First look: No. 19 Washington State visits New Mexico for teams’ third meeting of all-time

PULLMAN – Here is a first look at No. 19 Washington State’s road game against New Mexico on Saturday evening.

What is it?

Coming off a blowout win over Utah State, Washington State will visit New Mexico in just the teams’ third meeting. For the Cougars, it’s the sixth game of a Pac-12 and Mountain West scheduling agreement that provided WSU and Oregon State games for this season.

Where is it?

University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m MT).

Where can I watch it?

FS1 will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

Washington State was around a 13½-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday morning.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

In a 49-28 win over Utah State, the Cougars used a stretch of 28 unanswered points to pull away , building a 35-7 lead in the third quarter. Quarterback John Mateer enjoyed his third-straight turnover-free game, completing 18 of 24 passes for 179 yards and four touchdowns, including three to senior wide receiver Kyle Williams, helping WSU win its fourth-straight game.

It was the best rushing outing all season for the Cougs, who totaled 303 yards on the ground. True freshman Wayshawn Parker tallied 149 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, including a 75-yard score on the first play of the third quarter. Fellow running backs Leo Pulalasi and Djouvensky Schlenbaker combined for 88 yards on 16 carries. Mateer added 55 yards and a touchdown.

The Cougars’ defense also generated two takeaways, an interception from nickelback Kapena Gushiken and a forced fumble and recovery from linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, who now has five takeaways this season. He’s forced three fumbles (recovering two) and intercepted two passes, becoming a key cog in the way WSU has forced turnovers. WSU has 17 this season, ranked 20th in the country.

Perhaps just as important, the Cougars grounded an Aggie passing attack that had produced these yardage totals in their past few games: 360, 461, 372, 293. In Saturday’s game, USU QB Spencer Metras managed just 208 yards through the air, indicating that WSU’s passing defense – a real weakness throughout the first several games of the season – is improving in a credible way.

WSU also allowed Utah State just two plays of 20-plus yards, which Dickert liked because he said the Aggies were averaging about five entering Saturday’s game. The plays: A 24-yard pass in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter, a 72-yard touchdown rush by newcomer Derrick Jameson, who played two years of JUCO ball – where he didn’t play in any games – before turning his first Utah State carry into a touchdown against WSU.

“The last play leaves a sour taste in your mouth,” Dickert said on Monday. “But we held that offense to two explosive plays over 20 yards, and they came in averaging five-plus. So there’s some really positive things. Two takeaways.”

Scouting New Mexico…

New Mexico, 4-6 on the season, is coming off a 21-16 road win over San Diego State. Seasoned head coach Bronco Mendenhall is in his first year with the program and the Lobos opened the season with four straight losses, including setbacks to FCS Montana State, Arizona, Auburn and Fresno State. Since then, UNM has responded with wins over New Mexico State, Air Force and Utah State before falling to Colorado State and Wyoming.

The Lobos’ quarterback is sophomore Devon Dampier, who has completed 196 of 334 passes (59%) for 2,418 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Statistically speaking, he’s also New Mexico’s top rusher, registering 872 yards and 13 touchdowns on 110 carries. He’ll be the first true dual-threat QB the Cougs have faced this season.

When he passes, Dampier’s favorite targets have been junior Luke Wysong (55 catches for 700 yards and one touchdown), senior Ryan Davis (46 catches for 634 yards and three touchdowns) and tight end Trace Bruckler (21 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns). Running back Eli Sanders has also made a huge splash, piling up 834 yards and eight touchdowns on 117 carries, churning out an average rush of 7.1 yards – a tick under Dampier’s average of 7.9.

Dampier, though, is tied for first nationally with 12 interceptions. He’s thrown as many as three in one game (Utah State) and he’s tossed two on four occasions (Arizona, Auburn, Fresno State and Colorado State).

“This quarterback is a problem,” Dickert said. “He has more yards from scrimmage than John does, and hopefully that wakes everybody up, like, this guy is real. He’s shorter, he’s super fast. He has one of the highest explosive-play rates in the country. (Sanders) at tailback has been really, really good, and they run a wildly unique scheme. This is something that you just don’t see every day.”

New Mexico’s defense, though, has left more to be desired. Through 10 games, the Lobos are allowing 38 points per game, fourth-to-last in the country. They’ve permitted 61 points to Arizona, 45 to Auburn, 38 to Fresno State, 40 to New Mexico State, 37 to Air Force, 45 to Utah State and 49 to Wyoming. The Lobos are yielding 249 passing yards per game (No. 111 nationally) and 228 rushing yards (No. 128).

New Mexico’s pass rush also ranks No. 117 nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. The Lobos have generated only 10 sacks in 10 games, three from sophomore Moso’oipala Tuitele.

But most recently, New Mexico walked out of San Diego State’s Snapdragon Stadium with a 21-16 win, the Lobos’ best defensive outing all season. In that one, Sanders recorded touchdown runs of 51 and 68 yards, and Dampier hit Davis for the go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

“Defensively, I think they started out – coach Mendenhall’s background is 3-3 (formation with three defensive linemen and three linebackers),” Dickert said. “They started off in the 4-2-5. Guess what they’re running now? The 3-3. Guess why they’re playing better? They’re running the 3-3. I just think that’s what fits their personnel.”

What happened last time?

WSU and New Mexico’s last meeting came in 2004, when the Bill Doba-led Cougs earned a 21-17 win in Albuquerque. The season prior, WSU also defeated UNM, that time in Pullman.