Two-minute drill: Washington State’s keys to victory against Utah State in the Idaho Potato Bowl

BOISE – Here is what to watch for when Washington State takes on Utah State in the Idaho Potato Bowl, set to kick off at 11 a.m. Monday on ESPN.

When Utah State has the ball …

The Cougars have faced several dual-threat quarterbacks this season, but they’ve never squared off with one like Aggie QB Bryson Barnes, who is his team’s leading passer and rusher. He’s completed more than 60% of his passes for 2,687 yards and 18 touchdowns, and he’s added 733 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 176 carries, good for 4.2 yards per carry.

Earlier this weekend, WSU interim coach Jesse Bobbit described Barnes’ play style this way: “He’s kinda reckless – in a good way. He’s out there, not acting like a quarterback. He’s running there, lowering his shoulder, trying to make plays happen.”

Asked whether he agrees with that description, Barnes laughed and answered in the affirmative.

“I’d say reckless from a quarterback position,” Barnes said. “Yeah, there are a lot of hits that maybe I probably don’t need to be taking. Yeah, reckless, I mean, you could call it that. I just wanna win. That’s all.”

Either way, all Cougars eyes will be on Barnes, who has forced 31 missed tackles this season, leveraging his 6-foot-2 size well. WSU, which finished last in Pro Football Focus’ tackling grades with a mark of 37.8, will have to improve in that area to slow down Barnes and the Aggies’ offense.

WSU would also do well to limit the production of USU running back Miles Davis, the group’s second-leading rusher with 724 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He’s forced as many as six missed tackles in a game this fall, and with 5-foot-11 size, he isn’t easy to bring down.

But the Aggies won’t have their leading receiver, junior Braden Pegan, who declared for the portal earlier this month and will not play in Monday’s game. Without Pegan’s production – 926 receiving yards and five scores on the year – USU will have to turn to wideout Brady Boyd and Davis in the passing game. Anthony Garcia is officially listed as a QB, but he’s played more receiver, so keep an eye on him too.

When WSU has the ball …

The Cougars’ offense won’t be the same unit that took the field for much of the regular season. That’s because starting running back Kirby Vorhees declared for the portal earlier this week, and he won’t play in this bowl game, taking the production of 576 rushing yards and five touchdowns out of WSU’s playbook.

For that reason, look for WSU QB Zevi Eckhaus to end his college career airing it out. The Cougars do have a few other running backs to fill Vorhees’ shoes – expect Leo Pulalasi, Maxwell Woods and Angel Johnson to get some snaps – but this is a chance for Eckhaus to turn WSU’s offense into the kind of Air Raid approach that the program became famous for.

Will that work in the Cougars’ favor? Eckhaus threw 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions this season. Many of his picks came at costly times for WSU, which lost chances to score at critical junctures. It might have even limited the play-calling the Cougs felt comfortable with. Eckhaus is capable of huge plays, but he’s just as liable to toss a backbreaking interception.

If Eckhaus isn’t careful, the Aggies could make him pay for that tendency. Utah State has picked off 10 passes this season, including three from defensive back Noah Avinger, a first-team All-Mountain West selection. Linebacker John Miller has led the charge in the Aggies’ pass rush department, leading the team with seven sacks on 32 pressures.

Can Eckhaus and the Cougars avoid negative plays at the hands of defenders like those? If so, they might be in position to win their first bowl game since 2018.