| When the Cougars run: Dwight Tardy has had some success when he’s carried the ball – averaging 4.8 yards per carry – but no one has run well against the Sun Devils. ASU is yielding 80.6 yards per game, third in the conference. EDGE: ASU |
| When the Cougars pass: This is ASU’s strength. The Sun Devils lead the Pac-10, yielding less than 200 yards a game. They have 10 interceptions, by far the most in the conference. WSU has to be successful through the air, as 70.6 percent of its yards come through passing. EDGE: ASU |
| When the Sun Devils run: Ryan Torain is one of the Pac-10’s most productive backs, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 102 yards per game. But the ASU rushing attack doesn’t end there, with Keegan Herring gaining more than 6 yards a carry. After last week, when they gave up 186 yards to Nic Grigsby, the Cougars’ rush defense looks vulnerable. EDGE: ASU |
| When the Sun Devils pass: Rudy Carpenter has thrived in Dennis Erickson’s system, completing 66 percent of his passes, averaging almost 9 yards an attempt, best in the conference. The Cougars’ pass defense has been porous (288.4 yards a game) at best. EDGE: ASU |
| Coaching/intangibles: The Sun Devils are ranked No. 18 in the country and just a couple of wins away from a bowl trip. The Cougars are playing for survival. There was a desperate edge to practice this week, so expect WSU to come out and play with emotion and fire. EDGE: WSU |
| Youthful vitality: Even though Tempe is a college town, just like Pullman, the folks in Arizona are quite a bit older. Tempe’s median age is 28.8 years, quite a bit longer in the tooth than Pullman’s 22.5, the youngest community in Washington. EDGE: WSU |
