DUQUESNE (0-2, 0-0 NEC) at WASHINGTON STATE (0-2, 0-0 Pac-12)
12:30 p.m., Saturday, September 19, 2026 • USA
Gesa Field (32,952) • Pullman, Wash.
COUGARS WELCOME DUQUESNE TO GESA FIELD FOR HOME-OPENER
Washington State opens a three-game homestand with a Saturday afternoon contest against Duquesne at Gesa Field, presented by Toyota. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. on USA Sports.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State has opened the 2026 season with a pair of tough road contests at No. 17 Washington week one and at Kansas State 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 brought in 50 new players including 29 transfers from four-year schools led by quarterback Caden Pinnick who earned FCS Freshman All-America honors at UC Davis last season. WSU welcomed back four starters on offense while wideout Tony Freeman, left tackle Ashton Tripp, running back Kirby Vorhees and safety Jaylen Thomas were all named to the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Impact Watch List.
KIRBY MOORE NAMED COUGAR FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
Kirby Moore was named Cougars’ 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.
COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD
Dating back to the 2003 season, ESPN College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak reached 339 last week at Texas. 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 – Ol’ Crimson and Gray – 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’s “No White Flags.” Appearance No. 217 was its first in Pullman (10/20/18), a 34-20 win over Oregon.
DUQUESNE SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the first meeting between Washington State and Duquesne who is out of Pittsburgh and competes in the Northeast Conference.
JAYLEN THOMAS NAMED PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cougar defensive back Jaylen Thomas was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. 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’ 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 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’ career.
FAN EXPERIENCE AT GESA FIELD GETTING TURBOCHARGED
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’ll 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.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
50 - WSU’s roster features 50 new players
41 - WSU’s roster features 41 players who have transferred from a 4-year school
29 - WSU’s roster features 29 NEW players who transferred from 4-year schools
28 - 28 players have made the Cougar debuts through the first 2 weeks
24 - WSU returned 24 players who earned a varsity letter in 2025
14 - WSU’s 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;
WR Tony Freeman, RT Jonny Lester, LT Ashton Tripp, RB Kirby Vorhees
SIX NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Washington State announced its team captains for 2026 as voted by the players; DT Kaden Beatty LB Keith Brown, WR/PR Tony Freeman, TE Jack Pedersen, LT Ashton Tripp and EDGE Linus Zunk.
SEVEN COUGS HAVE EARNED DEGREES
Keith Brown Social Sciences, WSU
Hudson Cedarland Management, WSU
Gavin Fugate Sport Management, WSU
Jonny Lester Biology, WSU
Damarje Lewis Consumer Science, Purdue
Jack Pedersen Political Science, UCLA
Linus Zunk Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt
CADEN PINNICK NAMED COUGAR STARTING QUARTERBACK
Kirby Moore named redshirt-sophomore Caden Pinnick the Cougars starting quarterback August 24. Last 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.
FALL CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
During fall camp, four players earned scholarships; longsnapper Sean Bures, linebacker Jack Ellison, linebacker Gavin Fugate and defensive end Jack Procter.
THE PAC IS BACK!
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.
WSU AND COLVILLE TRIBES ANNOUNCE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP, JUNE 30
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. Under 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’s 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’s 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’s and women’s basketball, and prominent integration across WSU Athletics platforms and game-day experiences. The partnership was brokered in collaboration with Playfly Sports, the sports industry’s leading revenue maximization company. Playfly serves as WSU’s multimedia rights partner.
JON HAARLOW NAMED WSU VICE PRESIDENT / DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Washington State University President Betsy Cantwell selected Jon Haarlow as WSU’s 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’s 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. In 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’ 17 varsity athletic programs.
Since assuming the role as Washington State University’s Interim Director of Athletics last November, Haarlow has:
- Led department-wide strategic initiatives, driving operational momentum and cross-campus alignment
- Directed the successful hiring of Head Football Coach Kirby Moore 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’ positioning for the new era of the Pac-12 Conference by collaborating with conference and institutional leaders to support long-term stability and sustainability
ABE LUCAS, SEAHAWKS WIN SUPER LX
A pair of Washington State Cougars wrapped up the NFL 2025 season facing off in Super Bowl LX, RT Abraham Lucas and the Seattle Seahawks beat WR Kyle Williams 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. Deone Bucannon won Super Bowl LV (2021) with Tampa Bay, Jaylen Watson of Kansas City beat Andre Dillard and Garnder Minshew II with Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII (2023), Watson and Kansas City won Super Bowl LVIII (2024), Watson and Jaden Hicks played in Super Bowl LIX (2025), Abraham Lucas of Seattle beat Kyle Williams of New England in Super Bowl LX (2026). 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.
WSU ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR BILL STEVENS RETIRES AFTER 21 YEARS
Washington State University Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Strategic Communications Bill Stevens has retired after 21 years working in the Cougars’ 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’s golf and women’s tennis. In his 21 years working at WSU, Stevens worked with five athletic directors, seven head football coaches including Mike Leach (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’s and women’s 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.