First look: WSU set to visit Oregon State for first of two matchups between two Pac-12 schools

PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road game against Oregon State on Saturday.

What is it?

Coming off a three-score home win over Toledo, Washington State (4-4) returns to the road to take on Oregon State, which earned its first win of the season two weeks ago. In a clash of the Pac-12’s only two teams. It’s also the first of their two matchups this season.

With a win, WSU would move within one win of bowl eligibility, which would be the program’s ninth time in the last 10 full seasons making a bowl.

Where is it?

Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

When is it?

Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m.

Where can I watch it?

CBS will broadcast the game.

Who is favored?

As of Monday afternoon, WSU was around a 31/2-point favorite in most sportsbooks.

How did the Cougars fare last week?

In a 28-7 win over Toledo, WSU’s first home game in more than a month, the Cougars scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the fourth to salt away the victory. Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus totaled three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing, against two interceptions. Plus, the Cougars churned out 162 rushing yards, their fourth straight game hitting the century mark on the ground.

Eckhaus led the team with 74 rushing yards, running back Kirby Vorhees posted 62 yards and third-year sophomore running back Leo Pulalasi chipped in with 23 yards on five carries. WSU used one critical fourth-quarter drive to put the win away, a 12-play, six-minute series that included 11 rushes, capped by Vorhees’ short plunge into the end zone. That gave the Cougs the final margin, putting them two wins away from bowl eligibility.

But the Cougars really earned this win on defense. WSU limited Toledo to only 61 rushing yards, a remarkable feat against an offense that was averaging a shade over 200 yards per game on the ground before last week. The Cougs also nabbed their first interception of the season, which came courtesy of linebacker Parker McKenna, who caught a tipped pass over the middle of the field.

Those kinds of plays came at critical times. Eckhaus’ two interceptions propped open the door for the Rockets’ offense, which had several chances to draw within one score and make things interesting in the second half.

“For the most part, we were able to stop the run entirely,” WSU coach Jimmy Rogers said. “We gotta set some edges on some of those, even the one that we felt like he was down, the one they reviewed with his knee down, we thought we should have had that one too. But overall, just playing team defense, being aware of the situation and just growing constantly. A big portion of the group’s been with me, so they kinda understand it.”

On defense, veteran safety Tucker Large led the way with 13 tackles, including one for loss. McKenna followed with 10 tackles, one for loss, while cornerback Colby Humphrey and linebacker Caleb Francl finished with eight and seven tackles, respectively. Toledo’s one scoring drive came on a quick series right before the half, but outside of that, the visitors couldn’t establish much rhythm on offense.

“This is gonna be to be one of the best Group of 6 conferences in the country,” Rogers said, “and to be on the national stage, I always think it’s important to put your best foot out there.”

Scouting Oregon State …

The Beavers are enduring a season to forget. They started the year 0-7, which led program brass to fire head coach Trent Bray, before interim head coach Robb Akey led OSU to a win over Lafayette, the team’s first victory of the season. On Monday, the program also fired a deputy athletic director amid controversy over the team’s involvement with an NIL company called Blueprint.

On the field, the Beavs have pivoted away from quarterback Maalik Murphy, who reportedly agreed to an NIL deal worth some $1.5M to transfer from Duke over the offseason. Instead, in the third quarter of its win over Lafayette, OSU replaced Murphy with Gabarri Johnson, who completed 7 of 9 passes for 79 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also posted 82 rushing yards on just six carries.

In that game, running back Anthony Hankerson piled up 204 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 25 carries. Including Johnson’s rushing and 63 yards from freshman running back Cornell Hatcher Jr., the Beavers totaled 365 yards on the ground.

“I think their running back’s really talented,” Rogers said. “They made a change at quarterback that kinda maybe sparked them, as much as there was a lot of attention around Malik Murphy, and I think he’s a good player. I just think as of lately, Anthony Hankerson has stood out. He’s a really good player. And (wide receiver) David Wells is doing a good job, too. They’ve kinda mixed and matched O-lineman. But yeah, they’re big up front, they’re physical, they try to play hard and finish you through the whistle.”

On defense, the Beavers are allowing nearly 33 points per game, which ranks No. 119 of 134 FBS teams nationwide. They’re permitting 153 rushing yards per game and nearly 260 passing yards a game, the latter of which ranks also No. 119 nationally.

A couple names to watch on OSU’s defense: cornerback Trey Glasper (one interception, allowed five touchdowns), linebacker Dexter Foster (one pass breakup) and linebacker Aidan Sullivan (team’s top-graded defender, via Pro Football Focus).

Last fall in Corvallis, WSU dropped a 41-38 decision to Oregon State, whose offense woke up after slogging through a stagnant first 10 games of the season. The Cougars were in control for much of the game, but thanks to a late fumble by star wide receiver Kyle Williams, the Beavers used a go-ahead field goal to take the lead for good.