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Washington State Cougars

Game Information

Week: 2

Date: Saturday, September 12

Location: Manhattan, Kansas – Bill Snyder Family Stadium

Time: 11 A.M. CST

TV: TNT

Head Coach – Kirby Moore

Seasons at School (as head coach): 0

Overall Coaching Record: 0-0

2025 Results

Overall Record: 7-6

Idaho: W – 13-10

San Diego State: W – 36-13

North Texas: L – 10-59

Washington: L – 24-59

Colorado State: W – 20-3

#4 Ole Miss: L – 21-24

#18 Virginia: L – 20-22

Toledo: W – 28-7

Oregon State: L – 7-10

Louisiana Tech: W – 28-3

James Madison: L – 20-24

Oregon State: W – 32-8

Bowl Game – Utah State: W – 34-21

2025 Stat Leaders

Offense

*Bold indicates player returning for 2026

Passing Yards: Zevi Eckhaus – 2094

Touchdown Passes: Zevi Eckhaus – 15

Rushing Yards: Kirby Vorhees – 576

Rushing Touchdowns: Zevi Eckhaus – 8

Receiving Yards: Josh Meredith – 723

Receiving Touchdowns: Josh Meredith, Tony Freeman, Trey Leckner – 3

Total Touchdowns: Zevi Eckhaus – 8

Defense

Tackles: Parker McKenna – 83

Sacks: Isaac Terrrell – 7

Tackles for Loss: Isaac Terrell – 12

Interceptions: Caleb Francl, Colby Humphry – 2

2026 Key Players

Offense

Quarterback: Caden Pinnick

Offensive line: Ashton Tripp (LT)

Running back: Kirby Vorhees

Wide Receiver / Tight End: Darrius Clemons (WR), Jack Pederson (TE)

Defense

Defensive Line: Linus Zunk (DE)

Linebacker: Nylan Brown

Secondary: Jalil Tucker (CB)

2026 Media Predictions

4th out of 8 Pac 12 Teams

My Thoughts

The Cougars were a surprisingly good football team last season under head coach Jimmy Rogers. They went 7-6, but as you can see above, they played a couple of CFP teams within 1 score and probably should have sniped at least one of those games. They were so good, in fact, that Rogers and the majority of the defense will be playing for Iowa State this season. The Wildcats will get to face the 2025 Cougar defense, but they’ll have to wait until the last game of the season when they head to Ames.

Rogers is out, and Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has taken control in Pullman. Offense should be the strength of the Cougars, at least early in the season. While Coach Rogers absconded with most of the defense, the offensive line and running back position remained intact. It’s possible they’ll start 5 returning offensive linemen from 2025. I was unaware that was still legal. In addition to the veteran offensive line, starting running back Kirby Vorhees is back for another season after leading the team in rushing last season. Moore is known for his passing attack, but my bet is he attempts to lean on his experienced offensive line and running back early. Then again, UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick could end up being one of the more dynamic players in the country. The FCS Freshman All-American, Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and Jerry Rice Award finalist threw for 3206 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 437 yards and 3 touchdowns.

To me, he plays like Great Value Johnny Manziel. That’s not an insult; sophomore Manziel put up one of the best seasons in the history of college football. Pinnick isn’t very big; he’s listed at dubious 6’0”, 195, but what he lacks in height he makes up for with his playmaking outside the pocket and willingness to put the ball into tight windows. He’ll need to keep the turnovers in check, because on occasion, his confidence writes a check his physical ability can’t cash, but he’ll be an interesting test for the Wildcat defense. They need to keep him in the pocket and get him on the ground when a sack is available. The worst thing you can do with Pinnick is let him freelance because that’s when the game slows down for him. The defense will need to stay disciplined; the rebuilt back end of the K-State defense will need to be on their toes if he does manage to wiggle out of a sack and get on the edge. He won’t hesitate to throw it over the head of a nosey safety.

The receiving group has a couple of former high-caliber recruits looking to bounce back after disappointing starts to their career. Former 4* Florida recruit Tank Hawkins will be a tough cover in the slot, and former 4* Michigan recruit (by way of Oregon State last season) Darrius Clemons gives them a big, athletic target on the perimeter at 6’3”, 205. Coach Moore is counting on a couple of guys who have yet to get it done to get it done this season, but such is the nature of the beast when you’re coaching at Washington State. This offense could be an issue if one of the transfer wideouts play up to their high school billing.

The defense, on the other hand, is a complete gut job. The biggest blow was Rodgers taking dynamic defensive end Isaac Terrell with him to Ames. You’ll see him at the end of the year, but Washington State did land a solid replacement in 4th-year Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk, who had 3.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks, but his production for Vandy pales in comparison to Terrell’s gaudy 2025 numbers.

While Terrell was the biggest loss, he wasn’t the only defection from Pullman to Ames. Joining Terrell are corner Tyrone Cotton, edge rusher Jack Janikowski, defensive tackle Malaki Ta’ase, defensive tackle Bryson Lamb, safety Bordy Miller, punter Adlai Lounsbury, wide receiver Carter Pabst, linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen, defensive tackle Max Baloun, safety Duhron Gooman, offensive guard Trevor Bindel, defensive tackle Donovan Fitzmaurice, safety Damarious Russell, and corner Trillion Sorrell. It appears Coach Rogers used Washington State’s money in 2025 to recruit Iowa State’s 2026 defense, but such is life in the wild west of college football for teams outside of the P4.

I’ll get into more specifics on game week, but this is a tricky game for the Wildcats. It’s a game they will be favored to win, but the Cougars offense could be problematic. We’ve seen Avery and the offense sputter at the beginning of the season, and this game may require 21+ points to win. The K-State offense needs to dominate this game and make Washington State chase all game. If that happens, Pinnick will eventually throw the ball to the wrong team trying to make a play. He’s competitive, but perhaps competitive to a fault. At the same time, he’s not a player you want to let get in a groove early, because he’s also capable of throwing for 400 yards.

The only way I see Washington State winning this game is if they can somehow drag K-State into a shootout, and I don’t think this coaching staff will cooperate.

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