109, and Pinnick added 76 more. That kind of production gave the offense room to stay aggressive, and after the Cougars had managed just 100 rushing yards at Washington and 99 at Kansas State, the 316-yard total against Duquesne was a major step forward.
But the first quarter showed why this team still has work to do.
WSU opened with an 11-yard loss on a high snap, then Pinnick threw an interception on the next play from scrimmage. To get things moving, the Cougars went to some trickery. At the 8:28 mark, Woods lined up in shotgun while Pinnick shifted to the left side in the slot, and Woods took a Wildcat handoff 45 yards to set up Vorhees’ 8-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Pinnick later scored again on a 19-yard run with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
Even with the offense finally finding rhythm, the kicking game remained a problem. Jack Stevens, who entered the game 1-for-4 on field goals, missed a 30-yard attempt off the right upright on the second play of the second quarter after the snap and hold appeared clean, leaving the game tied 7-7. He also missed his first PAT of the season in the fourth quarter.
As Moore said before the game, everything on this roster is being evaluated - and Stevens’ spot in the kicking game may be one of the biggest questions heading into next week.
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WSU Volleyball Showed Serious Fight In A Match Cougs Will Discuss
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There were also several individual season and career highs scattered through the night, the kind of contributions that can make a close defeat feel more like a marker than a setback. The result still stings, but it left WSU with enough evidence of fight and depth to make the next one against Fresno State worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]