PULLMAN - Washington State’s best path to its first FBS win of the season starts on offense, and it starts with making life easier on Owen Eshelman.
After a home loss to Boise State left plenty of questions hanging over the Cougars, offensive coordinator Kirby Moore pointed back to Eshelman’s performance in that one. In his second start at quarterback, the freshman threw a costly interception, but he also led one scoring drive and handled the rest without another mistake.
“I thought Owen battled his tail off,” Moore said.
That matters this week because WSU heads to San Diego State on Saturday afternoon facing a defense that has been begging to be attacked. The Aztecs rank three spots from the bottom in the country in total defense and five spots from the bottom in scoring defense, surrendering about 36 points and 462 yards per game.
The Cougars, now 1-7 and 0-4, are trying to snap a five-game losing streak. If they are going to do it on the road, the offense has to get rolling in a way it simply hasn’t for much of the season.
A big part of that comes down to protection and turnover avoidance. Another piece is whether WSU can finally unlock a rushing game that has been stuck in neutral. The third is what the Cougars get from their thin receiver rotation, which has become more of a fixed three-man setup than a true rotation.
With Darrius Clemons listed as questionable after leaving early against Utah State earlier this month, Branden Ganashamoorthy, Daniel Blood and Tank Hawkins have carried the load. West Georgia transfer Jordan Dees and walk-on Caleb Northcroft have not been folded into the mix the way some might have expected.
Moore has leaned hard on his starters, especially Ganashamoorthy, who has played 503 snaps, third-most in the nation among receivers. Blood has logged 448, which ranks No.
- WSU is one of only four teams with two receivers inside the top 25 in snaps, a sign of how little trust the staff appears to have beyond those three.
“We talk about deliberate practice,” Moore said, explaining the usage of only three wideouts. “That really starts with bringing great energy, having verbal combat, doing your assignment, making sure you’re not thinking out there, that you’re just reacting.
I think we’ve had too many errors from a practice standpoint with guys (not) knowing their assignments, whether it’s motions, details within the position. We’ve got a lot of trust in the guys who are out there on the field.
If other guys improve and they’re to the standard, they’ll be out there.”
The offensive line has its own work to do. Ashton Tripp, Jonny Lester, Noah Dunham, Nick Bakken and Jaylin Caldwell have not only been allowing sacks, but also failing to create much room in the run game. That has made life miserable for Kirby Vorhees, Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi.
Against FBS opponents, that trio is averaging just 15 carries for 48 yards per game. Pulalasi did break loose for a 52-yard touchdown against Utah State, but big plays like that have been the exception rather than the rule.
This week’s matchup at least gives WSU reason to think there could be openings. San Diego State comes in with the No. 109 rush defense in the country, giving up 178 yards per game on the ground. The Aztecs are also allowing opponents to convert 47% of third downs, which ranks No. 129 nationally.
That lines up with one of WSU’s biggest problems. The Cougars are converting only 30% of their third downs, six spots from the bottom in the nation.
They have tried to run up the middle. They have tried to throw.
Neither approach has produced consistent answers, with the offensive line often getting overwhelmed in passing situations and the run game finding no real lanes.
San Diego State’s defense has been vulnerable in plenty of other places too. It gave up 50 points in a 56-49 loss to Colorado State last week, and the Aztecs have also allowed 66 to Oregon State, 41 to Toledo and 29 to Texas State, though that last one was a win. Under third-year coach Sean Lewis, SDSU has lost two of its last three.
The Cougars also will have to deal with the Aztecs’ offense, which is expected to start redshirt freshman quarterback Stone Saunders in place of Jayden Denegal, who ranks among the country’s worst quarterbacks in EPA per dropback. Saunders went 23 of 33 for 369 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions last week against Colorado State, including a pick-six just before halftime.
Special teams could matter, too, and San Diego State has a dangerous weapon there. Redshirt freshman receiver Jaylon Hawkins leads the nation with three kickoff return touchdowns, tying the school’s single-season record. He has taken kicks back against FCS Portland State, Texas State and Oregon State.
Washington State has some numbers working in its favor in that phase. The Cougars rank No. 16 nationally in kickoff return coverage, allowing only about 16 yards per return.
If WSU can hold up there, clean up the mistakes and generate something on offense, it may finally put its quarterback in position to do more than just survive the afternoon.
In Other News...
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This time, wide receiver Tank Hawkins handled the modeling duties, continuing a pattern of letting different players front the uniform reveals while a few familiar faces have shown up again from last years batch. For a team still building its weekly identity on the road, the look is part style and part routine, another small detail that helps set the tone before kickoff even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
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Washington State Faces A Brutal Road Test With One Clear Edge
Washington State heads into its ninth straight game of the season with a chance to lean on one area where the matchup appears friendliest: the passing game. San Diego State has had to rebuild its secondary because of injuries and departures, which creates at least some opportunity for the Cougars to test the back end and look for shots downfield on a road trip that otherwise has plenty of landmines.
The challenge is that San Diego State still brings real stress points on offense, starting with a pair of productive running backs in Javion Kinnard and Lucky Sutton. Redshirt freshman Jaylon Hawkins adds another layer as both a return threat and a receiving option, so Washington State cannot afford to get too comfortable even if the aerial matchup tilts in its favor. [Read more 🡒]