Washington State Cougars: Game 4 vs. Oregon – TV, Weather, More
Ed Stein
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Washington State Cougars Football opens Pac-12 play as the Cougs host Oregon. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know as the Washington State Cougars begin their Pac-12 Conference schedule at home against Oregon. PNWS has Washington State football fans covered.
Details
Who: Washington State Cougars (3-0) at #18 Oregon Ducks (2-1).
Where: Gesa Field at Martin Stadium – Pullman, Washington
When: Saturday, September 24, 2022 – 1:00 p.m. PDT.
TV: FOX. Announcers: Tim Brando and Charles Tillman.
Weather: Another beautiful day on the Palouse. During the game, temperatures will hover around 70 degrees under sunny skies and a very slight breeze. (weather.com)
Line: Washington State +6.5. Over/Under: 57.5 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends
The Washington State Cougars are doing pretty well recently, winning 3 straight and 9 of their last 12 games (and they should probably be 11-1), including 5-1 at Martin Stadium.
Against the spread, Wazzu covered 10 of 13. Although the Cougars have struggled to beat Oregon, WSU is 4-1 against the spread at Martin Stadium against them.
Oregon is 12-5 straight up since the start of the 2021 season. The Ducks have had their way with Wazzu recently winning 11 of the last 15. The total has gone over in 4 of 6.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Out – WR Zeriah Benson (eligibility). Questionable – S Jordan Lee (undisclosed), CB Chau Smith-Wade (undisclosed), and LB Cooper Mattews (undisclosed). Probable: LB Travion Brown (undisclosed), WR Renard Bell (undisclosed).
Oregon Ducks
Out (season) – DT Popo Aumavae, DT Maceal Afaese and DT Sua’ava Poti. Questionable: Caleb Chapman (hip) and OL Stephen Jones (leg). Probable – RB Byron Caldwell (undisclosed) and LB Justin Flowe (undisclosed).
Outlook
This will be a difficult game for the Washington State Cougars to win. But they are 3-0, including a Top-25 upset. Wazzu is playing with confidence, and the game is in Pullman. So, they have a good chance to pull off their second upset of 2022.
Under Jake Dickert’s leadership, Washington State’s defense has been outstanding so far. Their 12.7 points-per-game allowed is 19th-fewest in FBS.
Wazzu will need to bring their best on Saturday if they want to control dual-threat quarterback Bo Nix. It looks like the Cougs’ secondary is healthy again. That means they could either send an extra rusher or use a spy against Nix.
Pretty throw by Bo Nix to set up an Oregon TD and take a 17-7 lead on BYU. pic.twitter.com/5oJ47ma5cD
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 17, 2022
Maybe they don’t have to. Edge rushers Ron Stone and Brennan Jackson, along with linebacker Daiyan Henley have combined for 12.5 tackles for loss in 3 games this year.
If Washington State goes with single coverage, they better cover like they did at Wisconsin. Receiver Troy Franklin is UO’s leading receiver and must be accounted for. He is fast, tall, and athletic. Cougars cornerback will have his hands full.
For the first time in quite a few years, Oregon’s defense can be had. They allow 277 yards and 2.3 touchdowns against the pass. Additionally, the Ducks only have 3 sacks this year.
Part of that has to do with some injuries along UO’s interior defensive line. Stats like that probably has Washington State Cougars Offensive Coordinator Eric Morris salivating.
As long as the offensive line holds up, Cougs quarterback Cameron Ward should have some targets available. His favorite is De’Zhaun Stribling, but if he can’t get open, Ward has done a great job distributing the ball to several different receivers.
Look what Wazzu did in Wisconsin. They aren’t intimidated by a good team, and the contest is on their home field. Regardless of the outcome, this game should be lots of fun.
Related Story: 4 questions for Washington State before Oregon
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.