Washington State’s Offense Shows Signs of Life, But Oregon State Proves Too Dynamic in 48-30 Loss
For the first time against FBS competition all season, the Cougars delivered some fireworks on offense with a new quarterback at the helm. While it wasn't enough to win in Corvallis, there's finally some building blocks to work off of.
Washington State showed much-needed signs of improvement on offense Saturday with a new quarterback under center, but it was not enough to overcome Oregon State as the Cougars fell 48-30 to the Beavers in Corvallis.
The Cougars dropped to 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in Pac-12 play after allowing 555 yards of total offense to the Beavers, who continue to eviscerate everyone in their path with one of the best passing attacks in college football. However, there were some positives to take away from the loss, especially with redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman making his first career start at quarterback.
Eshelman gave Washington State a different look offensively and helped the Cougars put together their most productive performance against an FBS team this season. The offense finished with 459 total yards, including 291 passing yards and 168 rushing yards.
We had a much better better rhythm," Cougars coach Kirby Moore said post-game. "I thought the first couple drives we had some chances there to execute and then find completions, right? Obviously extending plays. Thought there was some tempo elements to the offense and we got to keep building on that."
The defense struggled to slow down Oregon State, but the Beavers have been moving the ball against just about everyone this season. Washington State had difficulty keeping up with the high-powered offense early in the game, when Oregon State built a 27-3 lead that ultimately put the contest out of reach.
There are still plenty of problems for the Cougars to address, but Saturday provided some reasons for optimism heading into the final stretch of the season.
Owen Eshelman Gives Washington State Offense a Spark
Washington State made the move to Eshelman after struggling offensively through the first six games of the season with Caden Pinnick at the controls. The change gave the Cougars a different look and showed what the offense could look like with a quarterback who can make plays throwing and running.
Eshelman finished the game completing 32 of 49 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, finishing with 425 total yards of offense.
