First look: No. 20 Washington State hosts Utah State, seeking fourth straight win

PULLMAN – Here is a first look at No. 20 Washington State’s home game against Utah State on Saturday evening.

What is it?

Coming off its second and final bye week of the season, Washington State will host Utah State in just the teams’ fifth meeting in school history. For the Cougars, it’s the fifth game of a Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement that provided WSU and Oregon State games for this season. It’s also a future Pac-12 matchup, as the Aggies will be joining the new-look conference beginning in 2026.

Where is it?

Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Where can I watch it?

The CW will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

Washington State was around a 20.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday morning.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

WSU was idle last week, enjoying its second and final bye week of the season. Prior to that, the Cougars erased a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off San Diego State, earning win No. 7 of the season. Quarterback John Mateer totaled four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, and linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah grabbed a late interception that set up the Cougs for the game-winning touchdown.

WSU’s defense produced four sacks, including one from edge Nusi Malani and three from defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh, who has come on really strong over the last two games. He also registered 1½ sacks against Hawaii, giving him 4½ in two games, leading head coach Jake Dickert to call him “unblockable” after the Cougs’ win over the Aztecs.

The Cougars’ offense wasn’t perfect, though, particularly in the third quarter. For one, WSU swapped left guard starter Christian Hilborn for backup Rod Tialavea to begin the second half, a decision Dickert said was based on performance. Sticking with that move for the remainder of the game, WSU scuffled on offense in the third quarter, logging just 21 total yards (negative-3 rushing) and punting on all three drives. After the game, Dickert called it another “lull,” the type that has followed this offense around for many games this season.

Beyond that, the Cougs also made other mistakes that “would have led to losing,” Dickert said. Punt return man Tony Freeman muffed a punt, leading to an SDSU touchdown a few plays later, and WSU defenders missed 13 tackles, allowing SDSU to take a two-score lead. Aztec running back Marquez Cooper scored twice on 18 carries, posting 78 rushing yards.

But as they’ve proven throughout this season, the Cougars were never out of things. They’ve now won three games this season when trailing in the fourth quarter, a firm reversal from last season, when they didn’t enjoy much fourth-quarter success. The new trend has fueled much of this WSU season, which has a small chance to continue in the College Football Playoff – and if not that, certainly a nice bowl game.

Scouting Utah State…

Under interim head coach Nate Dreiling, the Aggies – who will also be coming off a bye – are 2-6. Most recently, they used a walk-off field goal to beat Wyoming, which followed a six-game losing streak. In that skid, the Aggies dropped games to USC, Utah, Temple, Boise State, UNLV and New Mexico. USU’s only other win came in a season-opening rout over FCS Robert Morris.

The Aggies’ quarterback is senior Spencer Petras, who started his career with five seasons at Iowa (starting the final three) before transferring ahead of this season. This fall, Petras has completed 161 of 245 passes (66%) for 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, missing two games (USC and Utah) with an ankle sprain.

Petras’ top target is senior Jalen Royals, who has hauled in 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns. The Aggies also like to involve receivers Kyrese White and Otto Tia, who have combined for five scores, and tight end Broc Lane has also caught a pair of touchdowns this season.

Utah State also averages about 76 offensive plays per game, making the Aggies one of the fastest teams nationally in terms of pace.

“This is an explosive offense. They play a very unique brand of football,” Dickert said. “It’s the Art Briles, Dino Babers, Josh Heupel tree. They stand the guys next to the sideline, and it’s almost like option. Eventually, you’re just gonna get man coverage. They’re going to get you in here in a phone booth, make you miss a (tackle). You gotta show your hand, you gotta show your coverage. You get a lot of one-on-one matchups.”

But Utah State’s big weakness comes on defense. The Aggies are allowing 42 points per game, second-to-last in the nation, and they’re allowing 254 passing yards per game, No. 108 nationally. USU is also permitting 244 rushing yards per game, third-to-last in the country, including an average rush of 5.8 yards, also third-to-last nationally. The Aggies are also allowing opponents to convert 49% of their third downs, which is No. 128 in the country.

Utah State’s top defenders include edge rusher Cian Slone, who leads the team with four sacks; safety Jordan Vincent and cornerback D.J. Graham II, who have grabbed two interceptions apiece; and safety Ike Larsen, who leads the club with seven pass breakups. One problem for USU: Vincent and Larsen also lead the team in missed tackles, with 17 and 11, respectively.

What happened last time?

WSU and Utah State’s last meeting came in the 2021 season opener, when the Aggies knocked off the Cougars in Pullman, kicking off the second year of Nick Rolovich’s tenure with a resounding loss. In that one, USU used back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to erase a two-score hole, handing WSU its first loss to a Mountain West opponent since the 2019 Cheez-It Bowl.