The pick: Why Washington State will beat Oregon State

PORTLAND – Washington State’s offense has shown waves of inconsistency throughout its last two games.

Last week, in the second quarter of a win over Toledo, quarterback Zevi Eckhaus and the Cougars logged three scoring drives. Their running game looked electric, same as it did for one of their final drives of the game, a 12-play, 6-minute odyssey that represented the kind of football that coach Jimmy Rogers may want to play.

But outside of those series, WSU’s offense looked wayward, same as it did in the second half of a two-point loss to ACC upstart Virginia the week prior. In those spots, the Cougs’ ground game looked lifeless, and Eckhaus’ interceptions – he’s thrown four in his last two games – only made things harder on the team’s defense.

But we’re predicting WSU will earn a road win over Oregon State this weekend because its defense has hardly displayed the same kind of volatility. In their last four games, Cougar defenders are allowing only 13.5 points per game, achieving defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit’s goal of 14 or fewer.

That’s the kind of trend that travels, no matter how the Cougs’ offense fares.

Imperative to that effort, though, will be how WSU tackles. The Cougars may have missed 125 tackles on the season, second-most nationwide according to Pro Football Focus, but they’ve turned those issues around lately. If they can intercept a pass, force a fumble on OSU’s offense – which ranks nearly last in the country with a turnover margin of minus-nine – expect the Cougs to earn win No. 5 .

The pick: WSU 20, OSU 13