First look: Trying to erase a four-game slide, Washington State hosts Stanford

PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s home matchup with Stanford on Saturday evening.

What is it?

Washington State, coming off a road loss to Arizona State that extended its losing streak to four games, will try to erase that skid with a win over Stanford.

Where is it?

Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. PDT.

Where can I watch it?

Pac-12 Network will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

WSU was a 13-point favorite in most sportsbooks as of Monday.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

Washington State’s 38-27 loss to Arizona State handed the Sun Devils just their second win of the season – and their first over an FBS opponent. The Cougars yielded at least 38 points for the third straight game, and the Sun Devils racked up 235 rushing yards, gashing WSU for chunk plays at almost every turn.

WSU was missing cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, who sat out with an injury, which put that unit in an even tougher spot. Taking his place was redshirt freshman Javan Robinson, who at one point yielded a 30-yard completion to tight end Jalin Conyers, which led to a touchdown a few plays later. Rarely did ASU have any trouble moving the ball.

That the Sun Devils had luck throwing the ball, with a quarterback who was slated as a third-stringer before injuries befell the position, may have said the most about the Cougars’ defense. Trenton Bourguet completed 19 of 26 passes for 274 yards, hitting four passes apiece to Conyers, Elijhah Badger and Troy Omeire, and he had plenty of time to sit back and throw.

That’s bad news for WSU’s star edges, Brennan Jackson and RJ Stone Jr., neither of whom secured a sack in this loss. That’s not all their fault – opponents are double-teaming them and getting the ball out quicker – but to operate at full strength, the Cougars’ defense needs them to generate more pressure.

Washington State has now gone three straight games – and 14 straight quarters – without picking up a turnover, which makes things tougher in all phases of the game. Toss in ASU running back Cam Skattebo’s 121-yard game and his team’s 8-for-11 mark on third downs and you get what you saw on Saturday.

That’s why on Monday, Dickert said, he’ll be asserting more control over the defensive game plan this week.

“I’m gonna be heavily involved in the game-planning,” Dickert said. “Normally, I spread my time between both sides of the ball and equally in special teams. I’m gonna be (involved) through every phase of it and trying to find an edge.

“That isn’t a panic thing. That’s just something where I feel like I can be an asset at this moment, and trying to find ways to be better, and more solutions and more attacking. I think we’ve just gotten stuck on a few things. So to find ways to get over that hump, I think it’s necessary at this time.”

On offense, quarterback Cam Ward turned in another solid showing, completing 35 of 50 passes for one touchdown, plus running for two touchdowns. Receiver Isaiah Hamilton recorded his best game as a Coug, hauling in six passes for 66 yards, and Kyle Williams had eight receptions for 77 yards.

Scouting Stanford …

The Cardinal, 2-6 overall and 1-5 in Pac-12 play, are coming off a 42-33 loss to Washington. In that one, Stanford kept things close into the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to two points before the Huskies put things away late in the game.

Under first-year head coach Troy Taylor, Stanford has settled into a rhythm at quarterback with sophomore Ashton Daniels, who has completed 60% or more of his passes in three straight games . To beat Colorado on Oct. 13, Daniels tossed four touchdown passes and piled up nearly 400 passing yards.

“That has really improved their team,” Dickert said. “Obviously they’re scoring a lot of points here lately, and it’s against good competition. So I think it’s two teams that are hungry to get a win that – we wanna get to a bowl game. That is the standard here. We have enough talent to do those things. So I think it’s them trying to improve their program, and us trying to do the same thing.”

Still, Stanford ranks among the Pac-12’s worst in several departments, according to Pro Football Focus. The Cardinal’s rushing game ranks last, as does their total defense, and their pass-rush has garnered a grade of 59.1 – last by more than seven points.

Stanford has struggled in many of the same ways Washington State has. The Cardinal can’t activate their ground attack – against Washington, their running backs combined for 35 yards on 12 carries – and their defense has made a habit out of getting torched.

The Cardinal have permitted 40-plus points in four straight games. They allowed 42 to Oregon, 43 to Colorado, 42 to UCLA and 42 to Washington on Saturday. Stanford ranks fifth-to-last in all of FBS in points allowed per game, at 37.5, and they’re last in the country in passing yards allowed per game – 322.5.

That should bode well for Washington State and its offense, though at this point, the Cougars will do anything to snap this four-game slide.

What happened last time?

In Palo Alto last year, Washington State cruised to a 52-14 win, ending a three-game skid by getting two touchdown passes from Ward and 166 yards rushing from running back Nakia Watson. Safety Jaden Hicks returned a fumble for a score, one of the four takeaways WSU forced in that win.

Washington State has won six straight over Stanford, a streak that goes back to 2016. The Cougars’ last road loss to the Cardinal came in 2014.