No. 21 Boise State to face rejuvenated Washington State offense

Cougars benched Caden Pinnick for Owen Eshelman last week

Washington State quarterback Owen Eshelman | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

The numbers don’t tell the full story for No. 21 Boise State’s upcoming road trip to Washington State. 

The Cougars rank seventh among Pac-12 teams in most offensive categories, but head coach Kirby Moore benched struggling quarterback Caden Pinnick for redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman ahead of last week’s game against Oregon State. Eshelman shined in his starting debut as the Cougars fell on the road, 48-30. 

The Broncos will face Eshelman and company at 4 p.m. Mountain time in Pullman on Saturday.

Here is a complete look at Boise State (5-1, 2-0) and Washington State (1-6, 0-3) by the numbers. 

Scoring offense

Boise State 35 (37th nationally, fourth Pac-12)

Washington State 20.1 (120th, seventh)

Rushing offense

Boise State 234.5 (ninth, second)

Washington State 130 (110th, seventh)

Passing offense

Boise State 216 (85th, fourth)

Washington State 177.6 (119th, seventh)

Total offense

Boise State 450.5 (25th, third)

Washington State 307.6 (131st, seventh)

Third down conversion percentage

Boise State 50.6 percent (16th, second) 

Washington State 29.5 percent (134th, seventh)

Red zone offense scoring percentage 

Boise State 87 percent (56th, second)

Washington State 81.3 percent (99th, fifth)

Scoring defense

Boise State 22.3 (59th, second) 

Washington State 27.1 (101st, fifth)

Rushing defense

Boise State 106.8 (29th, first)

Washington State 159.6 (95th, fifth)

Passing defense 

Boise State 261.3 (126th, sixth)

Washington State 224.3 (92nd, fourth)

Total defense

Boise State 368.2 (86th, third)

Washington State 383.9 (103rd, fourth)

Sacks per game

Boise State 2.33 (43rd, second)

Washington State 1.14 (126th, seventh)

Tackles for loss per game

Boise State 6.2 (37th, first)

Washington State 4.7 (90th, fifth)

Third down conversion defense

Boise State 27.4 percent (sixth, first)

Washington State 37 percent (64th, third)

Red zone defense

Boise State 76.5 percent (29th, third)

Washington State 85.7 percent (80th, sixth)

Net punting

Boise State 42.5 (19th, first)

Washington State 38.7 (89th, sixth)

Punt return average

Boise State 11.8 (41st, fourth)

Washington State 14.1 (28th, third) 

Kickoff return average

Boise State 13.8 (129th, seventh)

Washington State 13.5 (130th, eighth)

Turnover margin

Boise State +0.5 (34th, fourth)

Washington State -1 (129th, seventh)

Leading passers

Maddux Madsen, Boise State: 110 of 166 (66 percent), 1,296 yards, 13 touchdowns, no interceptions

Caden Pinnick, Washington State: 110 of 178 (62 percent), 952 yards, three touchdowns, five interceptions

Owen Eshelman, Washington State: 32 of 49 (65 percent), 289 yards, two touchdowns, one interception

Leading rushers

Dylan Riley, Boise State: 127 carries, 835 yards, six touchdowns

Sire Gaines, Boise State: 65 carries, 354 yards, three touchdowns

Kirby Vorhees, Washington State: 54 carries, 267 yards, two touchdowns

Leading receivers

Rasean Jones, Boise State: 23 receptions, 359 yards, one touchdown

Matt Wagner, Boise State: 22 receptions, 242 yards, four touchdowns

Akeem Wright, Boise State: 11 receptions, 181 yards, one touchdown

Branden Ganashamoorthy, Washington State: 26 receptions, 343 yards, three touchdowns

Daniel Blood, Washington State: 26 catches, 266 yards, one touchdown

Leading defenders

Travis Anderson, Boise State: 26 total tackles, three interceptions, one pass breakup

Boen Phelps, Boise State: 35 total tackles, one sack, one pass breakup

Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State: 13 total tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup

Keith Brown, Washington State: 51 total tackles, one sack, one pass breakup

Jaylen Thomas, Washington State: 30 total tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup