The pick: Why No. 19 Washington State will beat Arizona

PULLMAN – Shortly after he threw two interceptions and took the brunt of the blame for Washington State’s loss to UCLA last weekend, Cameron Ward ambled up to the podium to chat with reporters.

Up there, he accepted his fair share of responsibility for the loss. He denied any role the Bruins’ pass rush played in the game. Instead, he said, he needed to be better.

“You’ll see a different quarterback from this point forward,” Ward said. “You’ll see a different offense from this point forward.”

To beat Arizona on Saturday, Ward doesn’t need to be different. Neither does his offense. If the Cougars do their thing on that end of the ball, they shouldn’t have much issue dispatching the Wildcats, who have started 3-3 to the season.

For one, WSU figures to have a much easier time defending Arizona’s pass rush, which ranks second to last in the Pac-12, according to Pro Football Focus. That will give Ward time to sit back and throw.

When he’s had those opportunities, he has had great success, such as his 400 passing yards and four touchdowns against Oregon State.

If the Cougars’ offense can make any changes, they’d like to activate their running game. That has not happened in any of their four games against FBS competition this season. WSU’s offensive linemen have not run-blocked well enough, and its running backs have not found their way around holes, even when their linemen have opened them up.

Can Washington State turn things around on that front? If so, watch out. If not, still watch out. Last week’s loss aside, the Cougars’ passing attack has been too good to fail. Here’s guessing it won’t this weekend.

The pick: No. 19 Washington State 38, Arizona 17.