WSU looks to snap two-game skid, end regular season on the right note at home vs. Wyoming

Back when Jake Dickert was Wyoming’s defensive coordinator, before he came to Pullman and later became Washington State’s head coach, he enjoyed a strong relationship with Craig Bohl, then the Cowboys’ head man. Dickert coached in Laramie from 2017-2019, and during those days, he would hear Bohl repeat the same phrase.

Cowboy tough.

“You turn the film on, that’s what you see,” Dickert said of this year’s Wyoming squad. “There’s no quit in this team. You can throw the record out. Their offense is extremely challenging, extremely physical. Defensively, they’re gonna be very multiple. But I look back at my time in Laramie with a smile, and it’s got a big part of our journey. I wouldn’t be sitting here without it.”

Lots has changed since then. Dickert is WSU’s head coach. Bohl has retired. The Cougars haven’t joined the Mountain West, but thanks to a Pac-12/MWC scheduling agreement in place for this season, WSU will host Wyoming on Saturday afternoon, 3:30 p.m. on The CW.

It’s the regular-season finale for the bowl-bound Cougs, who are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses, one to New Mexico and one to Oregon State last weekend. WSU’s defense has been the main culprit in those setbacks, allowing UNM to run wild with QB keepers and permitting OSU to tally a season-high scoring output, putting defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding under the microscope.

Will Dickert stick with his DC next season? Only time will tell. Earlier this week, Dickert said he wants to “finish what we started” with Schmedding, seemingly indicating that if any change does come, it will be after the regular season. Schmedding and the Cougars can help themselves out, tough, by limiting the Cowboys’ offense.

Wyoming (2-9) has lost two straight, including five of its last six, most recently giving College Football Playoff candidate Boise State a close game in a 17-13 loss. But the Cowboys’ situation is a little murky. Junior Evan Svoboda started the first eight games of the year, but he was benched early in Wyoming’s loss to Utah State last month.

So in came redshirt freshman Kaden Anderson, who is more of a pocket passer. Anderson took the reins for the Cowboys’ next two games, a win over New Mexico and a loss to Colorado State — but in Wyoming’s loss to Boise State, he exited early with what turned out to be a concussion. That prompted Svoboda to step back in to the quarterback spot.

Earlier this week, Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel indicated Anderson is questionable for Saturday’s game against WSU, meaning Svoboda is the likely starter. After the Cougars’ loss last weekend to Oregon State, which was mired in similarly hazy quarterback situation as injuries mounted, they will go into a second straight game without knowing for sure who the opponent will be starting under center.

Against Wyoming, WSU will have to prepare for two different styles of play: The 6-foot-5 Svoboda may not be quick and elusive like mobile QBs the Cougs have faced in recent weeks, but he does like to incorporate the run into his game, totaling 192 rushing yards and five touchdowns across his first eight games of the year, which is when he had the starting job.

Anderson fashions himself more like the stand-still quarterbacks WSU faced for the first nine games of the season. Since he took over at QB last month, Anderson has connected on 57 of 97 passes (59%) for 760 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. That includes one forgettable outing against Colorado State, when he completed only 13 of 30 passes for 120 yards.

“Offensively, they’re gonna take the air out of the ball,” Dickert said. “They’re gonna limit the possessions, and we gotta be able to match their physicality. There’s not one formation that they do where it’s just static. There’s somebody motioning on every play. So your rules, your principles, all those things gotta be exactly where you want them. Otherwise, they’re gonna find an extra gap, and they’ve got some good speed to take it over the top.”

Outside of Anderson and Svoboda, Wyoming’s offense has been in short supply, combining for just 23 points in its last two contests. The Cowboys have gotten a boost from running backs Sam Scott (who missed Wyoming’s loss to Boise State with an injury) and Jamari Ferrell, the latter of whom has 291 yards and one score on 71 carries.

Whatever Wyoming shows on offense, though, WSU must be ready to defend it. The Cougars’ defense has become one of the worst in the country. They have missed 152 tackles this year, third-most nationally. Even the most depleted offenses, like Oregon State’s, have found success against WSU’s defense.

The good news for the Cougs is this game is set for Pullman, where they have been far better this season, taking a perfect 5-0 record into Saturday’s game. It’s also a chance for WSU to honor 18 seniors who will be playing their final games at Martin Stadium’s Gesa Field, a list that includes success stories like Kyle Thornton and Dean Janikowski’s, both of whom started as walk-ons.

“Just a blend of really good kids, kids that love representing Washington State,” Dickert said. “Running out on Gesa Field really means something to them, and they’re really proud of what they built. Anyone that’s in our locker rooms has a lot of respect for those guys. So all the effort and time that we’re gonna spend this week is going to be with those guys in mind and sending them out the right way.”