Two-minute drill: Washington State’s keys to victory against Washington

PULLMAN – Here is what to watch for when Washington State hosts rival Washington in the Apple Cup at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS.

When Washington has the ball …

All WSU eyes will be on UW’s Demond Williams Jr., a dual-threat quarterback who has looked as advertised in his first full year under center. En route to a 2-0 start to the season, Williams has completed 34 of 49 passes (69%) for 480 yards, and added 21 carries for 132 yards with one touchdown , a reflection of how deadly both parts of his game are.

One factor that may figure prominently in this one is whether or not WSU linebacker Anthony Palano will be able to play. A redshirt freshman, Palano missed last weekend’s game with an undisclosed injury, and his status for the Apple Cup is unclear. If he can’t play, expect the Cougars to roll with a combination of second-year walk-on Jack Ellison and true freshman Sullivan Schlimgen – both inexperienced players being asked to play bigger roles than they were ever expected to.

Those matchups loom particularly large because of the Huskies’ rushing attack. The tip of that spear is star running back Jonah Coleman, who racked up a whopping five rushing touchdowns last week against UC Davis, the program record for one game. A 5-foot-9 bowling ball, Coleman has forced 11 missed tackles, including 10 alone against UC Davis – second most nationally in Week 2.

Because of his strength and low center of gravity, Coleman makes himself nearly impossible to bring down, especially in one-on-one situations. That means the Cougars would do well to bring multiple defenders to the ball, which they’ve shown they can do in their first three games, even in a lopsided loss to North Texas last weekend. But this matchup against Coleman will be WSU’s toughest task yet.

Perhaps an even bigger challenge facing WSU involves some of UW’s weapons on the outside. The Cougars won’t just have to wrangle Coleman. If they commit too many defenders to the box, they’ll leave their cornerbacks in one-on-one situations against Husky receivers like Denzel Boston and true freshman Dezmen Roebuck, who is expected to fill in for the injured Rashid Williams. WSU cornerbacks Colby Humphrey and Jamorri Colson and safeties Tucker Large and Matt Durrance will be heavily tested in the secondary.

The Cougs might be able to disrupt the Huskies offense by creating havoc in the backfield. UW’s offensive line – left tackle Carver Willis, left guard John Mills, center Landen Hatchett, right guard Geirean Hatchett and right tackle Drew Azzopardi – has yet to surrender a sack. But if there is a weak link, it might be Willis, who has allowed five pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, four QB hurries and one hit.

That could create chances for WSU’s defensive ends, namely Isaac Terrell and Buddha Peleti, to force Williams to figure things out on the fly. He hasn’t needed to very often in his first two games of the season. For the Cougs, though, the problem could be that young linebackers could be asked to make those plays.

When WSU has the ball …

Much of the Cougars’ offensive game plan for Saturday’s game will revolve around their starting quarterback, whose identity remains unknown. It could be third-year sophomore Jaxon Potter, who started in the Cougs’ first three games . Or it could be fifth-year senior Zevi Eckhaus, who has a wealth of experience. It could even be redshirt freshman Julian Dugger, a run-first, dual-threat quarterback.

WSU coach Jimmy Rogers made his choice on Sunday, he said, but that didn’t stop him from indicating on Monday that the three would compete for the starting job during practice this week. Apparently, that did not unfold the way Rogers described. It has added up to a winding, confusing saga. What do the Cougars value most at the position? How much will that inform their decision on a starter?

What is clear about the Cougs’ offense is they need to be able to run the ball to give themselves a chance to pull this upset, and as 20.5-point underdogs, it would be a staggering one. Through three games, WSU has totaled 206 rushing yards, which is sixth fewest nationwide. It has also posted a PFF rushing grade of 56.2, third worst nationally.

Running back Angel Johnson, who started the first three games of the season, has 23 carries for 32 yards. Fellow RB Kirby Vorhees has been a little better, with 25 carries for 119 yards, but only marginally. The Cougs still do not have a rushing touchdown by a running back. Without a fortified ground game, their offense has suffered, forcing Potter to make tough downfield reads last week – to the tune of three first-half interceptions, prompting coaches to reevaluate things at that position.

But no matter how well they run the ball, no matter who plays quarterback, what the Cougars cannot do is turn the ball over. They did so five times against the Mean Green, including three interceptions from Potter and one apiece from Dugger and Vorhees, leading to 28 UNT points.

UW linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, who played the first three years of his career at WSU, has yet to force a turnover, but he collected six last fall with the Cougars. Huskies cornerback Tacario Davis picked off a pass against UC Davis, but he injured himself on the play, and is questionable for Saturday’s game. If the Cougars can avoid those two players, they might give themselves a better chance.