Washington State Football: What you need to know for Utah 9/29/18
By Ed Stein
Washington State Football continues this week as the Cougars head to Los Angeles to face USC. Emerald City Swagger has all you need to know.
Emerald City Swagger presents, what you need to know in order to enjoy Washington State Football this week when the Cougars host the University of Utah Utes. Whether you are going to the stadium to see the game live, or staying at home and watching on television, we have you covered.
Who: University of Utah at Washington State University Cougars
Where: Martin Stadium – Pullman, Washington
When: 3 p.m. PDT
TV: PAC-12 Networks
Line: Washington State +1.5. Over/Under 49.5 (Odds Shark)
Last Week
Utah was idle last week. Two weeks ago, they dropped their PAC-12 opener to Washington 21-7 in a hard-hitting, defensive battle.
More from WSU Cougars Football
- Washington State Football: What you need to know for 2018 Alamo Bowl
- Washington State Football: 6 takeaways from 28-15 Apple Cup loss
- Washington State Football: What you need to know for UW 11/23
- Apple Cup: History leading up to the 2018 edition
- PAC-12 Football Power Rankings week of 11/21 – Emerald City Swagger
Washington State lost their first game of the season at Southern Can 39-36. It was a game that the Cougars should have won, but couldn’t pull out on the road.
Freshman quarterback JT Daniels of USC had an impressive PAC-12 debut going 17 out of 22 for 241 yards and a touchdown. He took advantage of the mismatches his bigger faster receivers had over WSU’s defensive backs. The Trojans also ran the ball effectively. Their top two running backs Vavae Malapeai and Steven Carr combined for 155 yards on only 21 carries.
For their part, Washington State played well in the game. Their defense only gave up 17 completions, and 334 total yards against a good team. Additionally, they sacked Daniels twice and had six other tackles for loss.
Wazzoo’s offense was top shelf. They gained 435 yards and scored five touchdowns. On most nights, that’s good enough to win. USC’s defense took away quarterback Gardner Minshew‘s favorite target Tay Martin, limiting the receiver to three receptions for one yard. So Minshew completed 33 other passes to eight other receivers for an additional 343 yards. Easop Winston stepped up with six receptions for 143 yards and two TDs.
As I wrote earlier in the week, the Cougars downfall can be chalked up to poor execution of the little things. A botched extra point attempt, a blocked field goal, and multiple penalties were all factors in a three-point loss.
This Week
If I had to pick one college quarterback to face what Utah is going to bring on defense today, it would be Minshew. He’s virtually unflappable in the face of defensive pressure. His movement within the pocket is excellent. Additionally, you will find very QBs at this level that goes through his check-down progressions as well as Minshew.
Next. Our football predictions for September 29-30. dark
The Cougars defense closes on the ball quickly, which may be a problem for Utes mobile quarterback Tyler Huntley. Washington showed two weeks ago that if a team can take away multi-purpose threat Britain Covey it seriously hampers Utah’s offense. Washington State at home is the winner today.