Two-minute drill: No. 23 Washington State’s keys to victory against Northern Colorado

PULLMAN – Here’s what to watch for when No. 23 Washington State hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon.

When Northern Colorado has the ball … Washington State can put this game away quickest – and test its depth at the edge position – by dominating Northern Colorado’s offensive line and giving quarterback Jacob Sirmon little time to throw. That will be in the hands of edges Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson, of course, but in this game, the Cougars will get a chance to find which other edges they can count on when Pac-12 play begins.

Now that edge Lawrene Falatea tore his ACL during fall camp and Quinn Roff suffered an arm injury last week, WSU will give three players extra game time on the outside: true freshman Isaac Terrell, redshirt sophomore Raam Stevenson and junior Andrew Edson.

Among that group, who plays the best will help the Cougars dispatch the Bears faster – and secure more playing time later in the season.

“I think Eddie, even through the first two games, has quietly played really, really well,” Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said.” And I don’t think he gets enough credit for the type of player he is and what he does. We’re looking for Raam to continually take that next step now, and that’ll be another great week for him. Isaac Terrell, you’ll see him out there this week.”

Washington State’s secondary will also get a chance to disrupt UNC quarterback Jacob Sirmon downfield. Safety Jaden Hicks is coming off one of his finest performances for the Cougars, recording nine tackles (seven solo, one for loss), forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes. Cornerbacks Chau Smith-Wade and Cam Lampkin, tasked with defending Bears receivers Blake Haggerty and Ty Arrington, can help their team’s cause, too.

WSU’s defense can truly expedite a win, though, by forcing a turnover or two. The Cougars will enter this game ranked No. 16 nationally in turnover margin, with an average mark of plus-1.5, and this offers WSU a chance to boost that higher.

“The best part is there’s so much to get better at,” Dickert said, “and that’s just not coachspeak. We need to be better to win football games. And this is one of those challenges. I’ve got a lot of respect for Northern Colorado. They’re building a program, first-year head coach, but it’s about us. The biggest opponent we face every week is challenging to be our best. And that won’t change, is looking at the man in the mirror, and finding that quest of a lot of different things that we need to do to be better, and our maturity will be tested.”

When Washington State has the ball … The Cougars’ offense will look a tad different Saturday. The Cougars will be playing without wide receiver DT Sheffield, who left the program sometime after WSU’s game against Wisconsin last week. During his Monday news conference, Dickert declined to share Sheffield’s explanation for leaving, but in either case, the Cougars will need to keep chugging.

It may not add up to a disastrous loss, considering Sheffield totaled just four catches for 26 yards in his two games. What it does mean, though, is that transfer wideout Isaiah Hamilton will get more playing time. He’ll back up senior receiver Lincoln Victor.

Will that change Washington State’s offense in any material way? Maybe not, but similar to their backups on defense, the Cougars will get a chance to see what they have in Hamilton. A transfer from San Jose State, Hamilton has yet to catch a pass this season. A 5-yard kickoff return the only statistic to his name .

If there’s one improvement the Cougars can likely make this week, though, it’s in the running game. Through two games , their running backs’ numbers have lagged. Against Colorado State, Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins combined for 26 yards on 14 carries. In the Cougars’ win over the Badgers, they posted just 36 yards on 13 attempts.

What seems to be the issue? Part of it has to do with Washington State’s passing attack, which the Cougars prefer anyway. Why run when your passing game is humming? Still, WSU understands its troubles on the ground will not fly for much longer. Pac-12 play looms large.

“We’re not all of a sudden this week just gonna come out and run 70% of the time,” Dickert said, “but we need to establish the run game as a threat, which will open up the pass game even more. That’s a basic concept of offense, but at the same time, you gotta want to do it and we gotta better at it.

“I talked about the laundry list of things we need to do to get better, because there was about four or five runs that we need to hit and could have been big rips on Saturday, that we miss for one detail or one hand placement or one miscommunication or a missed aim point. Those are things that we control, so we gotta get better at those things.”