Two-minute drill: No. 19 Washington State’s keys to victory against Arizona
PULLMAN – Here’s what to watch for when No. 19 Washington State hosts Arizona on Saturday.
When Arizona has the ball …
As Friday morning turned to afternoon, Arizona’s starting quarterback remained unknown. Will it be former WSU signal-caller Jayden de Laura, who has been nursing an injury that held him out the past two games, or will it be redshirt freshman Noah Fifita, who totaled 300 yards passing and five touchdowns in his team’s triple-overtime loss to USC last week?
Wildcats coach Jedd Fisch wouldn’t say, but either way, de Laura will at least suit up for the game.
“I fully expect Jayden to dress this week,” Fisch told 247Sports. “Even if he’s at 90%, he will dress and be the backup. If he is at 100%, he will dress and start. He will be full pads and ready to go, and if not starting, I hope he will be healthy enough to be available in an emergency situation.”
That changes Arizona’s offense in meaningful ways. If de Laura plays, the Cougars will need to keep him contained, which will require edges like Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. – plus linebackers Devin Richardson and Kyle Thornton – to keep a close eye on him, particularly when they get pressure.
If pocket passer Fifita plays, more pressure could go to WSU’s secondary, which will need to stay locked on to their matchups, like Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan (6-foot-5), who has five touchdown receptions this season. Cowing has provided a steady hand all season, but he’s come on particularly strong in recent weeks, catching 10 passes for 88 yards and four touchdowns against USC – including touchdown catches in the fourth quarter and the first two overtime sessions.
WSU cornerbacks Chau Smith-Wade and Cam Lampkin, plus safeties Jaden Hicks and Sam Lockett III, will have to keep their eyes on Fifita. Their jobs could become easier if their teammates up front find their way into the backfield. Stone and Jackson, combined for 13 pressures last week against UCLA. The matchup to watch might be Jackson against Arizona tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, who has Pro Football Focus’ second-best pass-blocking grade (87.3) nationally among qualifying offensive linemen. He’s yielded just three hurries all season.
The Wildcats are a little more susceptible to pressure elsewhere on the offensive line. Left tackle Jordan Morgan (who was out for the season with an injury during these teams’ meeting last season) has graded well, but he has permitted one sack and nine hurries this fall. Guard Wendell Moe has allowed two sacks this season, meaning the Cougars’ interior linemen – David Gusta and Nusi Malani – might shine.
Washington State figures to have the players to defend the other part of Arizona’s offense, its rushing attack. Last week, running back Jonah Coleman had 22 carries for 143 yards against USC, opening things up for Fifita. Generally speaking, the Cougars’ defense – when it hasn’t been on the field for 98 snaps, like it was last week – has buttoned up the run, but during their past two weeks, they’ve given up 242 and 181 rushing yards.
That doesn’t bode well for Washington State, but if the defense can force a takeaway or two, it can supply extra possessions for the offense, which has rarely missed opportunities to do so this season.
When Washington State has the ball …
For the Cougars to resume looking like the team that scored 50 points against Colorado State and 35 against Oregon State, their offensive line has to keep quarterback Cam Ward clean. That they failed to do so last week played an enormous role in that loss. Left tackle Esa Pole received a PFF pass-blocking grade of 0.0 for his outing, eight hurries and one hit, and left guard Christian Hilborn was dinged for five pressures as well.
The good news for WSU is the Wildcats are PFF’s second-worst pass-rushing team in the Pac-12. They have totaled four sacks this season, and only one came from their defensive line, which starts edge Isaiah Ward, interior linemen Tyler Manoa and Bill Norton, plus edge Taylor Upshaw, who according to PFF is having the lowest-graded season of his four-year career.
That should give Ward time to look downfield and find receivers Kyle Williams and Josh Kelly – senior Lincoln Victor is likely to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury – but will it get WSU’s ground game going? The Cougars haven’t found a rhythm in their rushing attack, but against Arizona’s defense, which ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in run defense, maybe this is WSU’s chance.
That will require tailbacks Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins to find holes. It will also require the Cougars’ offensive linemen to create them. To WSU head coach Jake Dickert, it also requires something else.
“It’s a want-to thing,” Dickert said. “It’s a mentality thing. It’s a tough thing. And it’s something you can’t just talk about – you gotta go out there on the field and do it. You gotta want to move people. You gotta want to move bodies. You gotta want to do it through technique. So there’s no excuses. I agree. I wanna run the ball more, too. But we gotta make sure we’re all taking ownership for our piece of it and go out there and get it done.”
Whether the Cougars find success on the ground, they will want to throw it first. That’s where the Wildcats’ “dollar” package – with an extra nickelback on the field – comes in. In recent weeks, that has been Montell Irby, who replaced safety Isaiah Taylor last week against USC. In this formation, the Wildcats drop seven in coverage, hoping to take away the pass – the part of the game on which the Cougars rely so heavily.
To beat that, Ward will have to be careful with his throws and avoid bad decisions, which he said plagued him last week against UCLA. He could also beat it by handing it off to Watson and Jenkins. If they can supply a consistent ground attack, Arizona might have to load up its box more.
All along, that’s been the key to unlocking the Cougars’ offense. If they can force opponents to honor the run, they can become more effective through the air. They haven’t found it yet, but their next opportunity comes Saturday.