Uber-friendly Spencer Danielson could spot the quality in a winless rag-tag football team of 7-year- olds.
That is just his personality. Plus, he’s a coach - he has to have his 21st-ranked Boise State Broncos ready for anything Saturday as they come to Pullman to face Washington State University in a Pacific-12 Conference game.
Boise State is 5-1. The Cougars are 1-6.
Yet, it’s Danielson’s job to get a sense of whether the Cougars captured any extended momentum from their 48-30 loss at Oregon State last weekend - especially from an Owen Eshelman-led offense that showed signs of life.
“Offensively, they are really hitting their groove,” Danielson said. “You can see it.”
The biggest key for WSU is cracking the championship-mettle nut that the Boise State offense is displaying.
Consider:
- The Broncos ranked eighth in the country in rushing offense at 234.5 yards per game.
- Boise State is tied for fifth in fewest turnovers committed by an offense this season (three, all fumbles).
- And the Broncos are No. 1 in the nation in time of possession (36:32).
In short, the visitors run the football well. They don’t turn it over. And they sustain long drives - all things the Cougars have only done in short spurts.
First-year WSU coach Kirby Moore has stressed all week the importance of this defense being a sure-handed tackling unit for 60 minutes on Saturday.
“We have to do a good job getting those guys on the ground,” Moore said.
How to watch Washington State vs. Boise State
What: WSU (1-6) comes home after back-to-back road games at Utah State and Oregon State, and faces a ranked opponent - No. 21 Boise State (5-1) - for the second time this season.
When: 3 p.m. Pacific time | Saturday, Oct. 24
Where: Martin Stadium (Gesa Field) | Pullman, Wash.
Live stream: Watch WSU vs. Boise State live on Fubo.
TV channel: USA Network
Announcers: Nate Gatter (play by play), Ryan Leaf (analyst) and Lauren Green (sideline)
Betting line: Boise State -13.5
Washington State Cougars On SI prediction: New starting quarterback Owen Eshelman certainly injected life into the morbid WSU offense. Now, can the defense slow down one of the best rushing attacks in the country?
Boise State 40, WSU 23
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