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1 If there is one key for Washington State’s offense this afternoon, it is to run the ball. The Cougars offense could take a lot of pressure off fifth-year senior Marshall Lobbestael, making his second consecutive start after not starting since the 2009 season. Last week in their 51-17 loss at Wisconsin, the Rebels allowed 6.3 yards a carry. They come into today’s game 103th in the nation in rushing defense. WSU’s offensive line played well in the Idaho State opener, opening holes (the Cougars averaged 8 yards a carry and had runs of 65 and 27 yards) and protecting the passer (ISU had no sacks). A repeat performance is needed.

2 On the other side of the ball, the Cougars need to stuff UNLV’s running game before it gets started. The Rebels ran the ball 38 times last week and averaged almost 4 yards a carry against Wisconsin’s defense. Tailbacks Bradley Randle (5.4-yard average on 12 carries) and Tim Cornett (4.4 on 14) moved the ball well on the ground. WSU expects the Rebels to try to find out early if that success can carry over. If safety Deone Bucannon (a team-high seven tackles against Idaho State) and company can shut down the Rebels’ running game, UNLV should struggle to score.

3 Washington State hasn’t done much the past three years to excite the Martin Stadium faithful, winning just once at Pullman each season. The Cougars have already matched that total this year with the 64-21 rout last week. But after today’s game, which is expected to draw a crowd of near 30,000, WSU won’t be in Pullman again until Oct. 15, when sixth-ranked Stanford comes to town. In fact, the Cougars play just one game in Martin Stadium between today and Nov. 12, when Arizona State visits. A win against the Rebels should make those weeks go by faster.

4 The Cougars have a chance to catch Oregon State today. With the Beavers playing against eighth-ranked Wisconsin in Madison, Washington State has an opportunity to match OSU with 499 wins in its football history. The Beavers pulled within one victory of becoming the 73rd Football Bowl Subdivision school to post 500 wins late last year with an upset of USC, but have since lost three consecutive games. With a win today, the Cougars would tie the Beavers at 499 and would have a shot next week to win No. 500 at San Diego State.