Washington State finally got Kirby Moore his first head coaching win Saturday afternoon at Martin Stadium, absolutely blowing out the Duquesne Dukes 48-7. But don’t let that final score fool ya, because the first half was a total gut punch before the Cougs unleashed an explosive, much-needed second-half takeover.
Early Scares and Costly Flags
Look, WSU was a 37.5-point favorite, and Duquesne had already gotten stomped by Air Force and Youngstown St. You’d think it’d be a cakewalk, right? Wrong. Despite Duquesne racking up four penalties in their first two drives, WSU started with a flat-out disaster: first snap over Pinnick’s head, then an interception on a deep shot. We finally got on the board with Kirby Vorhees’ 8-yard rushing touchdown, set up by Maxwell Woods breaking off a 45-yard Wildcat run thanks to a personal foul. But even that wasn’t smooth. Duquesne drove down, WSU had a goal line stand, but a roughing the passer flag on DJ Warner gifted them a tush push score, tying it at 7-7. We had two touchdowns called back by penalties in the first quarter alone, and Jack Stevens pushed a field goal wide right. It was a 14-7 lead at halftime, with 234 yards of offense, but let’s be real, it was uninspiring football.
Second Half Fireworks!
Whatever Kirby Moore said at halftime, it worked. Everything changed in that third quarter. The Cougs took their first two drives a ridiculous 75 and 90 yards for scores, making it 28-7. They cranked up the tempo, got Maxwell Woods more touches, and suddenly, the game opened up! Pinnick finally started slinging it with confidence, hitting Jack Pederson for a beautifully designed touchdown, then dropping a dime for a 10-yard score to Branden Ganashamoorthy. Then, just to seal the deal and end the quarter with a bang, Vorhees took a “house call” 59 yards to the crib! By the end of the third, WSU had racked up 458 yards of offense. That, my friends, was the feel-good quarter we’ve been begging for!
This win isn’t just a number, it gets the Cougs to 1-2 and, more importantly, it shows they can absolutely find that offensive rhythm. If WSU can keep that second-half energy rolling, especially with Pinnick’s newfound confidence and those big plays from Woods and Vorhees, things are looking up for the Emerald City’s college squad. Let’s see if they can build on this, because that second half was pure magic!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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