WSU vs. Colorado: Three things to watch
1 Where’s the catch?:
WSU played a boatload of wide receivers in its opener at New Mexico, and offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller has said the Cougars will do the same until someone distinguishes himself. Just two wideouts graded out over a positive grade against the Lobos, which means it’s still a wide-open race to see who’s going to be on the receiving end for Josh Swogger.
Keep an eye on which wideouts get playing time in the third and fourth quarters – it should be an indication of who’s playing well. Last week, Trandon Harvey and Greg Prator made some nice catches late in the game despite not being starters. Slot receivers Marty Martin and Michael Bumpus hardly made a peep. Especially if the run game continues to struggle, production from the wide receiver positions will be vital for the Cougars.
2 When in doubt, punt:
It’s not often that punting is an advantage. Today in Seattle, that could be the case for both teams. Most Cougar fans know about the edge WSU punter Kyle Basler provides. But Colorado’s John Torp – also a junior – does much the same for the Buffaloes. In the season openers, Basler averaged 49 yards a punt, Torp 52.3.
Field position will be important today should the game be as close as most people expect. If that’s the case, whichever punter does a better job of pinning the opposition deep in their own territory or digging his team out of a hole could end up on the winning side.
3 Between the big guys:
One of the Cougars’ main concerns coming into this season was up the gut on defense, with two freshmen holding down spots in the rotation at defensive tackle. The Buffaloes ran for well over 200 yards last week against Colorado State – Bobby Purify alone had 193. That means the matchup between the interior lines could be key. For the Buffaloes, guards Terrance Barreau and Brian Daniels as well as center Mark Fenton will take on the tandem of Steve Cook and Ropati Pitoitua.
Should Cook and Pitotua, plus backups Aaron Johnson and Odell Howard, be able to get through the Colorado line and into the backfield to make plays against the run, Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt wil be forced to pass, which is not what the Buffaloes want to do to win the game. But if it goes the other way, Colorado could control the clock and the game.