Washington State comeback falls short in 24-10 Apple Cup loss

SEATTLE – Washington State walked out of the Apple Cup with a loss, but not without evidence that its new-look team can compete.

The Cougars spent much of the afternoon battling Washington in a game that stayed within reach deep into the second half. Their defense repeatedly absorbed difficult situations, including short fields, and gave the offense opportunities to stay in the game.

But WSU could not turn enough of those opportunities into points. Three turnovers, two missed field goals and an 0-for-11 night on third down left too much on the table in a 24-10 defeat.

For quarterback Caden Pinnick, the accountability was immediate.

“Obviously when you commit two turnovers, [you’re] not helping the team,” Pinnick said. “On my part, I just got to play better, got to prepare better, ultimately help give my guys a chance to actually have a chance to go win something.”

That honesty reflected the mood around a team that was disappointed in the result but not shaken in its belief. WSU did not play clean enough to win, yet it had enough moments to see how narrow the margin was.

“We were right there,” head coach Kirby Moore said. “Our confidence shouldn’t waver from this game. We just got to play a cleaner game.”

The Cougars’ defense was the foundation of the effort. Washington was held to 10 points through three quarters and WSU’s front made a point of controlling the line of scrimmage against the run. The defense also delivered a fourth-and-goal stop and forced field-goal situations when the Huskies threatened to create separation.

Linebacker Keith Brown said the run defense and red-zone performance were the biggest positives.

“Stopping the run and winning the red zone is kind of all you really can ask for every defense,” Brown said.

Brown’s view of the performance was not about moral victories. It was about establishing a standard. WSU knew it would be tested against a talented Washington offense, and its defense showed it could respond when the field tilted against it.

Edge rusher Linus Zunk described a defense that refused to be rattled by the circumstances.

“You’re gonna get punched in the face and you’re gonna get put in some bad situations, but it’s about shrugging your shoulders and squaring back up and getting back in the fight,” Zunk said.

That resilience was important. The Cougars’ offense gave Washington extra chances early, but the defense did not allow those moments to become an immediate rout. Brown, Zunk and the rest of the unit kept WSU in the game long enough for the offense to find a measure of rhythm.

The offense struggled early to stay ahead of schedule. Moore pointed to inefficient first and second downs that created too many second-and-long and third-and-long situations against a strong Washington front. That showed up most clearly in the third-down number: zero conversions on 11 attempts.

Pinnick did not run from that problem.

“When you go 0 for 11, you’re not going to win a lot of games on third down,” he said. “It’s got to be my preparation, knowing what to look at.”

Still, the fourth quarter offered reasons for encouragement. The Cougars put together two scoring drives and found success getting to the perimeter of the Huskie defense. Pinnick’s touchdown run came on a fake pitch, with the offensive line creating the lane and a key block clearing the way.

The UC Irvine transfer finished as WSU’s leading rusher with 61 yards, a sign of both his competitiveness and the pressure placed on the offense after Tony Freeman left the game early with an injury. Moore said Freeman would undergo an MRI.

Pinnick also showed toughness after taking hits during the game, saying he had no intention of coming out because he could not quit on his teammates. His late-game response mattered, even with the final interception and the missed opportunities weighing on him afterward.

“There’s a lot to grow from and a lot to correct,” Pinnick said. “This week’s a short week, so we’re looking forward to that.”

For longtime fans, an Apple Cup loss always carries extra weight. But this edition also marked the beginning of something new for the Cougars: a new coaching staff, new contributors and a team still learning itself in live action.

Brown said the rivalry did not change the team’s larger approach. With so many new faces, the focus is on treating every opponent as an opportunity to improve rather than allowing one game to define the season.“We have 11 more guaranteed opportunities to play,” Brown said. “Let’s go out there and get better every single week.”

Moore echoed that urgency after his first game as WSU’s head coach. There is little time to linger on what went wrong. The Cougars will review the tape, identify the correctable mistakes and turn quickly to Kansas State. As they’ll try to get their first win of the season on the road Saturday.