Washington State football: Cougars success in 2020 hinges on Max Borghi

Ed Stein |

Jun 17, 2020

Max Borghi, Washington State football.

No football team wins because of one man. However, it’s on junior running back Max Borghi to be the lynch-pin of Washington State’s offense in 2020.

Max Borghi thrived in his first two seasons with the Washington State football program as part of Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense. As a freshman, he split time with James Williams as the featured back before becoming the main man as a sophomore last year. The 5-10, 195-pound dynamo responded with some great numbers.

In 2019, he excelled in almost every offensive category a player in his position can.

96 points – 2^nd WSU, 5^th Pac-12, 2^nd non-kickers Pac-12, 19^th non-kickers FBS
817 rushing yards – 1^st WSU, 10^th Pac-12
213 total touches – 1^st WSU, 6^th Pac-12
1414 yards from scrimmage – 1^st WSU, 3^rd Pac-12
16 touchdowns – 1^st WSU, 2^nd Pac-12
86 receptions – 1^st WSU, 2^nd Pac-12, 11^th FBS
6.4 yards-per-carry – 1^st WSU, 1^st Pac-12. 19^th FBS

It’s no wonder Borghi was named as an all-conference honorable mention after the season. As a matter of fact, he was selected by Athlon Sports for the preseason All-Pac-12 first-team as an all-purpose player.

Since his arrival at Wazzu, Borghi showed how productive he is with the ball in his hands. All indications are that new head coach Nick Rolovich will also run a wide-open offense. Look for the Cougars use some form of the run and shoot offense, most likely out of a pistol formation.

That bodes very well for Borghi. Because of his versatility, he fits into most modern offenses and should perform in the new scheme as well.

Going back to Leach’s idea of a balanced offense where all five skill position players contribute to the offensive attack, Borghi had to hold up his end in many different ways. For example, he could take a handoff, be used as a decoy in play-action, go in motion and run a pass route, or delay out of the backfield on screens.

Touchdown and ballgame, Max Borghi! #GoCougs #JoinTheHunt pic.twitter.com/O0v5Vk3YXq

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) November 24, 2019

Those are all necessary skills for a spread offense. Borghi can be Washington State’s version of Christian McCaffery, Darren Sproles, or Aaron Jones. It also makes him a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses because they don’t know where he’ll line up or where he’ll go.

With both a new head coach and an unsettled starting quarterback situation, Borghi is more important now than he was before. The Arvada, Colorado native is one of just a few proven commodities on the Washington State offense.

Whichever one of the five quarterbacks, who wins the competition for the starting job, will rely heavily on Borghi’s experience. Additionally, with his sure hands, he is the ultimate safety valve for a QB under pressure.

What do you think about Max Borghi’s importance for the 2020 Washington State Cougars? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.