First look: Coming off blowout win on homecoming, Washington State visits San Diego State
PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road game against San Diego State on Saturday evening.
What is it?
Coming off a blowout win over Hawaii, Washington State will visit San Diego State in just the teams’ third meeting ever. For the Cougars, it’s the fourth game of a Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling agreement that provided WSU and Oregon State games for this season.
Where is it?
Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
CBS Sports will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
Washington State was around a 14.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday morning.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
WSU blasted visiting Hawaii in a 42-10 rout, racing to a three-score lead at halftime before breaking things open even wider in the second half. Quarterback John Mateer played his best game of the season, completing 23 of 27 passes for 295 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, recording his first turnover-free game since the Cougars’ season-opening rout over FCS Portland State.
Mateer totaled five touchdowns, including two on the ground, both of which came in the second half. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle didn’t call many quarterback keepers, saving the ones he did dial up for the final two quarters. Mateer finished with eight carries for 34 yards and two scores, while the Cougars totaled 37 carries for 123 yards and three scores, the final touchdown coming courtesy of sophomore running back Leo Pulalasi.
The Cougs have had better days on the ground, but they got a sterling outing from their quarterback, which was enough to beat the Rainbow Warriors. Mateer played in-control, WSU coach Jake Dickert said, indicating he took advantage of the simpler plays coaches gave him.
“I thought his eyes were in the right place more than they were the past couple games,” Dickert said. “I think that showed with the completion percentage, and our receivers continually show, if you get them the ball in space, they’re gonna make a lot of plays for you. So don’t feel like you always have to force things down the field to make the perfect throw to make a play.”
That showed in the box score. Eight different WSU receivers made catches, led by senior Kris Hutson, who hauled in eight passes for 90 yards and one touchdown, which came on a flip pass from Mateer near the end zone. Kyle Willliams, tight end Cooper Mathers and Carlos Hernadez posted four catches apiece, and Hernadez recorded his first career touchdown.
On defense, the Cougs also enjoyed one of their best outings. On top of holding Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager to just 196 yards passing, his fewest all season, WSU recorded three sacks, 1 ½ from defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh and ½ from edge Andrew Edson. The Cougs mixed up their pressures, bringing blitzes from all kinds of directions and personnel, signaling that Dickert and defensive coordinator Jeff Schemdding are getting creative in trying to generate more pressure up front.
WSU also posted three more takeaways, bringing its season total to 14, tied for No. 6 nationally. Linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah grabbed his second career interception, and cornerback Jamorri Colson and linebacker Parker McKenna both forced fumbles.
“If we can’t get sacks with four, then we’ve gotta continue to bring more guys,” Dickert said. “The run-and-shoot naturally allows you to probably be a little bit more aggressive, because you’re not getting all these motions and adjustments and unbalances (formations). So you kinda have three-by-one, two-by-two and empty, so I thought we did a good job of staying on the attack, and I thought we saw the results of that.”
Scouting San Diego State…
Under first-year head coach Sean Lewis, who was previously Colorado’s offensive coordinator last season, the Aztecs are 3-3. They opened the season with a win over FCS Texas A&M Commerce, then dropped three straight games, falling to Oregon State, Cal and Central Michigan. They have now won their last two, with victories over Hawaii and Wyoming, both 27-24 decisions.
SDSU’s quarterback is true freshman Danny O’Neill, who has completed 87 of 140 passes (62%) for 1,045 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He’s flanked by fifth-year senior running back Marquez Cooper, who has racked up 670 rushing yards on 151 carries, posting six touchdowns and an average carry of 4.4 yards.
The Aztecs’ top receivers also include Louis Brown IV, who WSU faced each of the last two seasons at Colorado State, and sixth-year senior Ja’Shaun Poke. Freshman wideout Jordan Napier has also grabbed 14 catches for 225 yards and three scores.
“It’s very challenging schematically,” Dickert said. “You gotta stop the run. (Cooper) is, I think, the No. 1 career rusher in the NCAA right now, if I’m right on that. They’ve got good space receivers to get the ball to. I think their offensive line is getting better and better. So I think it’s a unique challenge schematically, of where you’re going to fit your extra numbers and how they scheme to kinda have an answer every time you do it.”
The strength of San Diego State’s team, though, is its defense. Sophomore edge rusher Trey White is tied for the nationwide lead with 11 sacks, including eight in the last three games, and six different Aztecs have logged an interception. SDSU has generated nine takeaways, ranking No. 23 in the country.
“It’s tough to really get a beat on them because week to week, they’re changing up a bunch of different things,” Dickert said, “and they’re doing a good job of creating one-on-ones for (White). He’s a high-motor individual. He’s a hard-charger, and he’s done a good job getting the quarterback down, which sometimes, you can be free to the quarterback – it’s the hardest thing to do in football is to get them down, and they’ve been great.”
What happened last time?
WSU and San Diego State’s last meeting came in 2011, when the Paul Wulff-led Cougars dropped a 42-24 decision in San Diego. The Cougs and Aztecs have clashed only once prior, WSU earning a win in Seattle in 2007, when the Cougs’ head coach was Bill Doba.