First look: No. 20 Washington State hosts Utah State, seeking fourth straight win

Nov. 4—PULLMAN — Here is a first look at No. 20 Washington State’s home game against Utah State on Saturday evening.

What is it?

Coming off its second and final bye week of the season, Washington State will host Utah State in just the teams’ fifth meeting in school history. For the Cougars, it’s the fifth game of a Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement that provided WSU and Oregon State games for this season. It’s also a future Pac-12 matchup, as the Aggies will be joining the new-look conference beginning in 2026.

Where is it?

Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Where can I watch it?

The CW will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

Washington State was around a 20.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday morning.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

WSU was idle last week, enjoying its second and final bye week of the season. Prior to that, the Cougars erased a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off San Diego State, earning win No. 7 of the season. Quarterback John Mateer totaled four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, and linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah grabbed a late interception that set up the Cougs for the game-winning touchdown.

WSU’s defense produced four sacks, including one from edge Nusi Malani and three from defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh, who has come on really strong over the last two games. He also registered 1 1/2 sacks against Hawaii, giving him 4 1/2 in two games, leading head coach Jake Dickert to call him “unblockable” after the Cougs’ win over the Aztecs.

The Cougars’ offense wasn’t perfect, though, particularly in the third quarter. For one, WSU swapped left guard starter Christian Hilborn for backup Rod Tialavea to begin the second half, a decision Dickert said was based on performance. Sticking with that move for the remainder of…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/first-look-no-20-washington-030300717.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-11-05 03:03:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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