As WSU cherishes last Pac-12 trip to Rose Bowl, Cougs look to build on spotless start

LOS ANGELES – Maybe if Brennan Jackson made some big gesture, if he put his hands over his head or jumped for joy, the TV cameras would have noticed him.

Washington State’s edge rusher was at the Rose Bowl in 2017 when USC topped Penn State 52-49 in a thrilling Rose Bowl game. While Jackson never made a cameo on the broadcast, he still remembers it fondly

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This time, when Jackson takes the field at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, TV cameras will most certainly capture him.

That’s because No. 13 Washington State faces a noon kickoff with UCLA, the Cougars’ road opener in Pac-12 play. Jackson has caught the attention of cameras this season, playing as well as the best pass-rushers in the country. Facing a solid Bruins offense, that may come in handy for the Cougars.

Previous experience gives Jackson perspective on a situation that not all of his teammates share. As UCLA plays its final season in the Pac-12 and WSU continues to wade through the disbanding conference , the Cougars are playing their final conference game at the Rose Bowl, the iconic stadium with a century of history. The arena, an oval that seats more than 100,000, has hosted thousands of games.

How do the Cougars (4-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12) make sure they win ? Part of the answer, Jackson said, requires not getting distracted.

“Kind of blocking all that extra noise right now,” Jackson said. “My only focus is beating UCLA in the Rose Bowl.”

To do that, Washington State will need to poke holes in UCLA’s defense, one of the best in the country. The Bruins rank sixth nationally in points allowed per game (11). They check in at No. 11 in rush defense, giving up 77.8 rushing yards per game. They’ve given up just three touchdowns – two in a loss to Utah two weeks ago.

The man behind that unit is first-year UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who last coached Baltimore Ravens safeties in the NFL. Before that, he was in charge of the Houston Texans’ secondary. Lynn helped last year’s Ravens surrender just 18.5 points per game, which ranked third in the league.

On the playing field, though, UCLA’s defense is guided by edge Laiatu Latu, a 6-foot-5 senior who has totaled four sacks and 18 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF has graded him as the nation’s eighth-best pass-rusher and third among edges. He had three sacks in Week 1 and another the next week. He recorded just two QB hurries in his team’s loss to Utah on Sept. 23.

Joining the Bruins’ pass rush are twin brothers Gabriel and Grayson Murphy. Grayson has put up slightly better numbers – three sacks and 15 total pressures – but Gabriel has earned the better PFF grade, tallying one sack and 13 pressures. Either way, Washington State’s offensive line will have to hold up.

“I think their defensive front seven is the core of their team,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said, “and I think it’s really challenging. Obviously, they put it on tape this year. So we gotta answer that bell.”

The Cougars in charge of that task are their offensive linemen: left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Christian Hilborn, center Konner Gomness, right guard Ma’ake Fifita, right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe. That unit has yielded three sacks and 24 pressures. That’s good for PFF’s No. 28 ranking in pass protection efficiency – which ranks fourth in the Pac-12

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“I think they’re playing with supreme confidence on that side of the ball,” Dickert said. “And it’s shown, as one of the best defenses in our league. So it presents a big challenge, especially up front and how much they want to blitz.”

The good news for WSU is quarterback Cameron Ward has excelled against the blitz. In those situations, per PFF, he’s completed 25 of 36 passes (69%) for 430 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also made zero turnover-worthy plays, a statistic that’s about what it sounds like.

If there’s any quarterback this season who might find ways around UCLA’s defense, it’s Ward. He still has not thrown an interception. He has totaled 1,390 passing yards. He has 13 touchdowns and, with no interceptions, stands alone with Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman as the only quarterbacks in the country with those figures.

To keep building on those, he’ll need to stay upright. That’s on WSU’s offensive line. How that unit fares might go a long way in deciding the outcome.

“I feel like if we just stay on schedule, have great timing, go through progressions, offensive line set the table from the first snap, then I think we’ll be all right,” Ward said.