⚡ CFB Dashboard

WSU QB Caden Pinnick runs up the gut at K-State (Photo: Reuters/Imagn/Sewell) AFTER TWO WEEKS of this college football season, Washington State's Cougars are exactly where most national observers and many Coug fans thought they'd be: winless after road games to two Power 4 schools with dramatically more expensive rosters. Add in the loss of standout receiver Tony Freeman to injury, and a short week to prepare for a trip across two time zones into heavily humid Manhattan, and today's 34-7 defeat to Kansas State ought not be a surprise. But the plain fact is that after two weeks, this WSU team is struggling mightily. Through two games, the Cougars have scored just 17 points and are averaging 263.5 yards of offense per game. The offensive line is porous and the offense as a whole is largely inept. The special teams are spotty at best. And the defense, which shows all kinds of upside, struggled badly on third down against the Wildcats. Here are three instant takeaways from Saturday. 1. HORRENDOUS THIRD-DOWN CONVERSION RATE ALLOWED WSU's defense just could not get off the field on third downs. There were missed tackles and bad angles taken throughout. At one point, Washington State had allowed 8 of 11 conversions on third down. It finished allowing 10 of 16, a staggering 63 percent conversion rate. Is it an aberration? WSU held UW to 4 of 12 on third down. But giving K-State 10 conversions on 16 attempts was a completely different story, and one that ultimately wore down the Cougar defense. In any football game, let alone one where it's warm and humid like it was in Manhattan, Kansas, on Saturday, time of possession is key. At one point early in the second half it stood 22:22 to 12.17 in favor of the Wildcats. For the game, the tally stood at 34:20 to 25:40. Kansas State didn't even punt until there was four minutes left in the third quarter and with a 27-7 lead. By then, the Wildcats had already run 57 offensive plays to WSU's 34. The Cougs finished with 50 plays to Kansas State's 74. And Wazzu was getting gashed on running plays in the second half that it was doing a better job of containing in the first half. K-State finished with 295 rushing yards on 40 attempts — a whopping 7.4 yards per carry — compared with just 101 rushing yards on 30 WSU attempts.  2. RED ALERT ON OFFENSE AND THE OFFENSIVE LINE The Cougs have scored 17 points in two games and the offense was shut out at K-State — its only points at K-State were the defensive pick-six by Jaylen Thomas as the clock struck zeros. WSU managed only 166 total yards, including 65 passing yards. The biggest culprit: the big guys up front. Consider these first half offensive stats: 84 yards of total offense, 2.5 yards per carry, 21 plays to Kansas State's 48. That's plain ugly and continues the offensive woe trend lines from the opening week loss. The lanes just aren't there, not in the running game and not in the short passing slots. WSU averaged just 3.3 yards per play for the game, while K-State averaged 6.6. LG Kyle Martin had a particularly tough time on Saturday but nobody on the Wazzu offensive line could be considered serviceable, let alone consistently winning battles in the trenches. K-State recorded four sacks and eight tackles for loss, while WSU had zero sacks and just four tackles for loss. That tells you plenty about what was happening up front. 3. MOST OF THE PROBLEMS ARE SELF-INFLICTED You could almost see the second-level thinking on defense during a play, rather than read and react. On offense, WSU played consistently behind the sticks but whereas K-State converted third downs regardless of distance, Wazzu was ineffective on third downs at 2 of 12 and for the season, WSU is 2 for 21 on third down. That 9.5 percent conversion rate through two games is an enormous problem. Scheme and execution are both lacking on offense. On special teams, the blocked field goal attempt early by Jack Stevens came out low. Stevens clearly is struggling after a banner season a year ago. He finished 0-for-1 on field goals Saturday, with his 37-yard attempt blocked. Wazzu also got burned on a 62-yard punt return.  For the second-straight week WSU barely blitzed. The Cougars recorded just one quarterback hurry and no sacks Saturday, while K-State had four sacks and four quarterback hurries. Either that's going to be a hallmark of the defense this season or WSU is holding its blitzes until it gets into conference play and/or in the big games to try and surprise opponents with something new. And sticking with four rushers worked at times on Saturday. The two interceptions by Jaylen Thomas came on plays where WSU was able to generate pressure without needing to sell out with extra rushers.  Thomas finished with two interceptions, including his 50-yard pick-six that accounted for WSU's only points. A saving grace to all of this could be that WSU has played two games, both against power conference opponents with far more financial resources to pay their players, and with both games on the road. And despite the ugly numbers, the defense has shown enough flashes — particularly in forcing three turnovers over the first two games — to suggest there is something to build on. If conference play begins and the o-line doesn't ramp it up, and the coaching staff can't fix the issues on special teams and defense, it sets up as a difficult year for the Cougs. Indeed, Duquesne on Saturday at home can't get here soon enough. The Cougs ideally would have opened with them to get some kinks out. Now, the Dukes provide WSU with its first opportunity to see whether it can actually correct some of the problems. Bottom line: The real season, and all the aspirations of competing for the Pac-12 title, remain on tap and fully intact. But after two games, there is no sugarcoating it: the Cougars have a lot of fixing to do, particularly on offense and on third down, before those aspirations can be realized. (Photos: statbroadcast.com)