This is the Depth Dossier: the Washington State Cougars, Week 8.

Washington State hung tough with number 21 Boise State for three quarters before the wheels came off, falling 31 to 10 as the Broncos ripped off three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth.

Through three quarters, this looked like a genuine upset bid. A 47-yard field goal from kicker Jack Stevens and a touchdown from running back Kirby Vorhees had the Cougars tied at 10 heading into the final period. Then running back Dylan Riley took over, piling up 128 rushing yards and two scores as Boise State pulled away. Quarterback Owen Eshelman threw 40 times for 191 yards behind a line that gave up four sacks, with wide receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy his only reliable target. Linebacker Keith Brown led the defense with nine tackles, but the front wore down late. Washington State drops to 1 and 7.

Let's talk about how this actually got away from them. Boise State ran for 258 yards, averaging seven yards a carry. Washington State's own stated goal was to hold the Broncos under 150 rushing yards. That wasn't close, and Riley nearly hit that number by himself. Meanwhile, the Cougars' ground game managed just 53 yards on under two yards a carry, which forced Eshelman into 40 drop backs against a pass rush that got to him four times.

That gap shows up in yards per play too, with Boise State winning that battle more than two to one. That's how a team can actually lose time of possession and finish with fewer total plays and still blow a game open. It's a familiar shape for this season's losses, where Washington State needs more snaps to do less with them.

A few other things worth knowing. The turnover margin flipped late, with Eshelman's interception coming in the second half, right as the game was tightening up. Boise State defensive back Roman Tillmon got ejected for targeting against Eshelman in the fourth quarter, an odd footnote to what had been a clean, tense defensive battle up to that point. And give credit to the kicking game. Stevens' 47-yarder was a clutch make that kept Washington State level at the half. Head coach Kirby Moore pointed to ball security as the priority afterward, and the tape backs him up. This wasn't one big swing. It was Washington State's inability to sustain anything once Boise State's run game got rolling.

Now to the depth chart. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard, both out last week, are now considered day-to-day rather than firmly sidelined. That's a modest step forward, though neither's been cleared. With Clemons and wide receiver Tony Freeman both out again, Washington State didn't expand its receiver rotation, which is how Ganashamoorthy became the clear security blanket for Eshelman, pulling in a team-high four catches. Until Clemons returns, expect that workload to stay concentrated instead of spreading out.

Nothing's official yet at running back or along either line, but the performance gap matters going forward. Vorhees' red-zone touchdown was the one bright spot on the ground, while the offense as a whole averaged under two yards a carry. That keeps piling pressure onto Eshelman's arm and legs as the engine of this attack, which isn't sustainable behind a line already giving up sacks in bunches.

On defense, Brown's nine tackles continue a pattern of him carrying an outsized share of the workload. The concern raised last week about second-half fatigue looks prescient now that a second straight opponent broke through late with a heavy rushing attack. Watch whether the front seven gets reinforcements or just keeps absorbing the snap count. Next week will show whether Washington State can find any answer for explosive rushing before it costs them another fourth quarter.

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.