Washington State Looks to Open Pac-12 Play With a Bang vs. Fresno State
In their first game against a new conference foe, the Washington State Cougars will open Pac-12 play on Saturday night when they host the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs at Gesa Field.
The Cougars enter the conference opener at 1-3 after a tough start to the season. Washington State opened the year with road losses to No. 17 Washington and Kansas State before picking up its first win with a 48-7 victory over Duquesne. The Cougars then returned home last Saturday but couldn’t hold onto an early lead in a 34-24 loss to Arizona.
Fresno State enters Pullman at 3-1 and riding a three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 39-0 loss at No. 14 USC before responding with wins over Sacramento State, San Jose State, and Rice, feasting on far lesser competition after getting ran out of the Coliseum in Week 1.
For the Cougars, Saturday marks an opportunity to put the first four games behind them and get off to a strong start in a Pac-12 conference that should be wide open, with the exception being Boise State as an outside contender to make the College Football Playoff.
Seeking a 1-0 start in conference play, here’s a look at what to watch in Pullman:
1. The biggest concern for Washington State entering Saturday's matchup remains consistency on offense.
The Cougars have shown flashes of competence on offense through the first four games, but they have struggled to consistently move the ball against top teams.
But the good news for Washington State is the average opponent for the Cougars is a bit of a drop off in the new Pac 12 then against their previous Power four opponents.
Caden Pinnick will once again lead the offense against Fresno State. The redshirt sophomore has shown he can make plays with his legs, but Washington State needs more consistency from him as a passer, particularly beyond 10 yards through the air. He has found a bit of chemistry with receivers Branden Ganashamoorthy and Tank Hawkins in recent games, and those two could be key X-factors to watch on Saturday.
Against Arizona, Pinnick helped the Cougars jump out to a 14-0 lead before the offense started to struggle once again. Washington State consistently had issues moving the ball as the game went on, allowing Arizona to take control.
2. Washington State's rushing attack could play a major role Saturday night if the offensive line gets back on track.
The Cougars had their best offensive performance of the season against Duquesne, rushing for 316 yards in the 48-7 win. Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees both finished with more than 100 rushing yards.
As a team, Washington State had 30 carries for 94 yards against Arizona, however, as Vorhees and Woods were locked down most of the night. The Cougars’ offense seems to go as the run game goes so far this season and the offensive line will need to step up on Saturday to get the rushing attack going.
Running the football well against Fresno State not only will open things up for Pinnick in the passing game, but it should help from a pass protection standpoint by preventing the Bulldogs’ pass rushers from being able to pin their ears back and hunt the quarterback.
3. Washington State's defense will have another challenge against a Fresno State offense that has played better since the season opener.
Fresno State has scored at least 26 points in each of its three wins, including 49 against Sacramento State and 38 against Rice.
The Cougars will need to do a better job of limiting big plays then they did against Arizona to prevent the Bulldogs from matching those numbers on Saturday night.
With Fresno State struggling to protect the quarterback on the offensive line, Linus Zunk and Matyus McLain will need to continue wreaking havoc in the backfield and making Fresno State starter Jayden Mandal uncomfortable.
One of the more interesting matchups will be between brothers. Washington State defensive lineman Jirah Leaupepetele will face his brother, Fresno State offensive lineman Jonah Leaupepetele, when the Bulldogs come to Pullman.
For Jirah and the rest of the Cougar defense, winning the battle up front will be critical against a Fresno State offense that has played much better over the last three weeks, albeit against worse competition.
Prediction
Washington State 24, Fresno State 21
