It may have raised a few eyebrows among Washington State fans when the Cougars added a punter to their 2021 recruiting class during the early signing period last week.

Nyara Sabally scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and No. 8 Oregon hung on to defeat Washington State 69-65 on Monday. The Ducks extended the nation's longest winning streak to 26 games, dating to last season.

Max Borghi had more than a few positive moments in his return to the field for Washington State.

Within minutes of receiving the news, Billy Joe and Danielle Hobert were on the Delta Airlines website surveying flights from Southern California to Salt Lake City. Kevin and Kristin Bacon hopped online to look at the options out of Spokane International.

Johanna Teder scored 17 of her career-high 20 points in the second half and Washington State beat No. 21 Oregon State 61-55 on Saturday in Pullman to snap a 13-game losing streak in the series.

SALT LAKE CITY – Kyle Whittingham made the adjustments that counted, so the longtime Utah coach got the last word when he returned to the locker room Saturday afternoon at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Difference makers from Washington State's game at Utah on Dec. 19, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

While Nick Rolovich and Washington State exuded the "anytime, any place" mantra with regards to the final game of the regular season, it'd be understandable if in the back of their mind, the Cougars thought "anyone but Utah, anywhere but Salt Lake City."

Washington State football (1-2) heads into Salt Lake City to face off against a Utah (2-2) team that knocked off No. 25 Colorado 38-21 in Boulder during week six action. – Pac-12 Networks

Follow along here as the Washington State Cougars visit the Utah Utes. The game is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Fox Sports 1.

Freshman Efe Abogidi had his first double-double, Noah Williams scored a career-high 21 points and Washington State beat Montana State 82-54 on Friday night.

Nick Rolovich never coached a football game against the University of Utah in his 12 years at Nevada and Hawaii, but by the time he arrived at the podium to meet with reporters Monday afternoon – some 24 hours after the Pac-12 announced its week seven pairings – the Washington State coach seemed to know what the Utes were all about.

Keys to victory for Washington State against Utah

Once again, Washington State’s beleaguered defensive secondary won’t be at full strength when the Cougars play the Utes on Saturday in the season finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Nick Rolovich wasn't able to swing all four, but batting .250 in the Sewell household is nothing to be ashamed of either.

Kyle Smith says the moment might call for a toast.

“Grandpa, our robot teacher assigned us to study the year 2020, since it’s the 50-year anniversary. Will you help me? I have so many questions.”

It's the same approach Washington State would apply to any football game: if you have to start slow, make sure you finish strong.

The 2021 recruiting cycle has come with unprecedented obstacles for college football programs all over the country. For most, the weight of those obstacles will be lifted on Wednesday – at least to some extent – when high school and junior college prospects are allowed to sign letters of intent as part of the early signing period.