WSU hosts FCS Duquesne, looking to bounce back from two straight losses to open year | First look
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Sep. 14—PULLMAN — Here is a first look at Washington State's home opener against Duquesne on Saturday afternoon.
What is it?
In new head coach Kirby Moore's home debut, WSU is set to host FCS Duquesne, which is coming off two straight losses to open the season. The Cougars are doing the same, so with an opportunity to kick-start an offense that ranks last nationally in total offense, this game might have a little extra meaning for the hosts.
Outside of WSU's long-running series with nearby Idaho, it's the Cougars' first time hosting an FCS opponent since earning a 70-30 win over Portland State in 2024.
Where is it?
Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
USA Network will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
As of Monday afternoon, WSU was around a 35.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
In a 34-7 loss to Kansas State, dropping WSU to 0-2 for the first time since 2016, the Cougars' offense fell flat. That group did not score, the first time the program has gone scoreless on offense since 2010, and quarterback Caden Pinnick completed just 9 of 20 passes for 65 yards, becoming the first WSU QB to pass for fewer than 100 yards since Jeff Tuel did it in the same season, back when Paul Wulff was head coach.
WSU scored once, a pick-six going into halftime from safety Jaylen Thomas, who picked off two passes total in the game. But the Cougars didn't score otherwise, totaling just 166 yards of offense, giving them 408 yards of total offense and 204 per game — both of which rank last in the country. Running backs Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods combined for just 74 yards, and Vorhees lost a fumble for the second straight game.
It was also another sluggish outing from WSU's special teams department. In the first quarter, kicker Jack Stevens sent a field -goal attempt too low, allowing it to get tipped at the line of scrimmage, giving him three misses in his first four tries to open the season. And in the second quarter, the Cougs permitted a 62-yard punt return, giving the Wildcats a chance to score a touchdown two plays later to secure a 17-0 lead.
The visitors' defense was hardly perfect — one of the biggest problems was that WSU generated just seven pressures on K-State QB Avery Johnson — but their offense was the main culprit behind this loss. The Cougars were playing without top wide receiver Tony Freeman, who is now expected to miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, taking away a key component of his team's offense and kick/punt return game.
"Well, I think you go back. Have had a lot of meetings, really getting off the flight, and then yesterday in the morning," Moore said. "Starts back with our process of game planning, the number of reps we get in practice, how many looks we get of those during the week. Obviously, that's gonna build confidence for the players and what could come on Saturday. Everyone being on the same page — that's the one thing about offensive football. Gotta have all 11 working together. At the end of the day, we gotta score more points to be successful here."
WSU also didn't have either of its starting cornerbacks, Jalil Tucker (out with injury) and Khamari Terrell (out for undisclosed reasons). Each are expected to be available in Saturday's game against Duquesne, Moore said.
Scouting Duquesne …
The Dukes are coming off two straight road FBS losses to open the season, a 34-0 defeat to Air Force and a 70-13 setback at the hands of Youngstown State. They rank last in the FCS in total offense, posting just 351 total yards, and they've also lost a pair of turnovers .
Duquesne is led by head coach Jerry Schmitt, who is in his 22nd season at the helm of the program. He's taken the Dukes to the FCS playoffs three times in his tenure, most recently in 2023.
This year, the team's quarterback is sixth-year journeyman Carson Camp, who started his career with three seasons at South Dakota before spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Sacramento State. He transferred to Southeastern Louisiana, where he threw for nearly 1,800 yards before moving over to Duquesne . In two games this fall, he has completed just 12 of 37 passes (32%) for 105 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Dukes also rank seven spots up from last in the FCS ranks in total defense, allowing an average of 526.5 yards per game.
"Offensively, they do a good job with RPOs and got an experienced quarterback. He's entering his seventh year in college football," Moore said. "Very solid running backs. No. 32 (Ness Davis) was an all-conference player last year, and defensively they have seven new starters, so a little bit of a new group there."
What happened last time?
This will be the teams' first-ever meeting.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos