Cougars’ Offense Punch-less Once Again in 26-6 Loss to Bulldogs
Washington State’s offensive struggles reached a new low Saturday night. The Cougars opened Pac-12 play at home against Fresno State but were unable to generate any fireworks on offense in a 26-6 loss at Gesa Field.
Washington State fell to 1-4 on the season and 0-4 against FBS opponents. More concerning than the record, however, is the state of an offense that is currently ranked 125th in the country in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings.
The Cougars managed just 182 total yards, failed to score a touchdown, and converted only 3-of-14 third downs. Fresno State also recorded five sacks and held Washington State to just 30 rushing yards.
Questions remain about what the Cougars will do to move forward. As boos rained down several times at Gesa Field, there are plenty of questions about how the offense can turn around for the final seven games of the year.
1. Caden Pinnick had another difficult night at quarterback.
Continuing to go through significant growing pains at the FBS level, Pinnick finished 21-of-34 for 152 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He was also sacked five times and finished with negative rushing yards after taking 11 carries for minus-23 yards.
He struggled against pressure, kept having issues completing passes where he had to throw over 10 yards, and fell in love with the checkdown. Not respecting the passing game, Fresno State loaded the box and forced the Cougars into second and third-and-long situations all night long.
With five games through the season and most of the offense’s success coming against a bad FCS team in Duquesne, you have to wonder if a quarterback change is coming. At the same time, while Pinnick deserves blame, the problems go beyond the quarterback.
2. At this point, it is difficult to call Washington State's offensive problems a bad game or a slow start.
The Cougars scored 10 points against Washington, just seven points against Kansas State due to a pick-six, although they bounced back with 48 against Duquesne. They scored 24 against Arizona before being held scoreless in the fourth quarter, and now they managed only six points against Fresno State.
Washington State has three touchdowns this year against FBS competition. That’s far from ideal.
The Cougars haven’t been able to move the ball or protect the quarterback the whole year. They rank 129th in the country with 18 sacks allowed. The running game struggled on Saturday too, as Kirby Vorhees led Washington State with only 25 rushing yards, while Maxwell Woods finished with 15. Vorhees and Woods carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards.
Washington State also had a hard time protecting Pinnick. Fresno State’s five sacks were an issue, but Pinnick faced pressure several times and the Cougars struggled to block on running plays. The issues in the trenches have been as crucial to the lack of offensive firepower as anything.
3. Another decent defensive effort goes all for naught with the offense providing zero support.
The Cougars’ defense has done a solid job this year, and this was the third game of the season where the offense not being able to move the ball tired the unit out and couldn’t get stops in the final quarter as a result.
Washington State’s defense kept the Cougars in the game for much of the night and gave the offense multiple opportunities to create momentum. Fresno State led just 6-3 at halftime, but the offensive woes continued.
The Cougars forced a fourth-down fumble that set up a field goal, while Damarjhe Lewis later blocked a Fresno State field goal attempt to keep the deficit manageable. But the offense could not capitalize.
Fresno State eventually pulled away in the second half, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter before adding another touchdown and a field goal in the fourth.
The Bulldogs finished with 26 points, with 10 of those points coming off turnovers, and Washington State’s defense did a very good job of keeping the game close for much of the night. But those efforts were wasted once again.
4. Could a major change in the lineup - or coaching staff - be on the way?
Washington State is now 1-4 and 0-1 in conference play. There is still plenty of football left to play, but the Cougars cannot continue to operate with a punch-less offense and expect to win games in the Pac-12.
You have to wonder if a change at quarterback could be the answer. The Cougars give Julian Dugger or Owen Eshelman a chance. But something also has to be done with the offensive line as well. There was a change in the lineup after the Kansas State game, and it will be interesting to see if there will be any additional swaps coming up front for next week.
The first five games have provided enough evidence to say that something needs to change. Saturday night was another game where Washington State’s defense gave the team a chance, only for the offense to fail to take advantage of it.
Washington State will now travel to Logan to face Utah State on Friday night. After another ugly offensive performance, the pressure is only going to increase on Moore, his offensive staff and Pinnick to find a solution.
Update: Per the coach himself, Moore will now take over play-calling duties moving forward.
