Washington State Football: What you need to know for Arizona 11/17

Washington State Football continues this week as the Cougars host Arizona in their final PAC-12 game before the Apple Cup game next Friday. 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 Arizona Wildcats. 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: Arizona Wildcats (5-5,4-3) at Washington State University Cougars (9-1, 6-1).

Where: Martin Stadium – Pullman, Washington.

When: 7:30 p.m. PST.

TV: ESPN

Line: Washington State -10.5. Over/Under: 63 (Odds Shark).

Interesting Trends: The Cougars are good against the spread this year (9-1). For those of you who are thinking about the over, WSU has gone under in seven of their last 10 home games AND Arizona has gone under in both five of their last seven overall games and road games.

Injury Report: Washington State, Out – DL Nnamdi Oguayo (undisclosed), DL Derek Moore (undisclosed). Questionable – DB Sean Harper Jr. (upper body). Arizona, Out – OL Nathan Eldridge (undisclosed). Questionable – T Bryson Cain (undisclosed), RB Gary Brightwell (Ankle)

Last Week

Arizona

The Wildcats were idle last week. Two weeks ago Arizona beat Colorado 42-34. Khalil Tate, the Cats quarterback had a career game. He was 17 of 22 for 350 and five touchdowns via the pass. Running back J.J. Taylor carried the ball 40 times for 192 yards. Zona’s problems with their passing defense continued. They allowed Colorado to put up 343 passing yards without Laviska Shenault Jr.

Washington State

Unfortunately for the Buffs, the went from the frying pan to a very hot Washington State fire, even with Shenault back in the lineup. WSU allowed Colorado the first score in the opening quarter. The Cougs then proceeded to score the next 31 points while shutting out their hosts for a 31-7 win

QB Gardner Minshew – 35/58, 335 yards, 2 TDs.
RB James Williams – 17 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD. 5 receptions, 43 yards.
RB Max Borghi – 7 carries, 38 yards. 3 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD.
WR Dez Patmon – 8 receptions, 103 yards.
LB Jahad Woods – 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery.
DB Kedron Williams, 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception.
DL Logan Tago, 3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss.

This Week

It’s a big game for both teams. For Arizona, if they win, the Wildcats maintain a share of first place in the PAC-12 South and become bowl eligible. Wazzu can count on seeing a healthy dose of Taylor carries. So far he has 1221 yards on 207 carries. Tate has to be feeling good after torching Colorado two weeks ago. That’s the good news for Arizona.

Starting with the Washington State defense, they have shut down good offenses all season and are top-20 in yards allowed. Additionally, WSU has played a string of big games, each week their D has stepped up. The Cougs lead the conference in sacks, so Tate won’t have as much time in the pocket. Finally, Wazzu only allows 125 yards per game on the ground.

The Cougars have maybe the most prolific offense in America. Quarterback Gardner Minshew II has thrown for twice as many yards and 10 more touchdowns than Tate. He has too many weapons on offense for Arizona to cover. Look for GMII to pick apart one of the conference’s worst passing defenses.

Washington State has three big keys to winning this game. First, don’t let Arizona control the clock with Taylor on the ground. Second, get an early lead and force the Wildcats to pass. Finally, take this one seriously, and don’t worry about Washington next week.

dark. Next. PAC-12 Football Power Rankings week of 11/14

Check back with us tomorrow for our takeaways from the game.

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