COUGAR NOTES: Washington State welcomes program standout back to town

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Sep. 25—Saturday's nonconference college football encounter between the Washington State Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats could be considered a "big game."

For one, the 4:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS puts WSU's revamped home atmosphere — complete with new turf, video board, sound system and LED lights capable of washing the field in a deep crimson — directly in the national spotlight.

And for another, Max Borghi will be there.

The former WSU standout running back, whose Cougar career included the final two seasons of the late coach Mike Leach era and the topsy-turvy pair of pandemic-disrupted campaigns, will be back in Pullman for Saturday's game.

"Finally finding my way back home!! Let's pack the stands and beat the brakes off of Arizona. GO COUGS!!! @WSUCougarFB," Borghi wrote earlier this week on his X account.

After WSU, Borghi bounced around several NFL training camps in 2022 before signing with the XFL's Houston Roughnecks for the 2023 season. According to his LinkedIn page, he is now an account executive at the Texas-based SRS Distribution INC, which sells building products.

During his playing career, he was a bit of a wrecking ball.

Borghi was 2-0 against the Wildcats, who have lost five of their last seven meetings with Wazzu.

WSU's magical 11-win 2018 season included a 69-28 takedown of Arizona on Nov. 17 of that year. A freshman Borghi rushed for a modest 50 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.

Through thick fog in the final home game of his Cougar career, Borghi ensured it was something to remember, gaining 139 total yards on 16 carries and scoring a pair of touchdowns during WSU's 44-18 win over Arizona on Nov. 19, 2021.

Borghi thrived in an Air Raid system, but it's fair to wonder what he might have done on first-year coach Kirby Moore's team this season. Moore directed the No. 8 rushing attack in the nation last year at Missouri, in which the Tigers gained 228.3 yards per game.

After sputtering out of the gates against Washington and Kansas State, the Cougars racked up more than 300 rushing yards to beat Duquesne (Pa.) of the Football Championship Subdivision 48-7 last Saturday.

The Cougars' top-two running backs, Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods, each gained more than 100 rushing yards and Vorhees cashed in with a pair of touchdowns in the win.

Could the Cougars achieve something much closer to what they did against an FCS team than what they showcased in their first two Power Four games, across the board, but especially on the ground?

If they can, no one in the house Saturday may appreciate it more than Borghi.

O-line continuity

WSU made a change along its offensive line going into its third game. Senior Jonny Lester, who started the year at right tackle, slid over to left guard in place of junior Kyle Martin, while senior Jaylin Caldwell took over starting duties at right tackle.

Lester has played left guard before, last year next to left tackle Ashton Tripp.

"Any way you shake around the O-line, we all play well together," Tripp said. "So any man in, it's going to work out."

Moore said that the Cougs plan to keep the same starting five, with junior Noah Dunham at center and Nick Bakken at right guard.

Several of Woods' and Vorhees' big runs included wide-open holes up the left side, forged by Dunham, Tripp and Lester.

"We're still going to need Jaylin (Caldwell). We're going to need Kyle (Martin)," Moore said. "We're going to need all six of those guys to keep each other fresh throughout the season.

Confidence in kicker

Kicker Jack Stevens is 1-for-5 on field goals to start the year; however, Moore said that Stevens will be WSU's primary placekicker on Saturday against Arizona.

Moore has detailed before how he has evaluated Stevens' misses as a whole-operation issue, citing poor protection and tipped balls on some kicks and high snaps in other instances in addition to Stevens' own errors.

The work that Stevens put in during practice seems to have retained his coaches' confidence.

"Jack's had a really good week operationally," Moore said. "Yesterday we had a two-minute situation (and) I believe he made a kick from 45, 50 yards. So really it's about the work and he's doing a really good job throughout this week."

Injury updates

Moore said on Thursday that defensive ends Michael Hughes and Malachi Wrice will be out with their respective injuries on Saturday and that cornerback Jalil Tucker is "a game-time decision."

Junior tight end Trey Leckner has been out since fall camp with an injury of his own but is considered "game-to-game," Moore said.

"He's been moving around quite a bit in practice," Moore said.

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

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