Analysis: Assessing Cougars QB Caden Pinnick’s Play at Quarter Mark

Washington State Cougars quarterback Caden Pinnick (12) rolls out against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Washington State Cougars entered the 2026 season with a new coaching staff, a new-look roster, and a new starting quarterback, awarding Caden Pinnick the job after an intense competition that played out in summer camp.

Through four games, Pinnick has shown some glimpses of why he was named Co-Big Sky Freshman of the Year at UC Davis prior to transferring to Pullman, but it has come with some major growing pains facing off against Power Four opponents.

Pinnick has experienced plenty of ups and downs through the opening month of the season. He has made some impressive plays, showing the ability to make things happen with his legs and demonstrating the ability to be accurate in the short passing game. At the same time, turnovers, inconsistency, and struggles throwing the deep ball have limited the offense quite a bit in the early stages of the 2026 season.

Through four games, Pinnick has completed 66 of 108 passes for 644 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 845 total yards and six total touchdowns as a capable dual-threat quarterback running Kirby Moore’s offense.

How has Pinnick fared thus far? Where has he shown the most improvement and what areas remain concerning heading into Pac-12 play?

1. Pinnick's first two games came against Washington and Kansas State, giving him two challenging road games to begin his FBS career.

Against Washington in the rare season-opening Apple Cup, Pinnick completed 16 of 25 passes for 142 yards and two interceptions. Finding success on a few designed runs, he also rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, with his legs providing most of the positives on an afternoon where the Huskies seemed to have the inexperienced quarterback knotted up like a pretzel.

Even though the numbers weren’t great, there were some positives to take away from the defeat, however.

One of the biggest strengths for Pinnick coming to Pullman was his ability to make plays outside of the pocket, and that improvisational talent showed up a few times in Seattle. Washington State's offensive line struggled to consistently protect him, and Pinnick was often forced to move around and create plays with his legs, turning those opportunities into several extended plays that finished with either a completed pass or a quality scramble for rushing yardage.

The following week against Kansas State, however, Pinnick struggled to find any rhythm and the offense put together a pretty poor performance for four quarters in Manhattan. He completed just nine of 20 passes for a paltry 65 yards in the 34-7 loss. He was also pressured frequently as the Cougars struggled to protect him, giving up four sacks, lacking the positive plays where he managed to escape that pressure in the opener.

2. The home opener against Duquesne provided Pinnick with an opportunity to settle into a rhythm against an FCS foe.

Taking advantage of playing against a far inferior winless opponent, Pinnick completed 17 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns while adding 76 rushing yards and another touchdown. His 277 total yards accounted for three touchdowns in Washington State's 48-7 victory over Duquesne.

The Cougars’ running game produced 316 yards, as Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees ran over 100 yards to go with Pinnick’s excellent performance on the ground, setting the tone early against the undermanned, outmatched Dukes. The offensive line finally got rolling a bit creating push up front and the skill players took full advantage.

Away from his rushing, Pinnick made good decisions from the pocket as a passer and protected the football, opening things up a bit for the rest of the offense as Wazzu earned the first win of the Moore era behind the quarterback’s best game yet.

3. Despite losing to Arizona, last week may have been the best example yet of the quarterback Washington State has in Pinnick.

Coming up short in a 34-24 loss, Pinnick finished the game completing 24 of 41 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown, giving him 276 total yards and two touchdowns in a respectable outing.

There were stretches where Pinnick looked great. He was especially effective on short and intermediate throws. According to The Spokesman-Review, Pinnick completed 18 of 21 passes thrown between zero and nine yards against Arizona. He was able to get the ball out quickly and helped establish a rhythm for the offense out of the gate, looking the most comfortable he has in four games in Moore’s system.

But the decision making against Arizona wasn't great for Pinnick, especially on his ugly interception, and he struggled to connect on passes more than 10 yards downfield, extending a troubling downfield trend for the young signal caller to this point. That remains the biggest question mark for him as a long-term starting option for the Cougars and he has much yet to prove in that regard.

4. Experience against mostly Power Four opponents should set Pinnick up for success moving forward.

Outside of Boise State, the Cougars won't play against anyone at the caliber of the Power Four opponents the rest of the year. It has been quite the adjustment for Pinnick going from playing in the Big Sky to facing Power Four conference teams, and he’s certainly had his share of mistakes and missed opportunities in the first quarter of the season.

Four games into his first season at Washington State, however, Pinnick has already shown several traits that make him an intriguing quarterback for the Cougars with plenty of upside going into conference play. With the exception of Boise State, which currently ranks in the top 25, the average competition in the new-look Pac-12 falls somewhere between Duquesne and the likes of Washington, Kansas State, and Arizona, leaving the remaining schedule with plenty of possible victories.

Depending on how Pinnick and the rest of the offense improves, Washington State will have a chance to be a viable contender in a conference lacking a surefire College Football Playoff contender. The progress of the sophomore quarterback will ultimately be the difference between whether the first year of the Moore era ends with a bowl game or not.