First look: After a month away from home, WSU returns to Gesa Field to host Toledo
PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s home game against Toledo on Saturday.
What is it?
Fresh off a 22-20 defeat to Virginia, which rose two spots to No. 16 in the new AP Top 25 rankings, WSU returns to the Palouse for its first home game in more than a month. The Cougars will try to turn the page from last week’s game, in which the Cavaliers outscored the Cougars 12-0 in the fourth quarter and took the lead on a late safety, and take down Toledo.
WSU scheduled this game to fill out its 2025 campaign with opponents before the rebuilt Pac-12 launches next year.
Where is it?
The Cougars host the Rockets at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
Where can I watch it?
The CW will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
As of Monday afternoon, WSU was around a 1.5-point favorite in most sportsbooks.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
WSU led for much of the game, including by two scores, but Virginia won after the Cougars suffered a fourth-quarter collapse. The Cavaliers seized the win on a last-minute safety, which came moments after the Cougars botched a kickoff, putting themselves at their own 2-yard line.
WSU committed several costly mistakes to land in that position to begin with. On a series prior, right guard AJ Vaipulu was called for three straight penalties including two consecutive false starts and holding. On the next series, fellow offensive lineman Johnny Lester was called for a false start. It wasn’t just the self-inflicted wounds in the final 15 minutes that led to their demise. Washington State committed several other mistakes throughout the second half .
Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus tossed two interceptions, one in the first quarter and one in the fourth, which Virginia turned into a field goal. That was enough to help WSU look far different in the first half to the second: The Cougs’ offense looked robust in the first, enjoying a consistent running game and an electric passing attack. Their offense looked anything but in the second stanza, and the Cavaliers took full advantage.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Rogers said on Monday. “I think it’s them coming out and maybe playing with adjustments in some capacity. I think a little bit of it is, we need to put our players in better situations. I can’t look any further than us as coaches, to come out and operate and maybe have new wrinkles in the second half that weren’t shown in the first.”
If there was anything encouraging for WSU in this one, it was its defense. The Cougars allowed only 20 points to a Cavalier offense that had put up the following point totals this fall: 48 against Coastal Carolina, 31 against NC State, 55 against FCS Williams & Mary, 48 against Stanford, 46 against Florida State (double OT) and 30 against Louisville (OT).
WSU did it by shoring up its tackling issues, at least in some capacity. The Cougars missed 11 tackles, which might sound like a lot , but they were coming off a 21-whiff showing against Ole Miss the week prior. Washington State also entered with 102 missed tackles on the season, according to Pro Football Focus, the second-highest total in the country.
Against UVA, on one play, linebacker Caleb Francl used his speed to knock away a potential long completion. On another, he stuffed a key third-down run. Francl finished with a PFF run-defense grade of 91.7, the third best nationwide in Week 8. All told, it added up to another promising showing from WSU’s defense, which could have an even more fruitful time against the opponents remaining on the Cougs’ schedule.
“I think they played to their leverage,” Rogers said. “Some of the things that I mentioned to them today – just the better execution. Their eyes were on the right spot. We communicated better. It was just cleaner. The communication was cleaner. The edges were getting set, the focus throughout the game. We missed some tackles that led to some explosives, but at the same time, it didn’t look like it did the week prior.”
Scouting Toledo….
The Rockets are 4-3 this season, seventh place in the MAC. They’ve won two of their last three, including victories over Akron and Kent State and a setback to Bowling Green on the road. Their quarterback is fifth-year senior Tucker Gleason, who has completed 114 of 176 passes (65%) for 1,483 yards and 12 touchdowns against 4 interceptions.
Toledo, which opened the season with a one-score loss to SEC foe Kentucky, is led by head coach Jason Candle. In nine full seasons at the helm of the program, he’s led the Rockets to seven bowl games, including wins in two. He’s won at least seven games in each of the past three seasons, including an 11-win season in 2023, when Toledo captured the MAC championship.
The strength of his 2025 Toledo team is defense. The Rockets’ defense is giving up only 14 points per game, which ranks No. 8 nationwide, including No. 5 in PFF’s defense rankings. They’re giving up only 140 passing yards per game, which is fifth best nationwide. They’re permitting only 83 rushings per contest, which is sixth best in the country.
On offense, Toledo likes to run the ball. Running back Chip Trayanum, a Kentucky transfer, has piled up 601 yards and seven touchdowns on 103 carries, good for 5.8 yards per carry. Fellow tailback Kenji Christian has picked up 346 rushing yards and two scores as well.
That presents what profiles as an interesting clash on Saturday: How does a run-first, defense-first Toledo team match up with a WSU team that wants to establish the same kind of identity?
“I think every time you look at somebody, what they do offensively,” Rogers said, “and you see the structure or how they plan on winning games, it changes how you prepare yourself defensively. You’re preparing against not only just players, but structural formations that they might an advantage and or a run count or just a schematical advantage. There’s that aspect, and that allows you to think more about how they’re gonna attack you.”
What happened last time?
Saturday’s matchup marks the first time the two football programs have met.