Two-minute drill: WSU’s keys to victory against San Diego State

PULLMAN – Here is what to watch for Washington State home matchup against San Diego State at 7:15 p.m. Saturday on KSKN .

When SDSU has the ballThe engine of the Aztecs’ offense is quarterback Jayden Denegal, who started his career with three years at Michigan, and was the backup on Wolverines’ 2023 national title team. He transferred to SDSU in time for spring ball, and in his debut, he completed 13 of 25 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown in a 42-0 win over FCS Stony Brook.

The good news for WSU is that he isn’t as mobile. The tougher news is that Denegal has plenty of weapons to throw to, including maybe his favorite target last week, Iowa and Texas A&M transfer wide receiver Jacob Bostick. Bostick hauled in three catches for 53 yards and a score, including a 25-yard strike. The Aztecs had 16 players catch passes in their season-opening win, but the top targets figure to include Bostick, returner Jordan Napier and Donovan Brown.

But the Cougs would do well to stop the strength of the Aztecs’ offense, and in their season-opener, that was their ground game. Junior running back Lucky Sutton led the charge, generating 100 rushing yards on 23 carries, while backups Byron Caldwell Jr. and Christian Washington combined for 66 yards on 14 carries. SDSU piled up 228 rushing yards for four touchdowns, cashing in on solid blocking from an experienced offensive line.

Can WSU slow down SDSU’s rushing attack? In their season-opening win over Idaho last week, the Cougars permitted 188 rushing yards on 45 carries, which came out to 4.2 yards per carry. But context is important: 100 of those came from quarterback Joshua Wood, a dual-threat signal-caller. For his career, Denegal has 25 rushing yards on 11 carries. He’s much more comfortable as a pocket-passer, likely eliminating that threat from the Aztecs’ offense and lightening the load on the Cougs’ defense.

But passing or running, WSU will have to penetrate SDSU’s offensive line, which is among the most experienced in the country. Together, the five – left tackle Christian Jones, left guard Kalan Ellis, center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli, right guard Bayo Kinnike and right tackle Joe Borjon – have played 139 combined games, including 99 starts. Last week, they gave up only three pressures, and Kinnike posted a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 88.8, tied for fifth-best nationally among qualified linemen.

That puts some onus on the Cougs’ defensive line, including interior starters Max Baloun and Bryson Lamb and ends Raam Stevenson and Buddha Peleti: Can they produce meaningful pressure and force Denegal to make plays with his feet, where he’s least comfortable? Or will Denegal have time to sit back and find his favorite targets downfield?

That much may play a key role in determining the outcome of Saturday’s game.

When WSU has the ballTo defang the Aztecs’ defense, the Cougars will have to make big improvements on offense. The most meaningful might come between the ears: Last week, they piled up seven penalties for 48 yards, including three false starts and a facemask. WSU got better as the game unfolded, and didn’t give up any penalties in the fourth quarter, but that will have to continue if the group wants to beat SDSU.

Third-year sophomore Jaxon Potter, who won the starting QB job in a surprise development, is coming off a 23-for-30, one-touchdown outing in the second game of his college career. With wide receiver Devin Ellison expected to miss a second straight game with a heel injury, he’ll have to find receivers like Josh Meredith and Tony Freeman. After tight ends Ademola Faleye and Trey Leckner combined for just one target last week, the Cougs could look for them more in the passing game as well.

But whether WSU’s offense can outscore SDSU’s, or not, comes down to how its offensive line fares. That unit – left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Johnny Lester, center Brock Dieu, right guard AJ Vaipulu and right tackle Christian Hilborn – bore much of the brunt of the Cougs’ rushing struggles, which came out to just three yards on 22 carries. On one occasion, Dieu made an uncharacteristic mistake and sailed a snap, and on several others, Hilborn found himself blocking nobody on running plays, resulting in running backs stuffed for little gain.

For the Cougs’ front five, all eyes will be on star edge rusher Trey White, who placed fifth nationally last season with 121/2 sacks. Last week, he didn’t register any sacks, but that was largely because of the attention Stony Brook paid to him. As a result, reserve edges like August Salvati and Jared Badie wreaked havoc in the backfield.

But neither appear on SDSU’s Week 2 depth chart, which lists edge rushers Brady Nassar, Niles King, White and Ryan Henderson. Outside of White, those guys combined for just three pressures. In fact, the only players on SDSU’s depth chart to register multiple pressures – again, outside of White – were King and tackle Krishna Clay, both listed as backups. Some of that may be because the Aztecs pulled their starters early in a blowout.

That would beg this question: Can WSU’s offensive line, which gave up seven pressures but no sacks last week, hold off White and SDSU’s pass rush? Much of the reason Potter won the Cougs’ starting QB role, Rogers has said multiple times, was because of his ability to avoid sacks. Can Potter, who isn’t much of a mobile threat, stay on his feet?

If so, expect the Cougs’ offense to look far better than it did last week. If not, they might be in for another slog.