PULLMAN, Wash. (Interstat) — Washington State scored in every quarter and defeated Duquesne 48-7 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in a NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Martin Stadium. The Cougars improved to 1-2, while the Dukes dropped to 0-3. Washington State finished with 48 points, and Duquesne scored 7. The Cougars led 7-7 after the first quarter. Washington State scored 21 points in the second quarter, 13 in the third and seven in the fourth. Duquesne scored its seven points in the first quarter. Caden Pinnick led Washington State with a versatile performance.

Washington State opened the scoring with 8:10 remaining in the first quarter when Kirby Vorhees rushed left for an 8-yard touchdown. Jack Stevens made the extra point. Duquesne answered at the 4:16 mark when Carson Camp rushed middle for a 1-yard touchdown, and Matt Clark kicked the extra point. Washington State appeared to score again with 22 seconds left in the quarter on a 2-yard Vorhees rush, but the touchdown was nullified by an illegal formation penalty. The 5-yard penalty moved the ball from the Duquesne 2 to the Duquesne 7, and the play was wiped out.

In the second quarter, Washington State added to its total. Jack Stevens missed a 30-yard field goal attempt with 14:57 remaining. The Cougars then scored 21 points in the quarter, including a 19-yard touchdown run by Pinnick with 4:30 left. Stevens made the extra point. The Washington State defense held Duquesne without a point in the second quarter.

Washington State added to its lead in the third quarter. Pinnick completed a short middle pass to Jack Pedersen, who caught the ball at the Duquesne 7 and went 11 yards for a touchdown with 12:01 remaining. Stevens kicked the extra point. Later in the quarter, Pinnick found Branden Ganashamoorthy on a short middle pass that went 10 yards for a touchdown with 2:27 left. Stevens again converted. The Cougars scored 13 points in the third quarter.

The final Washington State touchdown came on special teams in the fourth quarter. Justin Willis punted 38 yards to the Washington State 35, and T. Hawkins returned it 65 yards to the Duquesne end zone with 3:05 remaining. Stevens made the extra point. Duquesne was unable to generate another scoring drive. Washington State closed out the 48-7 victory at home.

Pinnick, a quarterback from Loomis, California, completed 17 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 12 times for 76 yards and one touchdown. His top targets included Darrius Clemons, who caught four passes for 33 yards, and Pedersen, who had one reception for 11 yards and a touchdown. Ganashamoorthy caught a 10-yard scoring pass. Duquesne quarterback Carson Camp, from Bloomington, Illinois, completed 9 of 18 passes for 69 yards and had a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Ryan Petras led the Dukes with four receptions for 56 yards. Noah Canty had three catches for 6 yards, and Trey Graham added one catch for 6 yards.

Duquesne’s running game had some success. Dazhaun Hopkins rushed seven times for 60 yards. Shawn Solomon Jr. ran seven times for 17 yards and caught one pass for 3 yards. Cam Oliver carried twice for 4 yards. Camp also scored on a 1-yard rush. The Dukes were limited to seven points.

Defensively for Duquesne, James Monds III recorded seven tackles. Luke Miller and DJ Cerisier each had six tackles. Nico Pate added five. Ravon Johnson, Will Martin, and Deven Thomas each finished with four tackles. Jeff Banks, Dashawn Fields, and Caleb Jones each had three tackles. Zach Chambers made two tackles. Bernard Blakey and Aidan Buggey each recorded two tackles and half a sack. Dallas Harper had two tackles and an interception. Adrian Ramirez, Jamari Buddin, and Cam Frazier each made two tackles. Will Hosick, Jacob Logan, Carter Lance, Zion Patillo, Jordan Holmes, Nick Collins Jr., Charlie Stec, and Deshaun Harper each had one tackle.

Washington State’s defense was led by Matyus McLain with six tackles and Jeremiah Bernard with six tackles and half a sack. Kaden Beatty had five tackles and half a sack. Jaylen Thomas recorded four tackles and returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown. Linus Zunk had four tackles and two quarterback hurries. CJ Solis-Lumar, Isaiah Hung, and Keith Brown each made four tackles. Damarjhe Lewis had three tackles and half a sack. Jirah Leaupepetele added two tackles. Jack Pedersen caught an 11-yard touchdown pass, and Darrius Clemons caught four passes for 33 yards.

Duquesne’s special teams featured Justin Willis, who punted four times for 162 yards, and Andrew Graham, who punted seven times for 269 yards. Antwon Thomas returned one kickoff 21 yards. Matt Clark handled kicking duties. Washington State’s Jack Stevens made his extra-point attempts and missed a 30-yard field goal. The Cougars also got a punt-return touchdown from T. Hawkins on a 65-yard return. Jaylen Thomas finished with five punt returns for 61 yards and a score.

Duquesne opened the season with a 34-0 loss at Air Force on Sept. 5 and a 70-13 loss at Youngstown State on Sept. 12. Washington State had lost 24-10 at Washington on Sept. 6 and 34-7 at Kansas State on Sept. 12. Duquesne will host Rio Grande on Sept. 26, then host Long Island on Oct. 10, visit Stonehill on Oct. 17, host Wagner on Oct. 24, visit New Haven on Oct. 31, host Robert Morris on Nov. 7, host Mercyhurst on Nov. 14, and visit Central Connecticut on Nov. 21. Washington State will host Arizona on Sept. 26, host Fresno State on Oct. 3, visit Utah State on Oct. 9, visit Oregon State on Oct. 17, host Boise State on Oct. 24, visit San Diego State on Oct. 31, host Colorado State on Nov. 14, and visit Texas State on Nov. 21.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Washington State 34, Duquesne 20. Interstat’s ELO system gave Washington State a 95.8 percent probability to win. Duquesne had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +38.5. The total score of 55 went under the over-under line of 53.5.