First look: WSU vs. Arizona

Time: 2 p.m. Saturday TV: None

The records: Arizona (3-5, 1-4 Pac-10); WSU (6-3, 4-2 Pac-10).

Last week: Arizona had a bye last week after losing at home to Oregon State 17-10; WSU won at UCLA 37-15.

Last time: The Cougars and Wildcats last played two seasons ago in Tucson, and it was Arizona head coach Mike Stoops’ first Pac-10 game. A coaching error may have cost him that contest, too, as the Wildcats fumbled on a running play with less than 90 seconds to go when taking a knee would have run almost all of the clock down. The Cougars recovered in Arizona territory and Jason Hill caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Josh Swogger with 53 seconds remaining to give WSU a 20-19 road victory.

The line: WSU by 16.

What it means for Arizona: The Wildcats are hypothetically still in the bowl hunt with five losses to date, but more realistically they’re playing to establish something positive for the rest of their season after the bye. Arizona has been awful on offense, needing three starting quarterbacks this season because of injuries and reshuffling the coaching staff on that side of the ball midseason. The run game has been largely nonexistent. Doing anything positive – especially getting a win, of course – could be seen as a major building block.

What it means for WSU: The Cougars are hot, and they’ll need to avoid an upset in what appears to be the easiest game left on their schedule. If they play well, WSU should win without incident but this is not a team that’s accustomed to doing so well for so long, and maintaining momentum could be a challenge. Technically, having six wins does not guarantee the Cougars a bowl bid, but getting a seventh win this week would make it a slam dunk – and lock up an above-.500 record in the regular season, too.

Key matchup: Jason Hill vs. Antoine Cason.

The Cougars’ top receiver and the Wildcats’ top cornerback should see a fair amount of each other on Saturday and it will be essential for Arizona that Cason keep Hill to a minimum of big plays. With the Wildcats scoring fewer than two touchdowns a game, they can’t afford to see the Cougars’ big-play threat outside reeling in long passes, and Hill will do exactly that if Cason struggles.

Injury update: The Cougars could be without a couple of players who were injured against UCLA but could get a couple who have been out back on the field as well. Running back Derrell Hutsona is questionable with an ankle sprain, as is kicker Loren Langley with a quadriceps injury. Punter Darryl Blunt will undergo further tests after he fell ill on Saturday and his status depends on the results. Cornerback Courtney Williams (knee sprain) is out. But wideout Chris Jordan (knee) and defensive tackle Aaron Johnson (elbow) are expected to participate in practice on a limited basis, and could be available. Arizona’s big question mark is at quarterback, where sophomore and usual starter Willie Tuitama is probable after missing games with a concussion. His backup, Adam Austin, also missed the last game with a knee injury and is questionable. But Stoops said Monday that he is going to wait to name his official starter under center.

Glenn Kasses