⚡ CFB Dashboard

PULLMAN -- Tempo. What a wonderful thing. And it was exactly that for Washington State in its 48-7 romp over Duquesne at Martin Stadium on Saturday, the home opener for the 2026 season. After a sluggish first half and a concerning 14-7 lead, the Cougars decided to tinker with their rhythm. And did it ever work wonders. WSU exploded for 21 points in the third quarter and probably would've added more in the fourth, had the punt return game not taking care of business with a pair of touchdowns. The offense, stagnant for much of the first two-and-a-half games, looked like a well-oiled machine. Yes, it was versus Duquesne. Yes, the Cougars are going to face better teams the rest of the season.  But that doesn't mean the second half wasn't inspiring on offense. It started when WSU started going fast; it kept Duquesne on its heels. It limited a team with minimal depth to make any sort of substitutions. And as Duquesne got tired, it became easier and easier for the Cougar offense to lean on the Dukes. Wazzu had 278 yards in the second half as opposed to 234 in the first, but the Cougars also averaged a whopping 10.3 yards per play. The punt return touchdowns combined with Duquesne running a very slow, deliberate offense prevented WSU from adding more points, as did a holding call that took a fourth down conversion into a punt.  But the Cougars basically got everything they wanted offensively in the second half. Every run was there plus Caden Pinnick was casually finding his receivers or making plays with his legs. It seemed as if the tempo gave WSU the confidence it sorely lacked after two rough weeks and a rocky first half. Related: 3 instant takeaways from WSU's curb-stopping win over Duquesne RUNNING WILD AND running free. The open field was all Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods needed on Saturday. Not since 2005 had two Cougars rushed for 100 yards in the same game, when Jerome Harrison and DeMaundray Woolridge both did it against Grambling State. It was a task first achieved at WSU by Steve Broussard and Rich Swinton in 1988, when they did it twice. For Vorhees, it was his first 100-yard game as a Cougar and featured his longest run, a 58-yard touchdown dash off left tackle with the offensive line barreling through defenders to open holes. He also had a big 17-yard run earlier in the game, finishing with nine carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns, his first multi-touchdown game as a Coug. Woods' 116 yards were highlighted by a 45-yard scamper out of a Wildcat formation in the first half. Outside of that, he spun and slipped and juked his way to a performance that fell just one yard short of his Famous Idaho Potato Bowl showing last year. Woods also caught three passes for 20 yards. In the first two games combined, he had just 10 touches for 49 yards. On Saturday, that number was up to 14 touches and 136 hashes. Simply put, he needs the ball in more. And just because he's smaller at 5-foot-10, 201-pounds, doesn't mean he can't wiggle his way through tackles and slip past defenders.  WHAT TIES ALL the success together? Third down. The Cougars went 6-of-9 on third down and that's not even the stat that sticks out the most. It's the 1-of-2 on third down in the second half. That's right. WSU got to third down twice. So much of the chatter around the third-down struggles have been the inability to win on first and second down, forcing difficult third-down chances. The Cougars got so far ahead of the sticks they hardly needed third down. They still needed an average of 6.9 yards per third down, a little too high. Still, the conversion rate was there. OUTSIDE OF THE game itself, Saturday was the first opportunity for WSU to showcase its new in-game entertainment and scoreboard. It was too light out to see the new crimson LED lights, but all of the new production was on display. In short? Thumbs way up. It was exactly what the doctor has long ordered at Martin Stadium, from the pre-game, to the graphics on the board, to the in-game fan engagement.  In the past, Glenn Johnson has announced the starters over still images of themselves. Now? The players announce themselves, where they're from, and their position. Prior to the pre-game performances for the spirit squads and band, there is a hype video for both.  As it gets closer to time for the Cougars to enter, a clock starts counting down from 45 seconds with Queen's "We Will Rock You" playing in the background. That will almost certainly look even better with the lights. From there, it transitions to "Baba O'Riley" by The Who and the traditional intro video that has been played for years. There is a camera in the tunnel that shows the team as they prepare to run out and with the Cougars on the near sideline now, they run all the way down to the end zone, with the flames that shoot up coming at the end of the run. And right as the opening kick is set to go, a video is played of Kevin James' famous NASCAR command of "God bless our troops, God bless America, and gentlemen start your engines." Throughout the game, there are new events such as a student kicking for a chance to win something (we didn't catch what), WSU Roulette and more. Some of the traditions from other teams have been discarded, such as "Sweet Caroline" and "Shout." Although Hot Dogs From Heaven still exists. But our personal favorites? "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes between the third and fourth quarters, something that will look incredible with the lights. And on third down, the iconic ringing of a bell that serves as the opening to WWE legend The Undertaker's theme. And the crowd? Not bad for an 0-2 team facing a school most hadn't heard of. Maxwell Woods celebrates a big play (Photo: Cougfan.com/Whittney Thornton)