What WSU's loss to No. 17 Washington means for the 2026 season

WSU's defense showed plenty of promise, while the offense has plenty to improve after Sunday's Apple Cup loss

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies running back Jayden Limar (17) leaps into the end zone for a touchdown as Washington State Cougars cornerback Khamari Terrell (13) defends during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SEATTLE — With so many new faces - and so few returning starters - quarterback Caden Pinnick spoke about Washington State University's 24-10 loss to 17th-ranked Washington in the same tone as if he sweated out his first college exam.

As he noted, "There were a lot of 'first times' for us" in the season opener Sunday.

How did it all look?

At times, very intriguing.

Yes, the host Huskies finished with 402 total yards. But 40 percent of that yardage came in the final 10 minutes, buoyed by Demond Williams Jr.'s 44-yard pass to Rashid Williams, a 37-yard pass to Chris Lawson and his backbreaking 21-yard escape-job scramble on third-and-9 that led to Washington's decisive touchdown.

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Rashid Williams (3) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Washington State Cougars during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the most part, WSU's defense presented itself as a promising bunch - and easily the team's most reliable unit after one game.

Linebacker Keith Brown was certainly the tone-setter with a team-high six tackles, including the fourth-and-goal stop of Huskies' tailback Jayden Limar from the 1-yard line when he bear-hugged the running back and stopped all momentum to end the first half.

Jirah Leaupepetele and Paul Hutson III are space eaters on the interior of the defensive line.

Williams led the Huskies with 61 rushing yards, but the Huskies' tailback trio of Limar, Quaid Carr and Trey Cooley combined for 76 yards on 21 carries.

"Stopping the run," said Brown, not hesitating on what he felt the WSU defense did best Sunday against a high-powered UW offense. "I don't know how much yardage they had, but it wasn't very many. Stopping the run is a big thing."

WSU's red-zone and third- and fourth-down defense was also fantastic. Besides the Cougars stopping Williams and company twice inside their 5-yard line and allowing no points, they held Washington to 4-for-14 on third- and fourth-down conversions.

"Yeah, they were aggressive and challenged Washington offensively," WSU first-year coach Kirby Moore said.

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State head coach Kirby Moore on the field following a game against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pinnick and the offense showed flashes, but were far from being as consistent as the defense.

Before a fourth-quarter interception, Pinnick made his best throws in the second half - especially the 13-yard strike he delivered with pace between two UW defenders that connected with wide receiver Daniel Blood to the Huskies' 11.

And on the next play, Pinnick faked a pitch outside and squirted through an inside crease for an 11-yard touchdown run to cut Washington's lead to 10-7 with 10:15 remaining.

Moore said a top priority is helping the offense - especially Pinnick - find an earlier rhythm.

“Overall, we’ve got to execute better earlier in the game," Moore said. "The defense did a great job responding there in the first half, but there was definitely some opportunities we want to maximize better (on offense).”

One injury of note: Moore didn't sound optimistic about standout wide receiver Tony Freeman's knee injury, suffered late in the first quarter. He had a big bag of ice on it on the sideline minutes later. Moore said he will have an update later this week.