⚡ CFB Dashboard

The Fresno State Bulldogs are traveling to the Washington State Cougars on Saturday. What should Bulldog fans know about this week's opponent in Fresno State's first-ever Pac-12 conference game? BarkBoard.com gets the inside scoop from a Washington State insider. BarkBoard.com interviewed CougFan.com reporter Matthew Bartlett for the latest on the Washington State Cougars.  VIP subscribers can continue for the full back-and-forth.  1. Kirby Moore was well respected at Fresno State during his time here. How has he been received at WSU so far? What are the staples of his program that he is working to establish currently? The hire was lauded by Cougar fans, especially when WSU was able to retain key pieces and add some portal players that in the past, were probably out of their price range. It's never been confirmed, but it's pretty well-known there was an influx of money for NIL once he arrived. The season has, as per usual, brought out the sky is falling people who critique everything he does. His clock management has drawn some eyebrow raises (personally think it's been fine) and the ineffectiveness of the offense has caused some concern.  But the truth is, we just don't have a great feel for what he's going to do as a head coach yet because it's only been four games and he's faced four uneven opponents. 2. Washington State enters conference play at 1-3, but after three Power 4 losses. What have been the positive strengths and lingering weaknesses as the team transitions into Pac-12 play? And do they translate to Pac-12 level competition?   The defense has largely played well through four games. They've tired out late against some of these talented offenses, but much of the scoring that has come against them has been a byproduct of the opponent making plays and utilizing the speed and overall skill they have at a P4 level. (Photo: Cougfan.com/Whittney Thornton) The offense has been a concern. It was better vs. Arizona, but it struggled to get anything going against UW or Kansas State. The pressing question for every fan is what happens when the competition evens out. The optimists will say that once WSU doesn't have to face multi-million dollar rosters, things will progress naturally. The pessimist will say that the issues run deeper than the opponent. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. 3. What is the assessment of Caden Pinnick at quarterback through four games? How does his running ability impact the offense?   There has been some good. He's made some really good plays with his legs and there have been times where he's looked comfortable. His running ability is a major factor for WSU both on scrambles and on designed runs. But his decision making has been underwhelming. He's thrown a couple of interceptions on passes that have no business being thrown. He bails out of the pocket too quickly sometimes and tries to do much when he gets into the open field instead of throwing it away or just sliding down.  4. Fresno State may be working with a depleted offensive line on Saturday. How does the WSU defensive line stack up? What else stands out about the Cougar defense?  The pass rush didn't do a ton in the first two games in terms of sacks against the speed of Demond Williams and Avery Johnson, but it's starting to find a groove. Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk are a formidable combo on the edge, and the defensive tackles have generated plenty of pressure too.  They sacked Noah Fifita three times and probably would've had more if not for Fifita being so pocket-aware.  But they're also down a couple of bodies on the front. Michael Hughes and Malach Wrice had done some good things in the first game or two, and the dropoff with their injuries in terms of depth has been noticeable. Wazzu has been pretty sticky in coverage, but there have been breakdowns here and there. Starting cornerback Jalil Tucker has missed the last three games with injury, although he was suited up the last two. Keith Brown and Isaiah Hung have been excellent at linebacker and the safety play has largely been good, especially with Jaylen Thomas and Jackquintin Bal. 5. Washington State kicker Jack Stevens is 2-of-7 on field goals. Is there any more to the story than the stats suggest there? Might the Cougars be aggressive on fourth downs in Bulldog territory instead of sending him out?  Wazzu's field goal operation is a mess. The first Stevens miss came on a high snap. The second came after a delay of game penalty. The third was blocked, although the kick was low. He pushed the fourth one to the right and the most recent one was blocked after an embarrassing blocking effort. They need him to be better, but the entire operation has been a trainwreck so far. They may be more inclined to go for it. 6. How do you see this game playing out? I'm not sure what to make of either team. I think Wazzu is probably 3-1 with Fresno State's schedule and Fresno State is 1-3 with Wazzu's schedule. But the Cougars have defended home field pretty well over the past few years and I'm inclined to believe that being battle tested will work in their favor. I have WSU winning 27-23.