Washington State Cougars: 5 Big questions before Colorado State

Ed Stein   |  

Sep 14, 2022

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After a big win in Madison, WI, the Washington State Cougars are back home this week to face Colorado State. Here are five questions WSU needs to answer in practice this week.

Last week the Washington State Cougars pulled off the upset special over 19th-ranked Wisconsin. In their final game before Pac-12 play begins, WSU is back home to host Colorado State. Here are our weekly questions the Cougs have to answer during this week’s practices.

1 – Can the Cougars avoid a letdown against Colorado State?

Trap game alert!!!!!

Saturday was a huge victory for the Washington State Cougars football program. It was also a hard-fought physical battle for 60 minutes. Games like that are emotionally draining.

After CSU, the Cougs host Oregon to begin their conference schedule. Aside from the rivalry aspect, the stakes are high in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. A win goes a long way to securing a spot in the Conference Championship game.

At his Monday press conference, head coach Jake Dickert spoke about intensity and focus. He said that he challenged his team’s intensity at practice last week, and they responded.

Gearing up for a big game like Wisconsin is one thing. Staying that way for Colorado State is another.

2 – Will Cameron Ward throw downfield more often?

The short and intermediate passing game is there. Against a tough defense, Cameron Ward did a nice job on receiver screens and hitting seems. Long throws, not so much.

Ward didn’t really test the Badgers with deep balls. Monday, Dickert specifically mentioned that was an area where the team needs to improve.

“Our guys are working to make sure we still have the ability to stretch the ball down the field. That’s one thing we have to show capabilities of doing.”

3 – How well will the Cougs’ depleted secondary hold up?

The Washington State Cougars suffered some potentially crucial injuries to their defensive backfield. Neither cornerback Derrick Langford or safety Jordan Lee finished Saturday’s game.

Langford is the Cougs’ best cover corner. He left the game with about eight minutes left in the first half. He wasn’t seen on the sidelines again until the third quarter. By then, Lankford was in street clothes and a walking boot on his left foot.

Lee was not on the field in the second half. So far, there haven’t been few updates on the duo’s (or MLB Travion Brown, who also didn’t play the second half) status for Saturday. The most WSU will say is that they are “game time decisions.”

Even if they were healthy, this would be a good week to limit their participation. Expect Colorado State quarterback Clay Millen to go after Chris Jackson, Jaden Hicks, Cam Lampkin, and Adrian Shepherd when they are on the field.

4 – Will Nakia Watson have a breakout day?

To be fair, Nakia Watson had both of WSU’s touchdowns last week. The second one was a thing of beauty. Wisconsin forced Ward out of the pocket, and he found his outlet receiver, Watson, for a dump-off. The back broke a tackle with a dynamite spin move and went 31 yards to the house.

What Watson hasn’t done is prove that he can be a dependable big-play running back. Last week he had just 33 yards on 10 carries. Watson has to be better than that. This week is a good chance for him to show something better than the ordinary.

Washington State must establish some kind of effective run game to keep defenses honest. If Watson isn’t the answer, now is the time to find one. One thing to note, Freshman Djouvensky Schlenbaker is now second on the Washington State Cougars’ depth chart.

5 – Plain or Spicy?

The Washington State Cougars’ coaches must decide how they want to show Oregon. Ordinarily, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, WSU will keep it pretty basic this week. Then again, it seems like the Cougs would be just as happy to give UO plenty to think about.

Related Story: Takeaways from Washington State Cougars’ upset over Wisconsin

What questions do you have about the Washington State Cougars before their game against Colorado State this week? Let us know in the comments section below.