TUESDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: Why Coug fans should be encouraged by Washington State's Apple Cup showing

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Sep. 8—Yes, Washington State lost another Apple Cup, falling 24-10 to No. 17 Washington Sunday in Seattle.

And yes, you, as a WSU fan, can justifiably be disappointed — the mere fact that it was a one-score game until the final three minutes makes the Cougars' 78th all-time loss to the Huskies that much tougher to swallow.

But in the new age of college athletics, where Washington's success in this rivalry is all but a requirement for an even halfway decent Husky season and a WSU victory would likely break the internet, it's also OK to be optimistic about what the inaugural year of coach Kirby Moore's tenure could be.

Because after all, it was a one-score game with three minutes left. The Cougs were "right there," as Moore put it himself.

"Our players' confidence shouldn't waver from this game, all right," Moore said. "We were right there, and offense had the opportunity to make a play. Defense had an opportunity there at the end. Special teams had an opportunity. Our confidence shouldn't waver. I'm excited about next week."

Next week presents the intriguing challenge of Kansas State (1-0), fresh off a 71-3 win over FCS Nicholls (La.).

As the Cougs roll into a short week of preparation ahead of the 9 a.m. Pacific time Saturday kickoff in Manhattan, Kan., there's a lot to appreciate about Moore, his staff and the Cougars.

For one, Moore, the son of a WIAA Hall of Fame high school football coach and the brother of New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore, partook in his first game under the headset Sunday in front of an announced crowd of 71,056.

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While his debut was far from a smashing success, it was also far from an abject failure.

Moore's sideline demeanor, for one, drew praise from his players.

"He's definitely always locked in," said senior wide receiver Daniel Blood, who played in Moore's Missouri offense the last three years. "He's kind of like the calm guy, of course, he can get intense as well, but he's more of the calm guy, keeps everybody level, keeps everybody's head on straight as well."

Pinnick, who made his fair share of mistakes, including a pair of interceptions, said that he appreciated Moore's in-game approach.

"He'll come up occasionally and be like, 'Hey, like, thought you did well here, keep the drive going,'" Pinnick said. "Just kind of positive affirmations here and there."

The loss is certainly not excused by the fact that Moore is a nice guy. Rather, the more trust Moore fosters along his sideline, the better the Cougs could be.

While the Huskies committed a slew of mistakes, including 12 penalties which cost them 130 yards, the success that WSU did find, including a pair of fourth-down stops — best of all, senior linebacker Keith Brown's goal-line tackle as time expired in the first half — set the standard for what the Cougs are capable of.

Much of the credit for the defense's success belongs to defensive coordinator Trent Bray. The Cougar D came to play and while the Huskies' superior roster prevailed in the fourth quarter and UW logged 402 yards of total offense, the fact that UW had just 10 points to show for it through three quarters is nothing to scoff at — especially when UW's lone touchdown to that point came on a short field after the first of two interceptions.

Bray, who spent the last two seasons as head coach for his alma mater, Oregon State, before his midseason firing last October, seems to thrive as a coordinator.

Unlike a slew of his colleagues around college football, Bray opted to spend game day on the sideline — having direct communication with his personnel.

"He's got a lot of energy on the sideline; he's able to give us tips of what he sees out there and what we need to fix," junior defensive tackle Jirah Leaupepetele said of Bray. "It's really great having him out there."

Equipped with a bird's-eye view, WSU's first-year offensive coordinator Matt Miller's unit did not have much success, being shut out through three quarters and turning the ball over three times.

That's not all on Miller, by any means. How his unit responds largely is.

And WSU's in-game response was solid.

Pinnick brushed off earlier mistakes to lead back-to-back scoring drives that each put WSU within a score of the host Huskies.

However, what Pinnick largely lacked was an ability to find such rhythm and make those plays for most of the game. His two interceptions came on passes that appeared to be off-target.

Football is a team sport, of course. And it was clear that there was only so much that WSU's offensive line could do against the Huskies' defensive front.

Pinnick wore three sacks for a total loss of 15 yards. The second sack featured UW's Jacob Manu sprinting completely unblocked on third-and-10 from the WSU 43. The Cougars were 0-for-11 on third down.

UW is likely the most ferocious defense that the Cougs will face all season, but it doesn't necessarily get much easier for WSU Saturday at K-State.

But the Cougs may enter the contest just a little bit wiser than they were last week.

"I think it opens our eyes to how much we left on the table and for the score being that it was at the half, it's actually really encouraging knowing that 'Hey, we miss one touchdown, a couple conversions, a couple field goals, and you know that's a 13-point game,'" Pinnick said. "I'm not gonna bounce down and say a lot of negative things, but it's encouraging for us knowing that for the things that we miss, we can be right in the game."

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

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