ANALYSIS: Diagnosing the Cougars' slow offensive start

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Sep. 18—Sunday was an off day for the Cougar football team.

Even so, all 105 Washington State players were in the Cougar Football Complex that day, first-year coach Kirby Moore said, watching film, meeting with coaches and trying to right the ship.

The Cougars are docking in their home harbor for the first time this season, hosting Duquesne of the Football Championship Subdivision at 12:30 p.m. Saturday (USA) at Gesa Field.

The Moore era is off to a not entirely surprising 0-2 start after a pair of losses to Washington and Kansas State. That part is not shocking. The Cougs were double-digit underdogs in both road Power Four matchups.

What has caught even the most forgiving of Cougar football fans off guard is WSU's off-the-grid offense.

Through two games against, again, highly talented opponents, the Cougars are dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in points per game (8.5) and total offense (408 yards).

That points-per-game number is inflated by the heroics of sophomore safety Jaylen Thomas, whose interception returned 50 yards for a touchdown just before halftime Saturday at Kansas State accounted for WSU's lone score from scrimmage in a 34-7 loss.

At the root of this inefficiency is the fact that WSU has converted just 2-of-21 third downs through two games.

As Moore put it, that's not good enough.

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"At the end of the day, we've got to score more points," Moore said. "That's how you win games and make the most of our possessions."

The man whose job description could be simplified to "help WSU score more points" is offensive coordinator Matt Miller.

As co-OC last season for his and Moore's alma mater, Boise State, the Broncos were 46th in the nation in points per game (29.9) and 24th in yards per game (424).

Now, with the keys in his hands, Miller's playcalling has earned the criticism of being "predictable."

Two sequences stick out when evaluating Miller's gusto as a play-caller. Early in the second quarter of the Apple Cup, WSU faced third-and-5 from its own 44 and handed the ball to junior running back Kirby Vorhees right after he had gained just 1 yard on second down.

The shotgun snap and handoff on back-to-back plays yielded similar results and the Cougs punted on fourth-and-4 at midfield.

Moore said that the Cougs relied on analytics and treated that sequence as "four-down territory," provided that Vorhees gained more yards on third down. When that didn't happen, it killed an otherwise promising drive. WSU was 0-for-9 on third down at UW.

A similar sequence unfolded at K-State, also in the second quarter, when the Cougs handed the ball to Vorhees on third-and-2 for another between-the-tackles run. After he picked up a yard, Pinnick attempted a QB keeper on fourth-and-1, which the Wildcats snuffed out.

If those plays work, and those two drives continue, it's a non-issue.

But the fact that those types of between-the-tackles runs were ineffective in both games and Miller failed to adjust until it was too late, or not at all, is a problem.

Moore, who spent the last four seasons in Miller's shoes as an offensive coordinator, first at Fresno State and then for three years at Missouri, said that his meetings and conversations with Miller began almost right away on the flight back from Manhattan, Kan.

When watching film, Moore said that he and Miller evaluate whether or not the play call put their guys in a position to be successful and if it didn't, diagnose why that was the case.

The unit's struggles are not all on Miller, though. On paper, with an offensive line entirely composed of guys from last year's roster and three running backs back from last year's team, WSU should execute those plays.

It's on the players, too.

Per Pro Football Focus, four WSU offensive linemen earned 0.0 pass-blocking grades against K-State: left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard/right tackle Jonny Lester, left guard Kyle Martin and right tackle Jaylin Caldwell.

PFF isn't without its flaws, but the grades are telling. On multiple occasions, the Cougars' offensive linemen were simply beaten by the players across from them.

WSU used several different offensive line fronts because of injuries last weekend. Right guard Nick Bakken, who earned a team-best 49.8 pass-blocking grade at K-State, looked the best, while Lester and Tripp both allowed sacks to Wendell Gregory, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year with Oklahoma State.

The Wildcats are compensating Gregory well to do that to a lot of offensive linemen this year. He may be the best edge the Cougs face all year.

Through their remaining nonconference slate and into Pac-12 competition in a couple of weeks, the Cougars shouldn't be as overmatched as they have been. Sophomore quarterback Caden Pinnick, who has completed just 55% of his passes through two games, should have more time to pass.

A pocket-passing Pinnick is the goal, Moore said. WSU's lone two scoring drives of the year came with Pinnick largely operating outside of the pocket. He has gained 134 rushing yards and lost 44 — a figure which includes the seven sacks he has sustained.

"I do have some grace for our O-line. They're going through a lot. Their bodies are being banged up every single play, and to ask them to move the type of people they've been playing is a hard ask, and they still have to protect me," Pinnick said. "So I think a lot of it just comes from being established in our pass game as well. Again, it falls on me, right? If I can't throw the ball, then we can't run the ball."

Pinnick has not looked the best throwing the football. His offensive line has not blocked the best, his starting running back lost two fumbles in as many games and his receivers, missing senior Tony Freeman for the season after he tore his ACL in the first half of the Apple Cup, have failed to get open as effectively as Freeman might have.

In short, WSU's early struggles are a widespread issue. And if all 105 players showing up to the facility on an off day is a sign, it's falling on everyone to fix it.

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

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