Arizona State Opponent Preview: Washington State Cougars
The 13th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils look to bounce back from their second loss of the season last week when they host the Washington State Cougars in the home finale for the 2014 season.
The Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2) dropped seven spots in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings after falling to the hands of the Oregon State Beavers last Saturday.
Although the Sun Devils are not mathematically eliminated from the College Football Playoff they would need a lot of assistance to launch back up the rankings. All Arizona State can do at this point is help themselves out with a pair of victories to end the season.
Their first task and the only task that should be on their minds is the Cougars (3-7, 2-5) who will enter Sun Devil Stadium Saturday morning as the bottom-feeder in the Pac-12 North.
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Washington State started out conference play with a seven-point loss to Oregon and then defeated Utah by one point on the road. Four consecutive losses to Cal, Stanford, Arizona, and USC followed the victory against Utah. The Cougars notched their second conference victory when they went on the road and defeated Oregon State, something that the Sun Devils could not accomplish.
Washington State’s offense hasn’t lost a step after losing their stud quarterback, Connor Halliday to a season-ending injury. Halliday had 3,873 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in the nine games he played this season.
Luke Falk has stepped into the quarterback role nicely going 82-118 in two starts with seven touchdowns and one interception in those contests. In the Oregon State game alone he complete 44 passes on 61 attempts for 471 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Nov 8, 2014; Corvallis, OR, USA; Washington State Cougars offensive lineman Eduardo Middleton (73) defends as Washington State Cougars quarterback Luke Falk (4) throws the ball in the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
The Cougars’ running game isn’t focused on much at all with their play-from-behind mentality. Jamal Morrow leads the team in rushing attempts, with a measly 75, and also in yardage with 309. Morrow has yet to find the end zone this season and the only Cougar to have a rushing touchdown this year has been Gerard Wicks, who has four scores on the ground.
Vince Mayle, semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (best WR), leads Washington State in receptions (86) and receiving yards (1152). His nine touchdown scores rank second on the squad behind Isiah Myers’ 11 touchdown receptions. Myers also totals 68 receptions for 795 yards.
Sep 20, 2014; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Vince Mayle (1) makes a catch against Oregon Ducks defensive back Dior Mathis (3) during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Ducks beat Cougars 38-31. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Long story short, the Cougars like to pass the ball. And they like to pass the ball A LOT. If the Sun Devils can get their blitz packages back on track and get to Falk, like they did to Everett Golson a couple weeks back, then Arizona State should come away victorious for their senior night game.
Kickoff for the Washington State vs. Arizona State game will be at 11:00 MST on Saturday morning in Tempe, Ariz.