Washington State is walking straight into a different kind of test on Saturday morning.
The Cougars head to Manhattan, Kansas, for a matchup with Kansas State in the first meeting between the programs, and it comes with plenty already baked in: a second straight road Power 4 game to open the season, a hostile building at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and a Wildcats team fresh off a 71-3 demolition of Nicholls.
This one is part of a home-and-home series that also includes a 2029 game in Pullman. Former WSU president Kirk Schulz helped broker it in 2016, shortly after holding the same job at Kansas State.
Kickoff is set for 9 a.m. Washington State time, 11 a.m. local, and TNT will carry the game with streaming available on HBO Max. As of Monday afternoon, the Cougars were listed as about an 18.5-point underdog at most sportsbooks.
WSU comes in trying to regroup after Sunday’s 24-10 loss to No. 17 Washington in the first-ever season-opening Apple Cup. That game was a rough offensive afternoon for the Cougars: three turnovers, two missed field goals and an 0-for-11 mark on third down.
There were still a few flashes late. Quarterback Caden Pinnick scored on an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Jack Stevens added a field goal to make things interesting. But Washington State’s defense, which had been sharp for most of the day, couldn’t force enough stops down the stretch.
In Kirby Moore’s coaching debut, the defense was the clearest bright spot. The Cougars held Demond Williams Jr. and the Huskies to 10 points through three quarters, and one of the biggest moments came right before halftime when Keith Brown helped lead a goal-line stand, stuffing Jayden Limar on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The offense, though, never matched that energy. Pinnick, making his debut as the Cougars’ new quarterback after transferring from UC Davis, finished 16 of 25 for 142 yards with two interceptions.
One of those came after a dropped pass in the fourth quarter. He also added the 11-yard keeper that cut the deficit to 10-7.
“We gotta make sure - and this is overall from an offensive standpoint - our first goal was 100% ball security,” Moore said on Monday. “We did not achieve that, so we gotta do a better job taking care of the football.
Had an initial really good start on the first drive. Got in some longer down and distances there on the third downs, which are difficult, and sometimes the defense has a say in the fight, and you gotta be ready to check the ball down, take care of the football.
Sometimes it’s OK to punt, and that’s something we gotta really emphasize. Great job responding there in the fourth quarter, and so we gotta build on that.”
Washington State also took a hit in the receiver room. Veteran receiver and kick returner Tony Freeman left after just 10 snaps with an injury, went to the locker room, and later returned in street clothes. Moore said Monday that Freeman is likely to miss Saturday’s game with a knee injury, and the staff is still waiting on MRI results.
If Freeman is out, the Cougars will need more from Daniel Blood and Darrius Clemons after both delivered against Washington. Blood caught five passes for 57 yards, while Clemons finished with three catches for 40 yards. WSU could also lean more on Tank Hawkins and Branden Ganashamoorthy.
Brown was the standout on defense. After missing all of last season while recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in fall camp, the veteran linebacker looked fully back, leading the team with six tackles, all solo.
Kansas State, meanwhile, looked every bit like a team that wanted no part of a slow start. Senior quarterback Avery Johnson went 15 of 21 for 199 yards and three touchdowns in his first game of his final college season, and he was done midway through the third quarter as the Wildcats kept pouring it on.
The Wildcats also showed they have real depth in the backfield. Oklahoma State transfer Rodney Fields made a surprise start and ran 14 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, while veteran Joe Jackson added seven carries for 38 yards and another score. Seven different Wildcats found the end zone: Johnson, Fields, Jackson twice, receivers Jaron Tibbs, Josh Manning and Brandon White on a punt return, plus reserves Jacob Knuth and Monterrio Elston Jr.
Saturday is also the debut of head coach Collin Klein, who starred as Kansas State’s quarterback in the early 2010s, coached there from 2017 through 2023, then spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator before returning to his alma mater.
Defensively, the Wildcats have names worth watching too. Linebacker Gabe Powers and safety Logan Bartley each finished with a team-high five tackles against Nicholls, while Oklahoma State transfer edge rusher Wendell Gregory is expected to be one of the Big 12’s best at that spot this season. Kansas State also racked up 10 tackles for loss in the opener, including 1.5 from defensive end Jordan Allen.
Moore said the Wildcats present plenty of problems on offense.
“Lot of different sets offensively,” Moore said of Kansas State’s offense. “They do a great job of running the football.
The quarterback’s part of it. A lot of different schemes, and then when you get tight, they have a lot of play action concepts that get guys vertically down the field.”
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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 🡒]
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The first half of the Apple Cup has been a slog for Washington State, with the Cougars headed to the break trailing No. 17 Washington 10-0 after an offense that never really found its footing. Wazzu managed only 37 yards before halftime and went 0-for-5 on third downs, a rough start against a Huskies defense that has tightened the screws whenever the Cougars have tried to build momentum.
Still, the game is not out of reach because Washington States defense has kept it from getting worse, including a goal-line stand that helped preserve some hope. The bigger concern may be on the offensive side, where top wide receiver Tony Freeman went down with a non-contact knee injury and is doubtful to return, leaving the Cougars to figure out how to generate enough playmaking in the second half to turn a frustrating afternoon into something far more competitive. [Read more 🡒]