Washington State heads to San Diego State on Saturday afternoon needing a cleaner performance in a few obvious spots, and the matchup in the trenches looms as the biggest one. The Cougars’ offensive line was exposed in last week’s home loss to Boise State, and now that unit has to deal with an Aztecs front that has piled up 16 sacks.
That pressure starts with linebacker play. Djibril Rahman, Kai Wallin and Sione Hala have combined for 8.5 sacks, while defensive lineman Malachi Finau has added two more. WSU’s front five - left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Noah Dunham, right guard Nick Bakken and right tackle Jaylin Caldwell - will have to do much better than it did against Boise State, when it gave up two of the four sacks on quarterback Owen Eshelman and left him under pressure all night.
The numbers for San Diego State’s defense are rough across the board. The Aztecs rank No. 135 of 138 FBS teams in total defense at 462 yards allowed per game, No. 133 in scoring defense at 36 points per game, No. 109 against the run at 178 yards per game and No. 134 against the pass at 284 yards per game. If WSU wants to take advantage of that, Eshelman has to get time.
The Cougars’ defense has its own path to a win, and it starts with turning chances into actual takeaways. WSU has dropped six interceptions, tied for the most in the country, and has only five turnovers, which ranks No. 126 nationally.
The pass rush has also lagged, with just eight sacks, good for No. 131.
Defensive coordinator Trent Bray’s group has generally played well, but the big moments have too often slipped away.
There should be opportunities against San Diego State, which is expected to start redshirt freshman Stone Saunders. This would be only the second start of Saunders’ career.
He looked sharp in last weekend’s loss to Colorado State, though he also threw a pick-six. WSU ends Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk will be asked to help force the issue.
On the other side, the Aztecs’ formula is straightforward: do what every FBS opponent has done to WSU this season and keep the Cougars from getting comfortable on offense. Eshelman has been solid in his first two starts, but Saturday will be just his third. He also threw a costly interception in last week’s home loss to Boise State, and San Diego State can try to put him in the same kind of bind with pressure.
The run game is another place the Aztecs can clamp down. Kirby Vorhees, Leo Pulalasi and Maxwell Woods - who did not get a carry last weekend - have averaged only 48 yards on 15 carries against FBS opponents this season. If that stays on script, San Diego State should like its chances.
One more name to watch: Jaylon Hawkins. The redshirt freshman wideout has three kickoff return touchdowns already, with returns of 100 yards against FCS Portland State, 96 against Texas State and 97 against Oregon State. Washington State has been strong on kickoff coverage, allowing only 16 yards per return, ranking No. 16 nationally, but Hawkins is the kind of returner that demands attention.
WSU tight end Trey Leckner said the focus inside the locker room is simple: “Regardless (of) what the prize is or whatever that we’re playing for, I want to win. I know all the guys in the locker room want to win, and the coaches want to win,” WSU tight end Trey Leckner said.
“So I think just the will to win. I think we have all the seniors, all the seniors that are still playing.
We wanna send them out on a good note, and we wanna build momentum going into next year.”
In Other News...
Washington State Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away Late
Washington State had enough of the game to leave Snapdragon Stadium with a result it could have lived with, but instead walked away with a 26-20 loss to San Diego State after a late chance slipped through its hands. The Cougars moved the ball better than the Aztecs in yardage and controlled possession for longer stretches, which made the ending sting all the more in a game that felt there for the taking.
The bigger concern is the familiar one: WSU is still searching for its first Pac-12 win and sits at 1-8 overall, with another winnable game ending in frustration. There were positives in the performance, including a productive outing from tight end Trey Leckner in his return from a foot injury, but the Cougars could not turn those moments into the one drive that would have changed the night. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States Latest Loss Put One Frustrating Problem On Display
A frustrating season for Washington State kept taking on more familiar contours in a 26-20 loss to San Diego State, where the Cougars again found themselves undone by the kind of self-inflicted mistakes that have piled up over the first stretch of the year. With only one win in nine games, the margin for error has been thin for a team trying to stabilize itself, and this one featured a handful of decisions that left points on the field and momentum hanging in the balance.
The issues were not limited to one side of the ball, either. A conservative stretch before halftime slowed the offense when it still had a chance to press, and the late-game clock management only added to the sense that Washington State let opportunities slip away in a game it could have controlled more cleanly. For a team searching for answers, the loss was another reminder that the problems are not just about execution, but about the situational details that keep deciding close games. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Just Hit Another Painful Low This Season
Washington States season took another hard turn Saturday, with the Cougars falling 26-20 to San Diego State and staying winless against FBS competition. The loss left them at 1-8 overall and 0-5 in conference play, another reminder of how little margin this team has had to work with as the losses keep piling up.
There were some signs of life on offense, with quarterback Owen Eshelman helping the Cougars move the ball through the air and adding two rushing touchdowns of his own. But the defense had trouble slowing San Diego State on the ground, giving up 202 rushing yards, and Washington State could not turn enough of its chances into points to change the direction of a season that has become increasingly difficult to salvage. [Read more 🡒]