When No. 21 Boise State arrives Saturday, Washington State will need more than momentum and a home-field shot to make this one interesting. The Cougars are trying to pull off an upset for first-year coach Kirby Moore against his alma mater, and the path to getting there runs through a handful of players who have to deliver.
Start with the new face at quarterback. Washington State’s latest starter already has Boise State’s attention.
“That quarterback is really, really talented,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said during his weekly Monday press conference.
That quarterback, Eshelman, gave the Cougars’ offense a clear lift in last week’s 48-30 loss at Oregon State. He piled up 425 yards of total offense and directed four touchdown-scoring drives, giving WSU a spark it had been searching for.
But Boise State will have a full read on him now, and the Broncos bring the kind of defense that makes every mistake sting. They rank third in the Pac-12 Conference and sit sixth nationally in third-down defense, allowing conversions at just a 27.4-percent clip. If Washington State keeps landing in third-and-long, the pressure will mount in a hurry.
That only makes the running game battle even more important, and Boise State’s backs are coming in loaded. Dylan Riley has 835 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Sire Gaines has added 354 yards and three scores. The Broncos also use both players on the edge, trying to get them matched up with cornerbacks on outside runs and swing passes.
Washington State’s tackling has to be much sharper than it was a week ago. The Cougars missed a season-high 18 tackles against Oregon State, and that’s the kind of slip-up Boise State can exploit with two backs who run hard and can hurt defenses in space.
“This week, I have to make them notice, ‘You can’t run on my side,’” WSU cornerback Khamari Terrell said.
The most intriguing matchup on the field may be Boise State’s offensive line against Washington State’s defensive front. Danielson singled out the Cougars up front, saying, “That front is sound, and those are two of the better edge players (in Linus Zunk, Matyus McLain) we’ll see,”
If the Cougars are going to change the script, they’ll need chaos from that defensive line. Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen has been clean and efficient through six games, throwing for 1,296 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception. He’s taken just five sacks all season, which means Washington State may need its front to manufacture pressure and maybe force a turnover in the backfield.
That’s the formula. Make the quarterback uncomfortable, survive on third down, and keep Boise State’s run game from taking over the night.
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The crimson look has shown up in a handful of memorable spots during its run, and the schools recent approach to uniform selection has only made those choices feel more event-driven. Homecoming gives the Cougars a chance to lean into that tradition again, with a game-day presentation that carries a little extra weight even before the ball is kicked. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Found A Special Teams Weapon In An Unlikely Place
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His rise makes the backstory even more striking, because Dean did not come through the usual American pipeline on his way to becoming one of the teams top performers. Washington State found a specialist who not only handles the job well, but does so after arriving with a different football upbringing and a long road to get here, which is part of what makes his emergence worth watching as the Cougars continue to lean on him. [Read more 🡒]