Washington State Cougars: 5 Big questions to answer before Wisconsin
Chip Clark
|
The Washington State Cougars travel to Wisconsin this week. Here are five questions WSU needs to answer in practice this week.
Last week the Washington State Cougars barely got passed Idaho 24-17 in the season opener. This week WSU takes a big step up in competition when they travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for a showdown with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Can Cameron Ward avoid taking sacks?
One of my biggest criticisms of new Cougs quarterback Cameron Ward, aside from accuracy, was that he needed to get the ball out of his hands faster. Idaho sacked him three times and had three more pressures. Wisconsin will send a much better defensive front at Ward
There are excuses to make. Ward still wasn’t in-sync with his receivers. Or he tried to let his receivers get open. Or maybe he was just trying to go hero mode and make a play. The bottom line is that he needs to feel the rush coming and get rid of the ball.
Is the offensive line up to the Wisconsin challenge?
Wazzu fans hope so. This is a completely rebuilt offensive line from the one that started 2021. Two of last year’s starters, Abe Lucas and Liam Ryan, are on the Seahawks.
With the exception of center Konner Gomness, the rest of the line has little experience at the positions they currently play. Cohesion is a big problem. The unit must step it up against this week’s competition, who are talented and deeper than the one they faced last Saturday.
Can the secondary hold up for 60 minutes?
For the first 50 minutes, the Washington State Cougars’ secondary was downright stingy. They gave up no points, only 98 passing yards and had an interception.
In the final 10 minutes, their fortunes changed rapidly. From that mark on, the unit allowed 113 passing yards and a touchdown. The unit should thank linebacker Daiyan Henley for his interception at the two-yard line with 12 seconds left because they were about to break again.
Wisconsin has a much better group of receivers than Idaho. Additionally, Badgers redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz is both experienced and efficient.
Not only will he throw at the Washington State Cougars’ defensive backs often, but unless it’s a UW blowout, they can also expect a full 60-minute attack. And that’s after they come up to the line to stop powerhouse running back Braelon Allen.
Is Nakia Watson the answer at running back?
The answer to that question depends on how someone looks at Nakia Watson‘s performance against Idaho.
Those who see the glass half full point to his 134 yards on 20 touches last Saturday. That’s a very productive 6.7 yards every time the Washington State Cougars running back had the ball.
For the glass-half-empty crowd, they see a bad fumble against an adequate defense. Take it to the bank that Wisconsin’s defense is coming for him.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Cougs have much in the way of an alternative. His backup, Jaylen Jenkins, also fumbled.
Is something wrong with Dean Janikowski?
A first-year starter, Dean Janikowski nailed 82.4% of his field goal attempts in 2021. In fact, he was the most accurate in the Pac-12 and earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
It’s rare to see him miss a kick, let alone two in the same game. It makes fans wonder if there is something wrong with him. To have any chance of knocking off Wisconsin, the Washington State Cougars need their kicker at his best.
What questions do you have about the Washington State Cougars before their game at Wisconsin this week? Let us know in the comments section below.