The pick: Why Boise State will beat Washington State

PULLMAN — Sometime this offseason, when snow falls on the Palouse and temperatures dip into the single-digits, Washington State’s defenders will likely hit the practice field. They’ll run drills and work on their footwork and improve their conditioning.

They might even work on their tackling, which has been a major issue this fall. WSU has missed some of the most tackles in the country, and starting linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah is tied for the nation’s lead with 12 missed tackles.

Al-Uqdah and the Cougs (4-0) will get plenty of time this offseason to work on their tackling, and they might even come out on the other side as some of the best around. But that’s the kind of time they need to improve enough to stop No. 25 Boise State and star running back Ashton Jeanty, not just one week, which is the timeframe the Cougs are currently working with.

Here’s predicting that WSU will drop Saturday’s road contest against Boise State and Jeanty, who has forced 26 missed tackles this season, seventh-most in the country. He’s short and sturdy, quick and elusive, exactly the kind of back who can make mincemeat out of a bad tackling team like Washington State.

Jeanty is a Heisman Trophy candidate for a reason, and WSU has shown itself to be a poor tackling bunch, whiffing on at least 15 tackles in each of its first three games of the season. The Cougs did improve on that front in last week’s win over San Jose State, missing just nine, so give them credit for that.

But problems of this magnitude don’t get solved in a matter of a week, not even if Nick Saban was WSU’s coach. The Cougars have plenty of firepower on offense, but they won’t get far if their defense can’t slow down Jeanty.

The pick: Boise State 35, Washington State 30