First look: WSU heads south to take on North Texas in programs’ first meeting
PULLMAN – Here is a first look at Washington State’s road game against North Texas on Saturday.
What is it?
Coming off a blowout win over San Diego State, WSU will travel south to take on North Texas for the teams’ first clash in program history. Both clubs will enter with 2-0 records.
Where is it?
DATCU Stadium in Denton, Texas.
When is it?
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. local time. (12:30 p.m. PT)
Where can I watch it?
ESPNU will broadcast the game.
Who is favored?
As of Monday afternoon, WSU was around a five-point underdog in most sportsbooks.
How did the Cougars fare last week?
WSU rebounded from a narrow season-opening win and cruised to a 36-13 win over San Diego State, following the Aztecs’ opening touchdown with 29 unanswered points, taking control for good. In his second career start, quarterback Jaxon Potter completed 28 of 42 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, avoiding sacks and interceptions for the second straight game.
Potter threw two touchdowns to tight end Trey Leckner and one to fifth-year receiver Leon Neal Jr., the latter of whom caught his first touchdown and the former of whom caught his first against FBS competition. The Cougars’ rushing game also turned things around in a big way, going from three yards in Week 1 to 139 in Week 2, which was partially a credit to their offensive line’s improvement.
Running back Kirby Vorhees led the charge on the ground, churning out 67 yards on 13 carries, while Leo Pulalasi followed with 30 yards on five carries. Backup QB Julian Dugger was used as a wildcat quarterback on a trio of occasions, including near the goal line in the fourth quarter, when he surged in from 3 yards out for his first touchdown as a Cougar.
After the game, WSU coach Jimmy Rogers acknowledged that in some ways, his group was using the pass to set up the run. That represented a distinct change from what he and coaches’ preferred method, which is to go run-first. But Rogers said, “If we have to do that, we have to do that. I’m not one to ram a square peg down a round hole and wonder why it’s not working.”
On Monday, Rogers was asked if he’s OK with throwing 42 passes, the most by a quarterback in his 32 games as a head coach.
“I’m OK with winning,” Rogers said. “If that’s what we are right now, and we’re better at that, we’ll balance it out as we go. I do believe in running the football, because I believe in situational football. At the end of that game, we relied a little bit on the misfortune of the other team, rather than being fortunate ourselves by executing at a high level and being able to run the ball and burn out the clock.”
On defense, WSU allowed an early touchdown to SDSU, which took advantage of backup safety Duhron Goodman falling down in coverage to spring open down the field. But otherwise, the Cougs excelled on that side of the ball, generating three sacks and seven tackles for loss. One and a half sacks came from junior defensive end Isaac Terrell, a half sack came from Buddha Peleti and one came courtesy of veteran defensive tackle Max Baloun.
It was the highlight of Terrell’s career. He registered six pressures, tied for third most nationally in Week 2, and he added one bat down. He started last week’s game, and he could be ready for a starting role moving forward.
“He works extremely hard. I noticed that from day one,” Rogers said Monday. “Pound for pound, one of the most explosive guys on our team, that works really hard. For a 5 or 6 a.m. morning workout, he’s here an hour and a half prior, rolling out his body and eating the right amount of calories in order to have success in the weight room.
“And then he has a routine after that. I think when you can get more guys like that, that are bought into the actual process of how it is supposed to be done, you have a better chance of having success than just relying on God-given talent.”
Scouting North Texas …
North Texas, coached by former WSU offensive coordinator Eric Morris, is off to a 2-0 start. The Mean Green have wins over FCS Lamar and an overtime win over Western Michigan. Their quarterback is redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker, who has completed 42 of 65 passes (65%) of his passes for 553 yards and five touchdowns, plus no interceptions.
Mestemaker is the captain of one of the nation’s highest-tempo offenses. In two games, North Texas is averaging just 21.2 seconds per play, making its offense the fifth-fastest in the country, according to TeamRankings.com. The Mean Green have racked up 84 points in two games, good for 42 points per game, which is No. 29 nationally.
Mestemaker’s favorite targets have been wide receivers Wyatt Young and Cameron Dorner, who have combined to make 16 catches for 258 yards and four touchdowns, two apiece. North Texas’ offense has also gotten a boost from running back Makenzie McGill II, who posted 16 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in last week’s game.
Through two games, North Texas has received an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 90.6, which is No. 29 in the country.
“Any time you play an up-tempo offense, it creates challenges,” Rogers said. “They have to execute. Otherwise it goes into our favor. The RPO to the side of the back, away from the back, the athletic quarterback that can extend plays when plays break down, those things are always a challenge. You have to stop the run, but you have to stop an elite quarterback from throwing the ball in a tight window on an RPO.”
On defense, the Mean Green are led by edge rusher Ethan Day (two sacks on four pressures), linebacker Trey Fields (team-best 12 tackles and one interception) and safety Patrick Smith-Young, the team’s highest-graded safety with a PFF coverage grade of 77.3. North Texas’ defense shut out Lamar in the opener and allowed 30 points to Western Michigan.
What happened last time?
This is the teams’ first meeting.