First look: Washington State visits Fresno State in teams’ first regular-season meeting in 30 years
PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road matchup against Fresno State on Saturday evening.
What is it?
Coming off the first of two bye weeks this season, Washington State will visit Fresno State in the teams’ first regular-season meeting in 30 years. For the Cougars, it’s the second game of a Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement that provided WSU and Oregon State games for this season.
Where is it?
Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno, California.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
FS1 will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
Washington State was around a 31/2-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday morning.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
WSU (4-1) was off last week, but prior to that, dropped their first game of the season in a lopsided loss to Boise State . Star running back Ashton Jeanty racked up 259 rushing yards and four touchdowns , putting on full display WSU’s tackling issues, which rank among the worst in the country.
Quarterback John Mateer completed 26 of 37 passes for 327 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, which came right before halftime, robbing the Cougars of a chance to tie the game before intermission. WSU didn’t get much from its rushing game, only 35 yards on 11 carries from running back Wayshawn Parker and 28 rushing yards from Mateer, though those numbers are skewed by the seven sacks he took.
The Cougs drew within one score on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Mateer found senior receiver Kyle Williams on a 33-yard touchdown pass, but that’s when things unraveled for the visitors. Boise State responded with 21 straight points, putting the game out of reach and dealing a serious blow to WSU’s College Football Playoff chances, which were probably slim to begin with.
Scouting Fresno State …
Fresno State, which is also coming off a bye week, is 3-2 on the year. The Bulldogs opened with a road loss to Michigan, then picked up wins against FCS Sacramento State, New Mexico State and New Mexico before falling to UNLV in a 59-14 shellacking – which came right after former QB Matthew Sluka left the Runnin’ Rebels amid name, image, likeness disputes.
Fresno State’s offense runs on junior quarterback Mikey Keene, who has completed 111 of 167 passes (67%) for 1,356 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. A former transfer from UCF, Keene is a pure pocket passer, meaning WSU likely won’t have to worry about him scrambling from the pocket and piling up rushing yards.
Keene’s favorite target has been receiver Mac Dalena, a 5-foot-11 outside threat who has made 22 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns this season. Also a part of FSU’s passing attack are wideouts Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, who have hauled in 21 and 25 receptions, respectively. That pair has combined for 568 receiving yards and one touchdown, which came from Sharpe.
“It’s not easy to go to the valley and get a win,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “It’s gonna be warm. Their fans are gonna be rowdy. Offensively, very exciting brand of football. They throw it around. You can still see – I don’t wanna say leftover – but the Kalen DeBoer offense, Kirby Moore. Obviously the quarterback is a high-level player. They have all seniors across the offensive front. This is a very seasoned offense – (Moss), (Sharpe), (Dalena), they’re all playmakers.”
If the Bulldogs’ offense has a weakness, it’s on their offensive line, which has allowed six sacks. Two have come against tackle Braylen Nelson, who has permitted 10 total pressures, and another two have gone against guard Daniel Taumalolo, who has yielded five total pressures. It might be a promising sign for WSU’s pass rush, which has generated just five sacks this season, tied for No. 116 nationally.
On defense, Fresno State’s players to watch are edge rushers Mordecai Hines and Korey Foreman, who have picked up two sacks apiece, as well as cornerback Cam Lockridge, who has logged three interceptions and four pass breakups. Safety Dean Clarke has made 20 tackles, tops on FSU’s defense, which is allowing 214 passing yards and 148 rushing yards per game.
“You gotta make sure you take out their last performance,” Dickert said. “For whatever reason, they ran into a buzzsaw with UNLV. I think UNLV was fired up about all the press. They came out there, and I guarantee you, Fresno is gonna be just like we are – coming into that game with a bad taste in your mouth, ready to perform.”
What happened last time?
WSU and Fresno State last met in the 2022 LA Bowl, where the Bulldogs ran away with a 29-6 win. That was the end of Dickert’s first full season at the helm of the program.
The teams’ last regular-season meeting came in 1994, when the Mike Price-led Cougs earned a 24-3 win in Pullman. WSU leads the all-time regular-season series, 3-2.