PULLMAN – Here is what to watch for when Washington State squares off against rival Washington in Saturday afternoon’s Apple Cup.
When Washington has the ball …
How will WSU’s front line stack up against UW’s offensive line, a new unit? The Huskies’ front five has allowed one sack in two games, which went against center D’Angalo Titialii. Tackle Soane Faasolo has allowed the most pressures of the unit, permitting three hits and two hurries, according to Pro Football Focus, while fellow tackle Drew Azzopardi has allowed two pressures.
That’s the challenge for Cougars pass-rushers such as Syrus Webster and Raam Stevenson, who lead their club with nine and six pressures, respectively.
In WSU’s win over Texas Tech last week, Stevenson had the team’s only sack of the game, which came late in the fourth quarter.
WSU has also received a nice lift from defensive tackle David Gusta, an interior lineman. In that game against the Red Raiders, he totaled five pressures, including three hurries and two hits, according to Pro Football Focus. He also got in Texas Tech QB Behren Morton’s face, helping force one of the two interceptions the Cougars grabbed .
“You don’t get stats for a lot of things that David does,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said after that game. “It’s grimy, it’s dirty, it’s tough. But he is as physical and demanding of presence inside as we’ve seen here. So to see David go out and play that way, with heart and passion and physicality and with an edge – and David plays with an edge.”
Also important will be how WSU’s secondary holds up against UW quarterback Will Rogers and his team’s pro-style offense. The Cougars aren’t worried about Rogers’ scrambling ability. He’s a pure pocket passer, operating an Air Raid system at his previous stop of Mississippi State and taking over new UW coach Jedd Fisch’s system in Seattle.
But he’s accurate with his passes, and he’s smart about where he places the ball. Through two games this season, Rogers has completed 41 of 53 passes (77%) for 511 yards and five touchdowns. The pressure he’s faced hasn’t seemed to matter, either. Kept clean, he’s hit on 80% of his passes, and against the blitz, he’s connected on 21 of 28 passes (75%).
The playmakers around him have made his job easier, too. Wide receiver Giles Jackson leads UW with 16 receptions for 164 yards. Wideout Denzel Boston has nine receptions for 108 yards and three scores, and transfer receiver Jeremiah Coleman has one touchdown on five catches, providing a real test for Cougars cornerbacks Steve Hall and Ethan O’Connor, the latter a redshirt freshman.
WSU would also do well to bottle up UW running back Jonah Coleman, a transfer from Arizona. In the Cougars’ blowout loss to the Wildcats last year, Coleman registered 11 carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns. This year, he has 27 carries for 231 yards and three scores.
“He’s gonna run hard. That’s a good running back,” WSU safety Tyson Durant said. “We gotta give respect where respect is (due). He’s a really good running back, but small strike zone, go attack just like we were last week.”
When Washington State has the ball …
Three games into his starting tenure, WSU quarterback John Mateer gets the tallest task he’s faced . He isn’t just facing a UW defense operated by defensive coordinator Steve Belechick, son of longtime NFL coach Bill Belechick. He’s facing a Husky defense that has totaled nine sacks, leading Dickert to call UW’s front seven “one of the most physical” he’s seen in a while.
Mateer may have piled up 197 rushing yards against Texas Tech last week, setting a record for most single-game rushing yards by a WSU quarterback, but he won’t get the same looks this week. The Red Raiders played the same drop-eight, rush-three coverage that stymied the Cougars in many games last season, allowing Mateer and WSU running back Wayshawn Parker to pile up yards on the ground.
“These guys are not gonna sit back and drop eight,” Dickert said of UW. “They’re gonna bring it. So we’re gonna have to handle those guys.”
That puts the onus on WSU’s offensive line, which hasn’t given up a sack this season. Right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who has been out since January with a knee injury, will be a game-time decision. Either way, the Cougars’ front five has been solid this fall, allowing only nine pressures in two games.
Where that unit might have to be better is in the run-blocking department. Last week, Washington State earned a PFF grade of 62.6, which is about average. The Cougs will need to hold off Husky linemen such as senior edge Zach Durfee, who leads his team with three sacks, and edges Isaiah Ward and DeShawn Lynch, who have four pressures apiece.
If the Cougars’ offensive line can keep those guys at bay, watch out. Mateer hasn’t always needed to air it out this season, but when he has, receivers such as Kyle Williams and Kris Hutson have made huge plays: Williams’ deflected touchdown catch last week. Hutson’s diving touchdown catch in Week 1.
Mateer has started a bit slowly recently, going three-and-out against Portland State and tossing an interception in WSU’s first drive against Texas Tech, but to Dickert, it’s all part of his maturation.
“John’s building that base level of experience to know that, ‘Hey, we ran this play against these looks all week. Hey, I got something different. Don’t force it,’ ” Dickert said. “I think he just forced that (interception). He would admit that. But to see him settle in after an early mistake was huge, and to play physical and confident and be able to play a different way.”
