Washington State Football: What you need to know for 2018 Alamo Bowl
By Ed Stein
Washington State Football concludes the 2018 season this week as the Cougars head to San Antonio, Texas for to play in the Alamo Bowl against Iowa State. 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 end their 2018 season against Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl. Whether you are going to Texas to see the game live, or staying at home and watching on television, we have you covered.
What: Valero Alamo Bowl.
Who: Washington State University Cougars (10-2) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (8-4)
Where: The Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas.
When: 6:00 p.m. PST.
TV: ESPN.
Line: Washington State -2.5. Over/Under 57 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends: The Cougars have won 10 of their last 12 games against the spread. Additionally, ISU has 1-4 record against the spread in their last five.
Injuries: Washington State, Questionable – OL Liam Ryan (undisclosed), DB Sean Harper (upper body). Iowa State, Suspended – WR Tayvonn Kyle, WR Joseph Scales, DB Dallas Taylor-Cortez, DB Jaeveyon Morton. Questionable – DB D’Andre Payne (upper body), DB Datrone Young (shoulder).
Last Game
Iowa State
Coming into their final regular season game of 2018, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell had plenty of reasons to be in a great mood. His Cyclones were third in the Big 12, ranked 24th in the country, had won five of six at home, and were playing an FCS school, Drake. Then they kicked off.
Three plus hours later ISU survived a 27-24 outcome. Aside from the score, it’s hard to tell who won by looking at the stats. Cyclones star running back David Mongomery got his yards. He carried the ball 33 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns. It was a good thing he was able to excel because the rest of his team had nine attempts for -31.
Through the air, Iowa State freshman quarterback Brock Purdy completed 15 of 22 throws for just153 yards and one scoring pass against his FCS opponent. Junior Hakeem Butler led ISU with 67 receiving yards on four catches. Deshaunte Jones also had four receptions and pulled in the lone TD pass.
Defensively the Cyclones got into Drake’s backfield often and had seven tackles for loss. They were only able to get one turnover, however. Five different players led the team with half-a-dozen tackles.
Washington State
Speaking of disappointments, last time out was a huge one for Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars. Not only did WSU have to battle a quality University of Washington defense, but they also had to fight a driving snowstorm which combined to put a kibosh on their dynamic offense. After an almost Cinderella season, the Cougs laid an egg against Washington in the PAC-12 Championship Game, losing 28-15.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew II had his worst game of the season by far. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 153 yards (182 yards below his second-lowest total) and a pair of picks. The ground game wasn’t much better. Running backs James Williams and Max Borghi combined for 85 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.
Wazzu’s defense which has been stout against the run all season met their match in halfback Myles Gaskin. The Huskies senior had three rushing touchdowns as part of his 170 yards on the ground. Salvon Ahmed added 87 rushing yards on nine carries for UW.
This Game
The Valero Alamo Bowl is a perfect setup for a Minshew rebound. The game will be played inside, under ideal conditions. In horse racing terms, it will be a fast surface for him to take advantage of. Additionally, between suspensions and injuries, the ISU Cyclones are depleted in their secondary. Look for the full Cougars offensive arsenal to be on display.
Iowa State will try to control the ball on the ground with Montgomery and keep the rock away from Wazzu. With the exception of Gaskin, Washington State has handled every top back they have faced this season and Montgomery should be no different. I’m not necessarily a gambler, but I like Washington State huge in this one. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cougars won by double digits.
Catch up with us after the game for our takeaways.