With 21st-ranked Boise State coming to town Saturday, the Washington State Cougars should have a few things going their way:
- The debut of redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman has given this team a newfound buzz.
- A “homecoming” crowd in Pullman should feed off that new energy.
- WSU has never lost to the Broncos at Martin Stadium.
Of course, plenty more will have to go in WSU’s favor if it wants to give first-year coach Kirby Moore his biggest victory - all at the expense of his alma mater.
Here are three WSU players who could need to step up for the Cougars to have a chance to beat No. 21 Boise State:
Owen Eshelman: Building on his breakout debut
Word is out already that the Cougars’ new starting signal caller has got skills.
“That quarterback is really, really talented,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said during his weekly Monday press conference.
Certainly, inserting Eshelman into the lineup last week in a 48-30 loss at Oregon State has given the WSU offense a jolt. Eshelman finished with 425 yards of total offense, leading the team on four touchdown-scoring drives.
But with word being out, so is the scouting tape. And Boise State - the Pac-12 Conference’s third-ranked defense - will be ready.
As buzz-worthy as Eshelman’s outing was Saturday in Corvallis, Oregon, one area the offense continued to struggle in was third-down conversions (at least until the fourth quarter).
The Broncos rank sixth in the country in third-down defense at a 27.4-percent conversion rate. If the Cougars face constant third-and-long situations Saturday, it could be a long afternoon.
Khamari Terrell: Holding the edge against Boise State
It’s going to take a village - not one villager - to place a speed bump in front of this Boise State rushing attack, led by Dylan Riley (835 yards, six touchdowns) and Sire Gaines (354 yards, three touchdowns).
And one area of the field both tailbacks attack is the perimeter. Boise State’s aim is to get those standouts facing cornerbacks, either on outside runs or swing passes.
Given the fact that the Cougars are coming off a game in which they missed a season-high 18 tackles, the Broncos will certainly put that to the test Saturday with two physical running backs with versatility in their game, too.
“This week, I have to make them notice, ‘You can’t run on my side,’” WSU cornerback Khamari Terrell said.
Linus Zunk: Bringing pressure on Maddux Madsen
The strength-on-strength matchup in this game? Boise State’s offensive line versus the Cougars’ defensive front.
“That front is sound, and those are two of the better edge players (in Linus Zunk, Matyus McLain) we’ll see,” Danielson said.
Things are going swimmingly for this Boise State passing attack through six games. Quarterback Maddux Madsen has passed for 1,296 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s only been sacked five times all season.
To boost WSU’s chances of winning this game, it must create havoc on defense, especially in the backfield. And it will likely have to come from the defensive line to apply pressure on Madsen and maybe force a quick turnover.
Add us as a preferred source on Google