When Washington State's Jaylen Thomas made his break on the ball along the Cougars sideline, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson knew the mistake he just made. Thomas jumped the route for his second interception of the game and returned it for a touchdown with no time remaining in the first half. This lifeline from their safety put Wazzu on the board trailing 17-7, providing a much-needed momentum boost going into the break. 

Courtesy of a 54-minute weather delay at halftime, the Cougs had time to sit on that momentum. But Washington State did not build off the big play in the second half and continued to fall further behind in an eventual 34-7 loss to Kansas State on Saturday morning at the Bill Snyder Family Stadium. 

Washington State received the kick after the delay. A false start immediately pushed the sticks back. Wazzu went three-and-out and on the ensuing Kansas State offensive play, running back Rodney Fields Jr. ripped off a 75-yard touchdown. The stark contrast to open both drives was indicative of how both teams would respond following the delay. The Wildcats would not slow down and the Cougars had no answers to speak of.

The Washington State Cougars will have to earn their first win of the Kirby Moore era without their top receiver in Tony Freeman when they battle the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan this weekend.

Freeman suffered a knee injury during Washington State's Apple Cup loss to Washington last Sunday, leaving the Cougars without one of their most important players on offense and special teams.

Exiting in the opening quarter, Freeman’s absence was noticeable on special teams as much as offense. Washington State struggled with punt returns, including having a dropped punt. Safety Jaylen Thomas took over as the Cougars' punt returner after Freeman exited the game and likely will continue in that role in Week 2.

The Washington State Cougars stayed within striking distance for much of Sunday afternoon’s season opening Apple Cup before their defense eventually ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, as coach Kirby Moore’s squad left Husky Stadium with a 24-10 loss to No. 17 Washington.

While the final score does not tell the full story, Washington State's defense repeatedly kept the Cougars close, including making a crucial goal line stop at the end of the first half, and gave the offense several opportunities to capitalize and potentially steal a road upset.

However, missed opportunities, three turnovers, and obvious issues along the offensive line ultimately proved too much to overcome in Moore’s debut on the sidelines.

The Cougars finished with just 242 total yards and struggled to sustain drives, failing to convert a single third down. Washington State also missed two field goals, leaving points on the board against a Washington defense that could prove to be the toughest unit the Cougars face all season.

What stood out from the 14-point defeat in the latest Apple Cup?

Washington State will officially begin the Kirby Moore era on the road when the Cougars take on the Washington Huskies in the Apple Cup, presenting a substantial challenge for the new coach as he tries to get his squad off to a fast start.

Moore will become Washington State’s third head coach in as many years, taking over a roster that has undergone significant changes throughout the offseason as they head into the first season competing in the new-look Pac-12 conference. With plenty of new faces on both sides of the ball, the Cougars will open the new campaign as a heavy underdog against a ranked Huskies team while looking to avenge last season’s loss.

What stands out as the Cougs prepare for their annual - at least for now - rivalry matchup in Seattle?

Pinnick at the Wheel for Washington State Offense

Caden Pinnick will take over as Washington State’s starting quarterback as the Cougars open the season with with plenty of changes on offense.

Pinnick, a transfer from UC Davis, was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year and will be tasked with leading an offense that features a few noteworthy returners from last year’s squad, including a backfield with Kirby Vorhees, Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi all returning. The Cougars will also bring back their second and third-leading receivers from a year ago in Tony Freeman and tight end Trey Leckner. Leckner, however, will miss part of the season after suffering a foot injury.

With its future uncertain, the Apple Cup kicks off this Sunday as the season opener for both Washington and Washington State.

There’s a lot in that lede that would have sounded absurd a few years ago. Welcome to college football in 2026, a time in which traditions are maintained — as long as they come with maximum revenue streams.

When Washington State takes on the Washington Huskies next Sunday in the Apple Cup, the Cougars will have a new look on the defensive side of the ball.

After losing several players from last season’s defense to transfers and graduation, there will be plenty of new faces looking to make an impact. With Trent Bray coming over from Oregon State to take over as Washington State’s defensive coordinator, the Cougars are counting on several new players to help lead the defense.

Two of those players will line up on the edge, with transfers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk expected to play major roles at defensive end.

Both players have received positive reviews throughout fall camp and will be looking to make an immediate impact as Washington State begins a new era defensively.

After 45 minutes, Washington State head coach Chris Citowicki slowly got up from his red fold up chair. He shook his head and inched forward. Hanging his head, he grabbed a white erase board and conversed with his coaching staff.

Citowicki might have been going over formations or plays, but the message between the coaches at halftime stuck with his team and was the deciding factor in the Cougars 2-0 victory over UC Irvine Thursday night at Lower Soccer Field.

The score remained 0-0 through 82 minutes. Both teams had good looks but solid goalkeeping from both sides kept the score at nothing a piece. Citowicki liked the looks his team got, and honing in on a specific look finally broke the stalemate in the 83rd minute. 

“All our best chances are the crosses from these areas [sideline] because they were over shifting the backline. Now, we had numbers up in the middle of the box, so it was just like wait until we get another one of those and then execute,” Citowicki said. “We knew where the ball had to be and got people there and look at that, the ball goes in.” 

With plenty being said about who stayed and who left during the Washington State Cougars’ busy offseason, Emerald City Spectrum is highlighting players who followed Jimmy Rogers to Pullman and decided to stay with the program to play for Kirby Moore in the 2026 season.

When Rogers left South Dakota State to take over at Washington State, several former Jackrabbits followed him to the Palouse. After Rogers left Washington State for Iowa State following just one season, those players were faced with another decision about their futures.

Instead of entering the transfer portal again, many of those players chose to remain with the Cougars and become part of Moore’s first roster in Pullman.

Here are the former South Dakota State players who followed Rogers to Washington State and remain on the Cougs’ roster, along with another Rogers-era transfer who decided to stay heading into 2026:

Kirby Vorhees

Running back Kirby Vorhees followed Rogers from South Dakota State to Washington State and quickly became one of the Cougars’ most productive offensive players out of the backfield last season.

In his first season in Pullman, Vorhees finished the 2025 season with 576 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries. He also contributed in the passing game with 19 receptions for 125 yards, finishing with more than 700 total yards from scrimmage.

Washington State has its starting quarterback for the 2026 season.

The Cougars have named UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick the starter ahead of their season opener against the Washington Huskies. Pinnick entered fall camp as the favorite to win the job and ultimately beat out returning quarterbacks Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman.

For Washington State, the decision gives the Cougars some clarity at one of the most important positions on the roster heading into the start of the Kirby Moore era.

As a redshirt freshman at UC Davis, Pinnick completed 69.6% of his passes for 3,206 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Those numbers show the type of production Washington State is hoping to get from its new quarterback.