PULLMAN, Wash, — Washington State finally put one in the win column Saturday, and it came in convincing fashion.
The Cougars rolled past Duquesne 48-7 for Kirby Moore’s first win as Washington State’s head coach and their first victory of the 2026 season.
WSU’s offense piled up 512 total yards, including 316 on the ground. Maxwell Woods led the rushing attack with 116 yards on 11 carries, while Kirby Vorhees added 109 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
Quarterback Caden Pinnick completed 17 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 76 yards and a score. His 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Washington State a 14-7 lead at halftime.
The Cougars broke the game open in the third quarter.
Pinnick connected with Jack Pedersen for an 11-yard touchdown early in the quarter, then found Branden Ganashamoorthy for a 10-yard score to make it 28-7. Vorhees capped the quarter with a 58-yard touchdown run, putting WSU up 35-7 heading into the fourth.
Washington State added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both coming on special teams.
Jaylen Thomas returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown, giving WSU a 41-7 advantage. Tank Hawkins Jr. followed with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown, the Cougars’ first punt-return score since Kaleb Fossum did it against California in 2016.
The 48 points were Washington State’s most in a game since a 49-28 win over Utah State on Nov. 9, 2024.
After opening the season 0-2, Washington State improves to 1-2. Duquesne falls to 0-3.
For Moore, the win provides his first victory at the helm of the Cougars after Washington State dropped its first two games, including an Apple Cup loss and a 34-7 loss to Kansas State last week.
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