⚡ CFB Dashboard

PULLMAN -- When you watch the tape back of Washington State's 34-24 loss to Arizona on Saturday and really focus in on the offense, you start to see where things went awry, even in the first half. For the most part, the passing offense was good in the first 30 minutes. Caden Pinnick was 14-of-19 for 147 yards and an interception, but a number of those incompletions came on the final two drives. Before that, he was rolling. Why?  Because the Cougars were getting the ball out quick. They weren't running deep, elaborate vertical routes that required the receivers to win one-on-one matchups or the line to hold up for a significant amount of time. All Pinnick had to do was drop back, go through his progressions, and someone was generally open. But toward the end of the half, you started to see signs of what would give WSU all kinds of trouble in the final 30 minutes.  As always, it's important to note we're not privy to the exact play calls or assignments: this is simply a tape review on how the plays were stopped. We also will mention that it's a lot harder for players to make decisions in real time than it is for us to unpack a play from a press box or a game replay. We're also focusing only on the passes Pinnick threw, not drop backs where he scrambles or gets sacked. Here is a deep dive on how that first half unfolded. PASS ONE: 18-yard completion to Darrius Clemons with a standard four-man pass rush There is play action to start, and then when the pocket starts to break down, Pinnick does an excellent job spinning out to his left. He scrambles, keeps his eyes up and makes a really good throw to Clemons who is coming across the field toward the sideline.  This type of play is what Pinnick is capable of. It's just a matter of consistency.  PASS TWO: 5-yard completion to Jack Pedersen with a five-man rush and a delayed blitzer Daniel Blood comes in motion, Clemons runs a clear out and Pedersen runs a simple out and easily gets the first down. But the biggest key here: the ball is out in under three seconds. WSU picks up the pressure well and all Pinnick has to do is deliver a strike to Pedersen. Related: A $51 million Cougar goes down PASS THREE: Incompletion intended for Branden Ganashamoorthy with a five-man rush Ganashamoorthy tries a little hitch and go route and there's a small window but Pinnick narrowly overthrows him. A safety was coming over, but he was late and if this ball was on, it's a completion. In fairness, it's also a difficult throw to make.  The ball is once again out in about three seconds. PASS FOUR: 28-yard completion to Blood with a six-man rush WSU does a solid job picking up the blitz and gets some help with a defender falling. But again, the ball is out quickly and Blood runs a route to perfection, freezing his defender for just a second.  From there, he breaks a tackle and cuts it back to turn a 10-yard gain into an explosive play.  These are the type of simplistic routes that can be successful when a QB is in rhythm. PASS FIVE: 8-yard completion to Clemons with a six-man rush WSU does an excellent job picking up the blitz and again, the ball gets out in less than three seconds. All Clemons does is run a simple drag across the formation and with the safety playing soft coverage, he is wide open for a good pickup. PASS SIX: 17-yard completion to Clemons with a five-man rush Ganashamoorthy comes in motion and Pinnick fakes a handoff to Vorhees. He moves off his spot just a little bit and Clemons has planted himself beyond the sticks. It almost looks like it might be an option route, either with a post or a hitch.  But whatever it is, the ball is right on Clemons despite Pinnick not being completely set. Another example of what he's capable of. PASS SEVEN: 7-yard completion to Blood with a four-man rush and two delayed blitzers The ball once again gets out quickly and Blood runs a simple curl route. All Pinnick has to do is put it into his hands. It's hard to say, but it also looks like Pinnick may have audibled here after recognizing that Arizona was playing soft coverage. PASS EIGHT: Interception with a four-man rush The pocket collapses quickly as WSU gets tricky and runs a flea flicker. Pinnick is able to escape and while he has a defender chasing him, he still has plenty of time. But what he ends up doing is throwing completely off balance.  But the problem is the safety standing underneath intended target Ganashamoorthy.  One of two things happen here. Either Pinnick never sees the underneath defender, or he badly under throws this. Because if he floats it over the defender? Ganashamoorthy is open and might have six. But ultimately, this is just too risky of a throw to make. Tuck it and run. PASS NINE: 8-yard completion to Blood with a four-man rush This is so, so easy and is the type of pass play that Luke Falk spent years throwing to River Cracraft. Blood runs the easiest of curl routes and within seconds, the ball is in his hands. When you're facing pressure, this is the type of route that can be automatic, especially against a deep zone look. PASS TEN: 14-yard completion to Clemons with a five-man rush Plays like this make life so difficult on a defense. Tank Hawkins feigns as if he's coming in motion, Pedersen pulls from his spot on the left side of the formation and there's play action to Leo Pulalasi with a bootleg the other way. You've got the entire offensive line blocking down and Clemons running a dig route across the formation, giving Pinnick an easy throw for a big gain. PASS ELEVEN: 8-yard completion to Ganashamoorthy with a four-man rush Pinnick has all day to sit back and survey his options and when a lineman finally gets past Noah Dunham, he easily eludes him by moving to his right. By then, Ganashamoorthy is open near the sideline and puts a pass right on his numbers. The three receivers in this formation were all split to the right.  PASS TWELVE: 8-yard completion to Blood with a six-man rush It's an easy drag route for Blood and with Arizona bringing a blitz, he's wide open for the first down. It's the perfect counter to pressure. PASS THIRTEEN: 14-yard completion to Hawkins with a four-man rush Hawkins runs a short hitch, Pinnick quickly throws it to him, and then speed kills. He shakes free from one defender, gets spun around by another, and winds up getting to the outside for a big gain. This play makes the strong case there need to be more plays that involve Hawkins and his speed. PASS FOURTEEN: Incompletion intended for Blood with a three-man rush What in the ever-living heck was this? Left tackle Ashton Tripp is split out in the slot as something of a decoy. This is a funky design that showcases some creativity and was so discreet that it wasn't picked up on. But ultimately, the throw is to Blood on a seam route to the end zone. And in no uncertain terms, this is a blown call for pass interference. (Photo: YouTube screen grab) PASS FIFTEEN: Incompletion to Blood with a seven-man rush Arizona DC Danny Gonzales called the ol' Engage Eight, although one defender did drop out and Pinnick was hammered as he threw. This play needs a quicker option. Blood is open on the out route, but Pinnick doesn't have time to get it there. How do you counter in the future? Leak the running back or tight end out for a screen or check down. PASS SIXTEEN: Pass interference on a ball intended for Blood with a five-man rush and two disguised blitzers Pinnick has to get rid of this quick with a DT in his face, and he's lucky the Arizona defender was holding because this had no shot to be completed. PASS SEVENTEEN: Incompletion to Ganashamoorthy with a six-man rush and one disguised blitzer Two of the last three plays that featured the heavy rushes would be an omen for things to come for WSU. Pinnick gets happy feet and to make matters worse, the three receivers are all running vertical routes. He makes a desperation throw and is lucky the defender bobbled it, otherwise it would have been an interception. There's two parts to what goes wrong here. There needs to be a quicker option, but Pinnick also can't make this throw off his back foot. A sack is better than an interception. PASS EIGHTEEN: Four-yard completion to Hawkins with a five-man rush Hawkins comes in motion and runs a quick out to the sideline. It's so easy and it's exactly how you avoid the danger of an intense pass rush. PASS NINETEEN: Nine-yard completion to Hawkins with a seven-man rush Arizona brings the house again, but this time, you've got receivers running shorter routes. In many scenarios where a defense blitzes seven or eight, the corners are going to play off the receivers to prevent getting beaten off the line, especially with just the one-high safety. That means the underneath routes, like this one to Hawkins, will be frequently open. A side note, but the 15-yard penalty on Arizona here for a late hit was outrageously soft. PASS TWENTY: Loss of one yard on completion to Hawkins with a five-man rush This is simply a screen to see if Hawkins can get free. The problem is the pass is behind him, forcing Hawkins to retreat a step and then turn to try and cut up field. If the pass is on him? There's a chance. WSU-FRESNO STATE GAME DETAILS: WHERE: Martin Stadium KICKOFF: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Pacific TV: USA Network (Nate Gatter, Ryan Leaf, Lauren Green) RADIO: Washington State IMG Radio Network WEATHER FORECAST: 68 degrees, clear RECORDS: WSU 1-3, Fresno State 3-1 THE SERIES: WSU leads 4-2 ESPN matchup predictor: 38.3 percent chance WSU wins RANKINGS: None THE LINE: WSU by 2.5 points  CF.C PREDICTION: WSU 27-23 THE COACHES: Kirby Moore is 1-3, Entz is 72-16 Caden Pinnick (Photo: Cougfan.com/Whittney Thornton)