Washington State Cougars: Game 8 vs. Utah – TV, Weather, More
Pac-12 play continues as the Washington State Cougars host #14 Utah. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
Pac-12 play continues as the Washington State Cougars host #14 Utah. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know as the Washington State Cougars continue their Pac-12 Conference schedule when they host Utah on Thursday night. PNWS has Washington State football fans covered.
Details
Who: Utah Utes (5-2, 3-1 in Pac-12) at Washington State Cougars (4-3, 1-3).
Where: Gesa Field at Martin Stadium – Pullman, WA.
When: Thursday, October 27, 2022 – 7:00 p.m. PDT.
TV: FS1. Announcers: Jeff Levering and Petros Papadakis.
Weather: It will be chilly Thursday night in Pullman, with temperatures in the low 40s. Expect partly overcast skies, light winds from the southeast, and almost zero chance of rain. (weather.com)
Line: Washington State +7. Over/Under: 56.5 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends
The Washington State Cougars have been doing pretty well recently against the spread, going 12-5 overall and 7-1 at Martin Stadium. The total has gone under in 7 of WSU’s last 8.
Utah is 5-1 in their last 6 games and 9-1 in their last 10 conference games. The Utes are also 6-3 ATS.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Out – WR C.J. Moore (undisclosed), OL Rodrick Tialavea (lower body), WR Renard Bell (arm), RB Nakia Watson (leg). Questionable – LB Cooper Mathers (undisclosed).
Utah Utes
Out – TE Brant Kuithe.
Outlook
The Washington State Cougars are coming off a bye week which gave them time to prepare for Utah’s stout defense. They’ll have to score points without star wide receiver Renard Bell.
De’Zhaun Stribbling moves to Bell’s slot position, and freshman Leyton Smithson enters the starting lineup as the “X” receiver. Including Donovan Ollie and Robert Ferrel, this group still gives Ward four quality receiver options. Now he just has to avoid the turnovers that plagued him in Wazzu’s last game.
That’s easier said than done with Clark Phillips, one of the best cornerbacks in the country, lining up on the other side.
Utah has morphed from a running team to a high-powered passing offense led by quarterback Cameron Rising. With so many great passers in the conference, the junior often gets overlooked.
Wazzu needs to be prepared for Rising, who is very efficient in guiding Utah’s offense. This year he has 15 touchdowns against 3 interceptions and a 68.8 completion percentage (second in Pac-12).
After their win over USC, the Utes are back in a position to compete for back-to-back Pac-12 Championships. Additionally, Kyle Whittingham is an excellent coach who had an extra week to prepare.
Related Story: Pac-12 Power Rankings – Week Ending 10/25
Catch up with PNWS on Friday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.