Two-minute drill: WSU’s keys to victory in season-opener against Idaho

PULLMAN – Here is what to watch for when Washington State hosts Idaho at 7 p.m. Saturday on The CW.

When Idaho has the ball …

The tip of the Vandals’ spear is third-year sophomore quarterback Joshua Wood, who transferred from Fresno State, where he redshirted in 2023 and played in the Bulldogs’ bowl game in 2024. In that one, he completed 16 of 23 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, using his dual-threat abilities to make plays with his arm and with his legs.

He may be the most dangerous weapon on the Idaho offense, which is largely unproven at the wide receiver spot, perhaps a meaningful advantage for a veteran-laden Cougar defense. UI’s three starting wide receivers are Trais Higgins, Tony Harste and Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar, none of whom have started a game at the college level.

The trio has combined for more than 750 college snaps, most of which come from Cortez-Menjivar, but it may be asking a lot of that group to match up with a cadre of WSU safeties who have more than 150 games between them. That corps includes veteran safeties Tucker Large, Matt Durrance and Cale Reeder, who figure to make their position group perhaps the strength of their team’s defense.

But those safeties may have to do more than just defend Wood’s passes. They might also have to keep him contained on the ground, where he’s proven more than capable as a runner, posting 32 rushing yards in last year’s bowl game. That’s where WSU linebacker Caleb Francl may become crucial: If Wood starts to scramble, can Francl keep him contained and stop him from creating big plays?

Francl won’t be the only WSU linebacker in charge of making those kinds of plays. The Cougs’ starting middle linebacker will be redshirt freshman Anthony Palano, who will be taking the first defensive snaps of his college career. He played special teams as a freshman at SDSU, where he earned the trust of Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, Palano’s lead recruiter out of the Chicago area.

In combination with fellow veteran Parker McKenna, who will start at will linebacker, that’s the group that will be charged with keeping things in front of them. Up front, WSU defensive tackles like Bryson Lamb and SDSU transfer Max Baloun will try to stop Idaho’s rushing attack, which will be headed by veteran Elisha Cummings and third-year sophomore Art Williams.

Can Bobbit stop UI offensive coordinator Matt Linehan from finding holes in his team’s defense? That much will also depend on Cougar defensive ends Buddha Peleti and Raam Stevenson, both of whom impressed with their pass rush during WSU’s 14-practice fall camp.

When WSU has the ball …

A big chunk of the Cougar’s offensive identity figures to hinge on their starting quarterback. One problem: Nobody outside the team knows who that will be. The likely frontrunner is veteran Zevi Eckhaus, who looked to take the lead in fall camp over the three other competitors, returner Jaxon Potter and transfers Julian Dugger and Ajani Sheppard, the latter two of whom are of the dual-threat mold.

In theory, any of those four could jog out for the game’s first snap on Saturday, but all signs point toward QB1 duties going to Eckhaus. He may not be the physical dual-threat QB that Dugger and Sheppard are, but he proved his mobility during fall camp, and it’s clear he has the respect of his teammates. Combine that with his arm talent and he looks like a likely starter for WSU.

But whoever the starter is, the Cougs’ offense gets the advantage of facing a largely inexperienced Idaho defense. Three of the Vandals’ starting secondary players will be making their first college starts, including true freshman cornerback Caleb Ricks. Fifth-year senior cornerback Jhamell Blenman, who started his career at WSU, is the exception – but even he only logged 160 snaps in nine games last fall.

The Cougs’ other important advantage comes up front, where their offensive line matches up well with the Vandals’ defensive line. None of Idaho’s front four stand over 6-foot-4, while WSU’s offense line includes a 6-foot-7 left tackle in Ashton Tripp, a 6-foot-5 right tackle in Christian Hilborn, a 6-foot-5 left guard in Johnny Lester – and that’s making no mention of their weight, which will also likely be another advantage for the hosts.

WSU’s starting running back, fifth-year senior Angel Johnson, also detailed what could be an advantage of the mental variety: Sixteen Cougars came from South Dakota State, where they faced a couple FBS opponents over the years. They know the mentality the Vandals might have entering the game.

“I feel like they’re not gonna look at us as like we’re FBS. They’re coming in here to try to beat us,” said Johnson, who will likely share RB duties with Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalsi. “I know at the FCS level, you know what it is – you play an FBS team, it is hyped up. It is whatever, but you still gotta go out there and play football at the end of the day. And we don’t look at them no different.”