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# Analysis: 3 Keys For Washington State to Defeat Toledo
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/washington-state-cougars-return-home-keys-defeat-toledo-rockets/
- Published: 2025-10-25T04:39:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:17:39.000Z
- Author: Jacob Stevenson
- Tags: Analysis, Isaac Terrell, Cougars, Kirby Vorhees

Looking to get back to the .500 mark after road losses to two ranked opponents, the Washington State Cougars will take the Toledo Rockets for their first home game in over a month.

Even though the Rockets are a 4-3 team that hasn’t played a difficult schedule in the MAC, they rank 10th in the country in rushing yards per attempt and 11th in passing yards per attempt defensively. Headlining that unit, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren will likely hear his name called in the next NFL draft, so this game should not be viewed as a cakewalk by any means.

Here is what Washington State needs to do to walk away with a victory on Saturday:

**Get to the Quarterback and Finish**

Washington State has done a pretty good job at getting pressure on the opposing quarterback this season, as the Cougars rank 26th in the country in sack percentage (7.82 percent). On the other side, Toledo has done a pretty good job keeping their quarterback Tucker Gleason upright, ranking 41st in the country in team QB sack percentage with the 6-3, 245-pound signal caller excelling at breaking tackles in the pocket. The program has been especially solid at home, giving up just three sacks in four games at home against a schedule filled mostly with cupcakes such as Akron and FCS program Morgan State.

But while the Rockets have excelled in pass protection at home, it has been a different story on the road, which could be good news for the Cougars. The Rockets have played three road games against Kentucky, Western Michigan and Bowling Green, which isn’t exactly a murderer’s row of opponents. In those three games, they have given up seven sacks, which comes out to an average of nearly three sacks per game. In short, when Toledo hits the road and plays better quality of competition, keeping the quarterback and running backs clean has been a challenge. The Cougs must take advantage of an offensive line that has been vulnerable at times and bring down Gleason behind the line as much as possible.

**Bottle Up Toledo’s Dynamic RB Tandem**

Tackling has been a huge concern for the Cougs over the course of the season, though they did show improvements last week against the Cavaliers in Virginia. The defense will face another quality test against the Rockets, who have a dangerous duo of backs in Chip Trayanum and Kenji Christian that have combined for 944 rushing yards and nine touchdowns so far this season. Trayanum has been the team’s primary workhorse with 348 yards after contact and 13 missed tackles forced with a stellar 49 percent breakaway rate, but Christian has actually been more of a problem generating yards after contact and forced 19 missed tackles on just 61 carries, bringing the hammer as part of a thunder and lightning package.

Swarming to the football will be crucial for Washington State with both backs possessing above average power and tackle breaking ability, including when they catch the football out of the backfield. If they can limit the damage at the point of contact and consistently bring down ball carriers with few misses in space, they will have a much better chance of keeping Toledo’s offense from orchestrating sustained, lengthy drives. On the flip side, continuing to struggle in the tackling department could be an ingredient for an ugly return to home against a MAC squad that has a history of upsetting bigger schools.

**Take Another Step Forward Finding Balance on Offense**

There is a positive correlation with Washington State’s ability to put points on the board and how effectively they run the football. You could say that about a lot of teams, but it is especially true for the Cougars this year, as they have held their own against the Rebels and Cavaliers the past two weeks in part due to having a more efficient ground game to complement quarterback Zevi Eckhaus. Even though Toledo has done a good job at stopping the run, a soft schedule has been a big part of that success. Toledo has played some pretty bad teams, such as Morgan State, Akron and Kent State. If you look at Bill Connelly’s latest [ SP+ rankings,](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/%5F/id/46128861/2025-college-football-sp+-rankings-all-136-fbs-teams?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) the Rockets have a 4-3 record with only playing one team - Kentucky - in the top half of the country with a rank of 60th in SP+.

That Wildcats squad, the best team that Toledo has played this year, combined to average 6.46 yards per carry on the ground with their running backs. There is not enough of a sample size against quality opponents to necessarily be concerned about the Rockets slowing down Kirby Vorhees and Angel Johnson, with the former taking over as the bell cow as of late. It has been shown throughout the season that when Washington State runs the ball effectively and takes care of the ball, they have a good chance to win.