WSU finally found its offense - but one problem isn't going away

The Cougars erupted for 48 points against Duquesne, but Saturday's win also exposed a lingering problem on special teams

Washington State Cougars quarterback Caden Pinnick (12) is hit out of bounds by Duquesne Dukes defensive back Caleb Jones (21) during the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Is a 48-7 victory over FCS opponent Duquesne enough to spark optimism and hope in Washington State University football for die-hard fans?

Depends on what part of the game you paid attention to.

The Cougars shook off a mistake-filled start to explode for three third-quarter touchdowns in the 48-7 home-opening win Saturday at Gesa Field in Martin Stadium.

It was Kirby Moore’s first victory as a head coach at any level.

Quarterback Caden Pinnick threw for two touchdowns, ran for another. Running back Kirby Vorhees rushed for a pair of touchdowns, including a 58-yarder on the final play of the third quarter.

Jaylen Thomas and Tank Hawkins Jr. added punt returns for touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Here are three instant takeaways from WSU’s win over the Dukes in Pullman:

1. WSU's offense came alive after halftime

Coming out of halftime, WSU immediately went up-tempo on offense, and that immediately put the Duquesne defense on its heels.

On its opening drive, the Cougars covered 75 yards on six plays. Pinnick got loose on a 26-yards run down the left sideline, then tossed his first career WSU touchdown pass on an 11-yard completion to tight end Jack Pedersen to take a 21-7 lead.

WSU’s next scoring drive took 10 plays to march 88 yards for a touchdown. This time, Pinnick heavily involved his receiving corps, connecting with Daniel Blood (19 yards) and Branden Ganashamoorthy (23 yards) - and finishing it off to Ganashamoorthy in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard score.

And on WSU’s final series of the quarter, Vorhees went wide off left tackle and raced untouched down the sideline on the 58-yards touchdown run as time expired, and the Cougars’ lead ballooned to 35-7.

Also, the Cougars’ defense allowed just 27 yards in the quarter.

2. The run game finally broke loose

Maxwell Woods (game-high 116 rushing yards), who also had a pair of long runs in the game, Vorhees (109) and Pinnick (76) all spearheaded a rushing attack that allowed WSU’s offense to proceed in attack mode.

After a sputtering start to the game - the Cougars lost 11 yards on a high snap on their first play from scrimmage, followed by a Pinnick interception - WSU went to a little trickery to snap out of its slumbering state. 

At the 8:28 mark of the first quarter, Woods was brought in to line up in shotgun while Pinnick split to the left side in the slot.

Woods took the “Wildcat” handoff and dashed 45 yards, setting up Vorhees’ 8-yard touchdown run to give WSU a 7-0 lead.

Pinnick later added his second rushing touchdown of the season on a 19-yard run with 4 1/2 minutes to go in the first half.

Given the fact that the Cougars finished with 100 rushing yards at Washington and 99 yards at Kansas State, the run-game breakout of 316 yards was a welcome sight for the WSU coaching staff.

3. WSU still has a kicking problem

If the first two games weren’t concerning enough about the struggles of kicker Jack Stevens (1-for-4 field goals), the game Saturday might be a tipping point.

WSU attempted a field goal on the second play of the second quarter. The snap and hold looked acceptable; Stevens moved in and clanked a 30-yard attempt off the right upright, leaving the game tied 7-7.

In the fourth quarter, Stevens missed his first PAT kick of the season as well.

As Moore said heading into the game, everything on this team is up for evaluation - and Stevens’ status in the kicking game could be at the top of the list next week.