Washington State will go into Sunday’s Apple Cup close to full strength, but not quite all the way there.
The Cougars are expected to be without redshirt freshman tight end Peyton Read, who has been dealing with what coach Kirby Moore described as “a little nick.” Read sat out the final couple of practices in fall camp, which ended in late August, and Moore said, “He’ll be with us, but at the same time, he’s working through just a little nick.”
That’s a hit to WSU’s pass-catching depth at tight end, especially after Read flashed during camp. He stood out when Beau Baker was sidelined by injury and Jack Pedersen was being held out for rest and injury prevention. In the Cougars’ first fall camp scrimmage, Read caught about six passes for 31 yards and showed the kind of reliable hands and quickness that made him hard to ignore.
Even so, the tight end pecking order hasn’t changed much. Pedersen, a veteran transfer from UCLA, is expected to start this season, and Baker, entering his redshirt sophomore year and his second season with WSU, is ahead of Read on the depth chart as well. That leaves Read in a spot where his role this season still isn’t fully clear.
On the defensive side, there’s still no answer on Soni Finau. Moore said Friday he doesn’t have an update on the defensive tackle’s eligibility as Finau tries to work his way back into the program under the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 model. Finau played one season at WSU last year, but the new ruling gives extra eligibility to players from the high school class of 2022, and he’s exploring whether that opens the door for a return.
WSU’s compliance office has been working with Finau on the issue, according to a team spokesman who confirmed the effort to The Spokesman-Review in mid-August. There are still plenty of details to sort through, which is why Finau hasn’t been added to the roster. The Cougars want him back eventually, but he won’t be available in Week 1.
“I’m still waiting from that standpoint of where things are at,” Moore said.
If Finau does get cleared, he’d be joining a position group that already looks deep. Kaden Beatty and Paul Hutson III are the likely starters at defensive tackle, with transfers Jirah Leaupepetele, Damarjhe Lewis and Balaam Miller all positioned for real minutes behind them. Add in edge rushers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk, and the front looks like one of WSU’s biggest strengths.
Finau, who spent his first three college seasons at FCS Cal Poly before transferring to Washington State for the 2025 season, posted 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles in all 13 games last year. He worked in a reserve role then, and that’s the kind of spot he could be fighting for again if he returns.
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For Washington State to have a real upset shot, the formula is familiar even if the setting is not. The Cougars need to get heat on the quarterback, take care of the ball and keep the Huskies from landing the kind of explosive plays that can turn a rivalry game lopsided in a hurry. Washington comes in with a proven quarterback and the more established side of the matchup, so the challenge for the Cougars is as much about surviving early nerves as it is about executing the plan long enough to make Sunday interesting. [Read more 🡒]