First look at Wyoming vs. WSU football matchup Saturday

When/Where: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.; Martin Stadium, Pullman

TV: Pac-12 Washington

Records: WSU (1-1); Wyoming (0-2)

Last time: Wyoming defeated Washington State 34-13 in Pullman (1990)

What it means for WSU: Washington State hasn’t won in front of its home fans since its third game last season, a 59-21 laugher over Portland State. For whatever reason, the Cougars just haven’t been as good at home as they are on the road, and that’s deprived fans and students a chance to see the home team have success. With a win on Saturday, the Cougars can put together their first consecutive wins since 2013 and give the home crowd a reason to return.

What it means for Wyoming: The Cowboys are off to a rough start in 2015, but Saturday’s game presents a chance for a turning-point win. Wyoming has a young team and a widely respected head coach in Craig Bohl. When Bohl was at North Dakota State his teams had a reputation for slaying Power Five teams and you can bet the Cowboys will be fired up to keep that tradition alive this weekend.

Key matchup: Peyton Pelluer vs. Brian Hill

Running the ball straight into the heart of a defense is a staple of Wyoming’s offense, which means that WSU inside linebacker Peyton Pelluer will have an outsized role in stopping the Cowboys on Saturday. Running back Brian Hill rushed for 242 yards on 21 carries in Wyoming’s loss to Eastern Michigan last week and has rushed for 100 or more yards in five of his last seven games. The Cowboys don’t ask their running backs to bounce outside very often, so you can bet there will be plenty of collisions between Hill and Pelluer.

Jacob Thorpe, staff writer