First look: ASU at WSU

Time: 2 p.m. Saturday

The records: Arizona State (4-4, 2-3 Pac-10), WSU (3-5, 0-5 Pac-10)

Last week: Arizona State beat Washington 44-20, WSU lost at USC 55-13.

Last time: Arizona State beat WSU 45-28 in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 13, 2004.

What it means for WSU: Mathematically, the Cougars still have a chance to make a bowl game if they win the last three games of the season. As such, this is an actual must-win or else the season is over after the Apple Cup. But realistically, a three-game win streak on the heels of a five-game losing streak is unlikely. And so the Cougars must find a way to at least improve after last week’s debacle against the No. 1 Trojans. The WSU defense in particular is having a rough go of it, and has been getting worse over the course of the conference season. A reversal – or at least a glimmer of hope – has to come soon or else there will be some serious questions to answer in the coming off-season.

What it means for Arizona State: The Sun Devils have fallen from once-lofty status earlier in the year thanks to some close losses but still find themselves within striking distance of a bowl bid. With games still left against undefeated UCLA and struggling Arizona after this week, Arizona State needs two wins to become bowl-eligible. Given UCLA’s success, winning this week and against Arizona is the obvious path to 6-5. So the Sun Devils should be charged up and ready to go, especially after snapping a three-game losing streak last week against the Huskies. This team, should it not qualify for a bowl, will be considered one of the nation’s biggest disappointments and head coach Dirk Koetter could even encounter some turbulence. That’s more than enough to underscore the importance for this squad.

Arizona State’s best

Koetter is in his fifth season at Arizona State and has compiled a 30-27 record there. He coached for three seasons at Boise State before taking the Sun Devil job.

On offense, Arizona State is in flux as starting quarterback Sam Keller is set to undergo surgery today on an injured throwing hand. That has forced in Rudy Carpenter, who played the second half in a loss two games ago and beat Washington on Saturday. The redshirt freshman looked good in his first start, going 27 of 34 for 401 yards and three touchdowns, running for another. It doesn’t hurt having wideout Derek Hagan, an expected first-round draft pick who has 55 catches for 830 yards on the year. The Sun Devils are a throw-first team, but Rudy Burgess should get most of the carries when the ball is on the ground. Center Grayling Love is one of the best offensive linemen in college football.

Defensively, middle linebacker Dale Robinson is the biggest threat to any opposing offense, but the side-by-side tandem of defensive end Kyle Caldwell and tackle Jordan Hill should be an imposing threat for the right side of the WSU offensive line.

The numbers

Jerome Harrison is first in the nation in rushing, but don’t get used to it. With 1,310 yards on the ground, the WSU senior leads Memphis’ DeAngelo Williams by a yard. But Memphis plays tonight, and Williams will – barring a shocking development – overtake Harrison again, quite possibly on the first play of the game. … In Pac-10 play, WSU quarterback Alex Brink is 90 of 174 (51.7 percent) for 1,348 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Cougars didn’t complete a pass longer than 12 yards last week. … Arizona State is second in the nation with 376.2 passing yards a game and fifth in total offense at 514.8 yards a game.

Glenn Kasses