First look: WSU hits the road again, this time visiting No. 18 Virginia

PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road game against No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.

What is it?

Coming off a one-score loss to then-No. 4 Ole Miss, a promising result for the group, WSU hits the road again to take on No. 18 Virginia. It’s the second -straight long trek for the Cougars, who are playing an assortment of opponents in their second and final season without a regular conference arrangement.

Where is it?

Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Where can I watch it?

The CW will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

As of Monday afternoon, WSU was around a 17.5-point underdog in most sportsbooks.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

In a road loss to Ole Miss, which dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 in the national AP rankings , WSU had a chance to take the lead in crunch time. The Cougars took the lead on two separate occasions, and with a little more than a minute to play, they got the ball back with a chance to walk things off.

The final drive fell short for the Cougars, whose ability to keep things close throughout the game made this an encouraging result for them, result notwithstanding. Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus completed 24 of 31 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns, plus 18 rushing yards on 11 carries. Running back Kirby Vorhees led the way on the ground with 10 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, a 46-yard burst to put WSU ahead in the third quarter.

The Cougars’ defense got a huge day from third-year defensive end Bobby Terrell, who logged two sacks on four tackles for loss, but that unit couldn’t help their team keep the lead. Ole Miss took the lead for good with two touchdown drives in the second half, one that ended with a 17-yard touchdown scramble by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and one that concluded with a touchdown pass from Chambliss to receiver Cayden Lee.

WSU pulled back within one score in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Eckhaus to speedy receiver Tony Freeman, who continues to enjoy a breakout third year with the Cougars, and the visitors got a key third-down stop in the fourth. But too little time remained for WSU, which dropped to 3-3 with the loss.

“Our guys are excited. I know they were excited about the way they were able to compete throughout the game,” Rogers said. “At the same time, what I told them again this morning, is when we say good game, we understand what goes into this, but don’t listen to too many ‘good games.’ We lost the game, and I think that they needed to hear that, because on the outside everybody will tell you, ‘good game, good game, good game.’ At the end of the day, we can’t let that seep into ourselves, like that was enough. We lost the game.”

Scouting Virginia ….

Virginia is off to a near-perfect 5-1 start to the season, opening with a 1-1 stretch before knocking off William and Mary, then-No. 8 Florida State in double overtime and a road win over Louisville two weeks ago, that one also in overtime. Quarterback Chandler Morris has launched himself into the national spotlight, completing 130 of 186 passes (70%) for 11 touchdowns against four interceptions.

But the strength of the Cavaliers’ offense has been their rushing attack, which is averaging 217.5 yards per rush, good for No. 18 nationally. Senior J’Mari Taylor has led that charge, piling up 465 yards and eight touchdowns on 91 carries. Fellow senior Xavier Brown has chipped in with 227 yards and one score on 48 carries, helping UVA average 5.2 yards per carry, one of the best marks in the nation.

In his fourth year at Virginia, coach Tony Elliott has the Cavaliers off to their best start in years. Their defense ranks No. 42 nationally, according to PFF, and unit has produced 18 sacks already: four from defensive end Daniel Rickert, three from defensive end Mitchell Melton and two apiece from lineman Jason Hammond and linebacker Maddox Marcellus.

“He’s a really good player, and he can throw the ball on time, in rhythm,” Rogers said of Morris, “and he does a really good job of making the most of the plays when they break down, that he can still keep his eyes down the field when he scrambles. His legs will kill you. He’s running past. They’ve played a bunch of quality opponents so far, and he’s running past them, so we gotta do a good job of being able to tackle him in space, but also not giving them the explosive pass plays as well.”

What happened last time?

The Cougars and Cavaliers have never met before.