Washington State Cougars: Game 5 at USC – TV, Weather, More
Ed Stein
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Washington State Cougars Football continues 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 continue their Pac-12 Conference schedule on the road against 6th-ranked USC. PNWS has Washington State football fans covered.
Details
Who: Washington State Cougars (4-1, 1-1) at USC Trojans (5-0, 3-0).
Where: United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA.
When: Saturday, October 8, 2022 – 4:30 p.m. PDT.
TV: FOX. Announcers: Noah Eagle and Mark Helfrich.
Weather: They call it sunny Southern California for a reason. During the game, temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 70s under sunny skies and a very slight breeze. (weather.com)
Line: Washington State +13. Over/Under: 65 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends
The Washington State Cougars have been doing pretty well recently, winning 6 of 8. They are killing it against the spread, 12-3 overall and 9-1 against the Pac-12. The total has gone under in 5 out of 6.
USC is on a 5-game win streak to open 2022. They are 6-1 at home against Washington State. The Trojans only covered the spread in 1 of their last 8 Pac-12 games.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Out – WR Zeriah Benson (eligibility), WR C.J. Moore (undisclosed), OL Rodrick Tialavea (lower body). Questionable – S Jordan Lee (undisclosed), LB Cooper Mattews (undisclosed).
USC Trojans
Out – LB Romello Height, QB Mo Hassan, K Garth White, LB Chris Thompson Jr., WR Michael Jackson III, OL Jason Rodriguez, DB Adonis Otey, TE Jude Wolfe. Questionable – DB Joshua Jackson Jr., OL Courtland Ford, WR Tyrell Bynum, C Justin Dedich. Probable – LB Shane Lee.
Outlook
USC is a top football team and ranked sixth in the polls. They are led by one of the best quarterbacks in FCS, Caleb Williams. When he’s not beating defenses with his outstanding arm (1,401 yards and 12 touchdowns), he takes off on runs (144 yards,3 TDs).
Wazzu will use a spy on him. Williams can count on seeing a healthy dose of Cougs middle linebacker Daiyan Henley in front of him all day.
Jordan Addison is his favorite target. A First-Team All-ACC selection with 100 receptions at Pitt last year, Addison leads Southern Cal receivers with 29 catches for 442 yards and 6 touchdowns,
USC also can run the ball. Travis Dye has 5 touchdowns in 2022 and averages 6.8 yards per carry. His backup, Austin Jones, averages 6.9 YPC. The duo has combined for 826 yards from scrimmage.
While their offense can put up points by the truckload, the Trojans’ defense isn’t quite as good. They yield 4.5 yards per rushing attempt (100th) and 6.63 yards per pass attempt (43rd).
What’s saved the D’s bacon is big plays. USC leads the country in turnovers with 15 and also in turnover margin at 2.8 per game. They are also tied for 5th with 3.8 sacks per game.
The key for Washington State is protecting quarterback Cameron Ward. If they give him time, Ward can make plays. USC has an opportunistic secondary, but they can be had. The Cougs have enough good receivers, such as De’Zhaun Stribling, Renard Bell, Donovan Ollie, Robert Ferrel, and Lincoln Victor, to take advantage.
The same goes for the rushing game. Opening holes for Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins will go a long way to keeping the Trojans’ defense from teeing off on Ward. Besides, as mentioned earlier, Southern Cal has problems stopping the run.
This game will be a shootout. If quarterback Cameron Ward can avoid mistakes, the Washington State Cougars have a shot at an upset. Even if they don’t win, they should cover the 13-point spread.
Related Story: Pac-12 Power Rankings 10/4
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.