FRESNO STATE (3-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at WASHINGTON STATE (1-3, 0-0 Pac-12)
6:30 p.m., Saturday, October 3, 2026 \u2022 USA
Gesa Field (32,952) \u2022 Pullman, Wash.<\/p>\n
COUGARS OPEN NEW PAC-12 SATURDAY AGAINST FRESNO STATE
Washington State opens play in the new Pac-12 Conference hosting Fresno State Saturday on Family Weekend, presented by Primera. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on USA.<\/p>\n
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE COUGAR QUICK GAME PLAYER SPOTLIGHT (Player Notes Pages 9-12) KIRBY MOORE<\/a> NAMED COUGAR FOOTBALL HEAD COACH COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD FRESNO STATE SERIES HISTORY JAYLEN THOMAS<\/a> NAMED PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK FAN EXPERIENCE AT GESA FIELD GETTING TURBOCHARGED INSIDE THE NUMBERS SIX NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS SEVEN COUGS HAVE EARNED DEGREES CADEN PINNICK<\/a> NAMED COUGAR STARTING QUARTERBACK FALL CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS THE PAC IS BACK! WSU AND COLVILLE TRIBES ANNOUNCE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP, JUNE 30 JON HAARLOW NAMED WSU VICE PRESIDENT \/ DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Since assuming the role as Washington State University\u2019s Interim Director of Athletics last November, Haarlow has: WSU ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR BILL STEVENS RETIRES AFTER 21 YEARS COUGAR HALL OF FAME COACH JIM WALDEN PASSES AWAY AT 88 FORMER COUGAR FOOTBALL COACH BILL DOBA PASSES AWAY
Washington State opened the 2026 season with a pair of tough road contests at No. 17 Washington week one and at Kansas State before beating Duquesne 48-7 in Pullman week three and dropped a close contest to Arizona last Saturday. The Cougars returned 24 letterwinners from a team that went 7-6 last season and capped the season with a win over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise. First-year head coach Kirby Moore<\/a> brought in 50 new players including 29 transfers from four-year schools led by quarterback Caden Pinnick<\/a> who earned FCS Freshman All-America honors at UC Davis last season. WSU welcomed back four starters on offense while wideout Tony Freeman<\/a>, left tackle Ashton Tripp<\/a>, running back Kirby Vorhees<\/a> and safety Jaylen Thomas<\/a> were all named to the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Impact Watch List.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TEAM
\u2022 WSU is tied for 2nd nationally and 1 of 9 teams in the country with multiple INT returned for TD this season (Alabama – 3) \u2022 34 players have made their Cougar debuts through the first 4 weeks \u2022 WSU rushed for 100 rushing yards in the Apple Cup and 101 yards at Kansas State and 316 yards against Duquesne \u2022 WSU won its home-opener (Duquesne 48-7) for the fifth straight season \u2022 WSU had two running backs rush for 100+ yards (Duquesne, Maxwell Woods<\/a> – 116, Kirby Vorhees<\/a> – 109) for the first time since 2005 (Jerome Harrison \u2013 113, DeMaundray Woolridge \u2013 105, vs Grambling State in Seattle) \u2022 WSU returned two punts for touchdowns against Duquesne, matching the school record, just the 3rd time in school history (at San Jose State \u2013 1968, vs Idaho in 1973) \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 WSU rushed for 316 yards against Duquesne, the first 300-yard rushing game since 2024 (303, Utah State) and most since 2006 (344, Idaho) \u2022 WSU\u2019s 48-7 win over Duquesne was the 1st career win for head coach Kirby Moore<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 QB Caden Pinnick<\/a> owns 13 rushes of 10+ yards, tied for the 3rd-most among quarterbacks nationally \u2022 RB Maxwell Woods<\/a> rushed for 116 yards against Duquesne, his second career 100-yard game, (117 vs Utah State, 2025) \u2022 RB Kirby Vorhees<\/a> rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns against Duquesne, his first 100-yard game as a Coug and second of his career \u2022 DB\/PR Jaylen Thomas<\/a> scored his second TD in as many weeks, returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown against Duquesne \u2022 DB Jaylen Thomas<\/a> was the 1st Cougar with 2 interceptions in a game since Sam Lockett III<\/a> at Arizona in 2022 \u2022 TE Beau Baker<\/a>\u2019s first 2 career catches were both 12-yard grabs against UW, the 1st was a TD last season and second went for a first down in the 2026 opener \u2022 DB Jackquintin Bal<\/a>\u2019s 1st career INT was a 25-yard INT return for a TD against Arizona<\/p>\n
Kirby Moore<\/a> was named Cougars\u2019 Head Football Coach December 12. Moore has strong ties to eastern Washington, having grown up in Prosser, Wash., where his father, Tom, was a legendary football coach at Prosser High School. He has spent the previous three seasons serving as the offensive coordinator\/quarterbacks coach at Missouri for Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz. During the 2025 season, Moore has helped Missouri to an 8-4 record and a spot in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Virginia, Dec. 27. Prior to Missouri, Moore coached six seasons at Fresno State including the final season as the offensive coordinator. Moore was a four-year letterwinner, two-year starter, at the Boise State (2009; 2010-13), where he helped the Broncos to a 45-8 record and four bowl appearances.<\/p>\n
Dating back to the 2003 season, ESPN College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak reached 341 last week at Tennessee. The first appearance came in Austin, Texas (10\/4\/03) and the streak began two weeks later in Madison, Wisc. (10\/18\/03). Two flags \u2013 Ol\u2019 Crimson and Gray \u2013 have been flown in the background of the GameDay set. The Gray flag was added in 2014 after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason\u2019s \u201cNo White Flags.\u201d Appearance No. 217 was its first in Pullman (10\/20\/18), a 34-20 win over Oregon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WSU leads the all-time series with Fresno State 4-2 after taking the 2024 meeting in Fresno, 25-17. The Bulldogs won the previous meeting, a 29-6 decision at the Jimmy Kimmell LA Bowl in 2022. WSU is 2-1 against FSU in Pullman after taking the last Pullman matchup, 24-3 in 1994. Cougar head coach Kirby Moore<\/a> spent six years (2017-22) on the Fresno State coaching staff under Jeff Tedford and Kalen DeBoer. Cougar DL Jirah Leaupepetele<\/a>\u2019s younger brother, Jonah is an offensive lineman at Fresno State.<\/p>\n
Cougar defensive back Jaylen Thomas<\/a> was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week following week two at Kansas State. Thomas, a redshirt-sophomore transfer from San Jose State, picked off two passes and returned the second 50 yards for a touchdown at Kansas State last Saturday. Thomas\u2019 first interception came on a KSU fourth-down pass attempt early in the second quarter and the second saw Thomas race 50 yards to score as time expired to end the first half. It was the first two-interception game by a Coug since Sam Lockett III<\/a> picked off two passes at Arizona in 2022 and the first interception return for a touchdown since 2024 (Buddah Al-Uqdah at Oregon State). The two interceptions were the first of Thomas\u2019 career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gameday experience inside Gesa Field is about to get brighter and louder thanks to the support of Washington State University alumni and fans. WSU Athletics raised more than $10 million to pay for the first phase of planned improvements at the home of Cougar Football. These improvements will include a state-of-the-art video board 30 feet wider than the current display, as well as an audio system that\u2019ll bring the noise no matter where fans are sitting. New on-field lights will also enable more dynamic moments to build hype for those in the stands and on the field. These improvements are part of a multi-phase improvement plan for Gesa Field, which is expected to cost up to $12 million. All of the cost of the project is being funded by donors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
50 – WSU\u2019s roster features 50 new players
29 – WSU\u2019s roster features 29 NEW players who transferred from 4-year schools
24 – WSU returned 24 players who earned a varsity letter in 2025
14 – WSU\u2019s roster features 14 players who transferred from a Power-5 school this past offseason
9 – WSU lost road games at No. 4 Ole Miss (24-21), No. 18 Virginia (22-20), No. 21 James Madison (24-20) by a combined 9 points
4 – WSU returned 4 starters from 2025, all on offense;\u00a0
\u00a0WR Tony Freeman<\/a>, RT Jonny Lester<\/a>, LT Ashton Tripp<\/a>, RB Kirby Vorhees<\/a><\/p>\n
Washington State announced its team captains for 2026 as voted by the players; DT Kaden Beatty<\/a> LB Keith Brown<\/a>, WR\/PR Tony Freeman<\/a>, TE Jack Pedersen<\/a>, LT Ashton Tripp<\/a> and EDGE Linus Zunk<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Keith Brown<\/a> Social Sciences, WSU
Hudson Cedarland<\/a> Management, WSU
Gavin Fugate<\/a> Sport Management, WSU
Jonny Lester<\/a> Biology, WSU
Damarje Lewis Consumer Science, Purdue\u00a0
Jack Pedersen<\/a> Political Science, UCLA
Linus Zunk<\/a> Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n
Kirby Moore<\/a> named redshirt-sophomore Caden Pinnick<\/a> the Cougars starting quarterback August 24. \u00a0Last season at UC Davis, Pinnick earned FCS Freshman All-America honors, was named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, the award given to the top FCS freshman. Pinnick led the Aggies to a 9-4 record and a trip to the FCS quarterfinal round after throwing for 3,206 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns with only 10 interceptions thrown and also rushed for 437 yards and three touchdowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During fall camp, four players earned scholarships; longsnapper Sean Bures<\/a>, linebacker Jack Ellison<\/a>, linebacker Gavin Fugate<\/a> and defensive end Jack Procter<\/a>.<\/p>\n
This summer, seven new full-time member institutions officially joined the Pac-12 Conference, including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State. With the additions, the new Pac-12 features nine full-time members and is set to compete in its first season with the 2026-27 campaign.<\/p>\n
Washington State University Athletics and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced a historic new partnership grounded in shared values of community, culture, and a commitment to developing future generations of leaders. \u00a0Under the five-year agreement, the largest annual sponsorship in WSU Athletics history, all Cougar uniforms will feature a Colville Tribe jersey patch. The initiative represents one of the most comprehensive uniform recognitions in college athletics and a first of its kind within the Pac-12. The partnership brings the 12 Tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, who have lived since time immemorial in the lands known today as eastern Washington, together with the state\u2019s land-grant university. It builds on a longstanding relationship first formalized in 1997 and rooted in more than a century of shared commitment to this region\u2019s diverse and evolving needs. The $8.43 million agreement includes a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in year one. It extends beyond sporting competition to include youth clinics in tribal communities, regional basketball development opportunities, and an AAU tribal tournament. A dedicated video series will highlight the connections between WSU student-athletes and tribal youth, creating greater visibility and shared understanding. Additional elements include Colville Tribes entitlement games across multiple sports, special Nike N7 games for men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball, and prominent integration across WSU Athletics platforms and game-day experiences. The partnership was brokered in collaboration with Playfly Sports, the sports industry\u2019s leading revenue maximization company. Playfly serves as WSU\u2019s multimedia rights partner.<\/p>\n
Washington State University President Betsy Cantwell selected Jon Haarlow as WSU\u2019s vice president and director of athletics April 27. Haarlow, who had served as the interim athletic director since November 12, 2025, is the 16th individual to lead Cougar athletics in school history. Haarlow has more than five years of experience at Washington State University and 15 years in collegiate athletics. He joined WSU in 2021 as senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer for WSU Athletics. In spring 2022, he accepted a role with the university\u2019s main campus as assistant vice president for business and financial services, where he provided financial leadership for the university system in areas including debt, cash, and investments while collaborating with key institutional units, including accounting, reporting, payroll, student accounts, and contracting services. \u00a0In July, 2024, Haarlow returned to Cougar Athletics as assistant vice president and senior deputy athletic director\/chief operating officer for WSU Athletics. His deep knowledge of the WSU campus, expertise in revenue generation, and strong relationships with campus partners and external stakeholders have contributed to his immediate impact throughout campus and the continued success of the Cougars\u2019 17 varsity athletic programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– Led department-wide strategic initiatives, driving operational momentum and cross-campus alignment
– Directed the successful hiring of Head Football Coach Kirby Moore<\/a> and Head Soccer Coach Chris Citowicki, strengthening leadership across marquee and growth programs
– Spearheaded and supported fundraising efforts that generated more than $10 million for the Football Fan Experience Project
– Launched a $3.4 million renovation of the Cougar Football locker room
– Instituted brand awareness programs that generated revenue through apparel and spirit partnerships
– Continued to advance Washington State Athletics\u2019 positioning for the new era of the Pac-12 Conference by collaborating with conference and institutional leaders to support long-term stability and sustainability
\u00a0
ABE LUCAS, SEAHAWKS WIN SUPER LX
A pair of Washington State Cougars wrapped up the NFL 2025 season facing off in Super Bowl LX, \u00a0RT Abraham Lucas<\/a> and the Seattle Seahawks beat WR Kyle Williams<\/a> and New England Patriots in Santa Clara. WSU had a player in the Super Bowl for the fourth straight season and fifth in the last six seasons. Lucas started at right tackle and played in all 72 offensive snaps and seven special teams snaps in the Seahawks Super Bowl win over the Patriots. The Seahawks rushed for 141 yards in the 29-13 win in Santa Clara. Playing in his fourth NFL season, Lucas started all 20 games at right tackle this season. Williams played 17 offensive snaps, eight special teams snaps and had a seven-yard catch against the Seahawks. In his rookie season, Williams has appeared in 19 games and made 11 catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Washington State University Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Strategic Communications Bill Stevens has retired after 21 years working in the Cougars\u2019 athletic communications department. Stevens came to WSU as sports information assistant director in August 2005 and since that time, served as the director, assistant athletic director, and beginning in 2014, associate athletic director for athletic communications. Stevens was responsible for the overall communications strategy for the athletic department, working primarily as the communications contact for football along many other Cougar sports and more recently, served as the sport administrator for men\u2019s golf and women\u2019s tennis. In his 21 years working at WSU, Stevens worked with five athletic directors, seven head football coaches including Mike Leach<\/a> (2012-19) along with 10 bowl games and the 2018 visit from ESPN College GameDay. Stevens also worked closely with the Pac-12 Conference, was the media contact for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball NCAA Tournaments hosted by Washington State in Spokane (2005-26), helped cover the baseball NCAA Regional trips in 2009, 2010 and 2026 and hosted a number NCAA and Pac-12 Conference golf and swimming championships in Pullman and Seattle. In 2022, Stevens received the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication Hall of Achievement award, recognizing outstanding accomplishments of alumni and those impacting the Murrow community. Stevens is a 1987 graduate of WSU with a degree in public relations. He was a four-year letterwinner in tennis under Hall of Fame coach Rex Davis. Stevens and his wife, Joni, also a WSU graduate, have two grown sons, Nick and Jake, both WSU graduates.<\/p>\n
WSU Hall of Fame Football Coach Jim Walden passed away in July in Coeur d\u2019Alene. He was 88. Walden, who served as the Cougars head coach from 1978-86, was not one to hold back as a player or a coach, and neither were his Cougar football teams from the time he took over between the 1977 and 1978 seasons through his final campaign in the fall of 1986. Four years later he guided WSU to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, WSU\u2019s first postseason bowl game since the 1931 Rose Bowl. Walden delivered on his promises while defeating every team in the Pacific-10 Conference. He finished his nine-year Cougar stint with 44 wins, at that time, second on the Washington State all-time list, while also being named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice, in 1981 and 1983. After retiring from coaching in 1994, Walden showed his Crimson colors by returning to the Palouse, where he has served as Bob Robertson\u2019s broadcast sidekick for 11 seasons. Walden was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, where he was an All-American quarterback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former Washington State Football Coach Bill Doba passes away at the age of 85. Doba, a longtime defensive coordinator and five-year head coach of the Cougars (2003-07), worked 19 seasons at the Washington State coaching staff. Doba posted 30 wins including three Apple Cup victories his five seasons leading WSU. Doba became Washington State\u2019s 30th head football coach December 18, 2002, after serving as a Cougar assistant for 14 years. During that time WSU won two Pacific-10 Conference championships and made four bowl appearances, including two trips to the Rose Bowl. In 2003, Doba\u2019s first as WSU\u2019s head coach, he won more games than any first-year coach in program history, reaching the 10-win plateau for the third straight season. No other Pacific-10 Conference school had back-to-back-to-back 10-win seasons since the early 1930\u2019s and for the feat, Doba shared Pac-10 Coach-of-the- Year honors with USC\u2019s Pete Carroll. Doba joined WSU as an assistant coach in 1989 and served as linebacker coach for Mike Price\u2019s Cougar teams for 14 years. While serving as WSU\u2019s defensive leader from 1994-2002, Doba mentored eight players named first team all conference, six All-Americans, and 2002 Outland Trophy Winner Rien Long. The Cougars finished second in the Pac-10 conference and then recorded the biggest bowl victory in the history of the program, defeating #5 Texas in the Holiday Bowl. In 1994, Doba\u2019s first season as defensive coordinator, the Cougs finished second in the nation in total defense, yielding a mere 229 yards per game, and third in rushing and scoring defense. The \u201cPalouse Posse,\u201d spearheaded by all-conference performers in linebacker Mark Fields, defensive end DeWayne Patterson, and defensive tackles Chad Eaton and Don Sasa, capped a 9-3 season by holding Baylor to just 151 yards total offense and three points in an Alamo Bowl victory. The South Bend, Ind., native entered the college ranks in 1977, joining former ESPN College Gameday host Lee Corso\u2019s staff at Indiana University. He coached outside linebackers for five seasons and spent one season tutoring the quarterbacks and receivers.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO STATE (3-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at WASHINGTON STATE (1-3, 0-0 Pac-12)6:30 p.m., Saturday, October 3, 2026 \u2022 USAGesa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480583,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-480582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}