Washington State Cougars: Game 3 at USC – injuries, weather, odds, and more
Washington State Football continues this week as the Cougars host PAC-12 North rival, Oregon. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
The Washington State Cougars are back after missing several games, due to COVID-19 issues. PNWS has Cougs fans covered as they watch their team take on Pac-12 South Division leaders, the USC Trojans.
Details
Who: Washington State Cougars (1-1) at USC Trojans (3-0).
Where: Los Angeles Coliseum – Los Angeles, California
When: Sunday, December 6, 2020 – 4:30 p.m. PST.
TV: FS1. Announcers: Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis
Weather: It looks to be another postcard day in sunny Southern California. At game time, expect partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-60s. (weather.com).
Line: Washington State +12. Over/Under: 68.5 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends: The recent trends don’t look good for Washington State. In their last 12 contests, the Cougs are 4-8. Additionally, they have only won 2 of the last 12 meetings with Southern Cal. Wazzu’s total went over in six of their last eight.
USC is a beast at home as of late, winning their last six games at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Men of Troy have won six of their last seven games and are ranked 17th in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Questionable – RB Max Borghi (back).
Probable – QB Jayden de Laura (COVID-19).
USC Trojans
Doubtful – LB Palaie Gaoteote IV (concussion).
Questionable – WR Gary Bryant Jr. (ankle), RB Ben Easington (knee), LB Tayler Katoa (hamstring), LB Ralen Goforth (foot), LB Tayler Katoa (hamstring), DL Caleb Tremblay (stinger)
Probable – RB Stephen Carr (knee), RB Markese Stepp (chest).Last Game
Oregon Ducks 43 – Washington State Cougars 29
It’s almost hard to believe 21 days have passed since the Washington State Cougars last played. Three weeks is a long time to ponder one that got away. Wazzu had Oregon on the ropes at home and let the Ducks escape.
Holding a 19–7 lead with 20 seconds left in the first half, UO receiver Jaylon Redd beat the secondary for a 59-yard completion to WSU’s three-yard line. One play later, the Ducks punched it into the endzone. That score provided the momentum Oregon needed to take control of the game.
USC Trojans 33 – Utah Utes 17
After a couple of close games, the 18th ranked Trojans won, going away at Utah 33–17 on November 21. It helped that USC forced five turnovers. Even with the turnovers, Southern Cal barely won the total yardage game 357–327.
Outlook
Both teams are certain to be rusty after prolonged layoffs. For Washington State, they couldn’t have picked a more difficult opponent to come back against. USC is the team to beat this year in the Pac-12.
At least one thing should look familiar to Wazzu, Southern Cal uses the Air Raid offense. Quarterback Kedon Slovis has run it well so far, throwing for 970 yards in the Trojans first three games. His main weapons are receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London.
Even though USC can put up points, the Trojans give them up in bunches. So far they have allowed 24.7 per game. The best thing for Washington State to do is control the clock. That’s easier said than done, especially with a spread offense.
Running back Max Borghi should make his debut on Saturday. A steady diet of him and Deon McIntosh allows the Cougs to hold the ball. With a solid running attack coming at them, USC won’t be able to just sit back and defend the pass. That takes some pressure off of Washington State’s freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura.
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.