GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
SITE: Martin Stadium, Pullman, Wash.
TV: FOX
SERIES: Oregon leads 47-41-7. WSU won 33-10 in Eugene in 2017.
RANKINGS: Oregon No. 12; Washington State No. 25
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ducks
–C Jake Hanson doesn’t get the recognition he so often deserves. But to beat the Cougars, Hanson is going to have to continue his solid play because Washington State will give the leader of Oregon’s offensive line multiple looks to decipher. The Cougars like to stem a lot, so Hanson will have to distinguish the correct coverages and relay that information to his fellow linemen, a job that goes unseen but is vital to Oregon’s success.
–OLB Justin Hollins will be key for the Ducks this week because of his quickness and height. Washington State likes to get the ball out quick, often preventing the pass rush from making a difference. Hollins’ job is twofold; use his 6-foot-6 frame to knock down passes when he can’t get to QB Gardner Minshew or use his speed and athleticism to get to Minshew when he takes extended drops.
–RB CJ Verdell has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his previous three games. Having a good running game and getting that balance makes life easier for QB Justin Herbert and the play-action pass, a vital part of Oregon’s offense.
Cougars
–LB Peyton Pelluer played his 47th career game when Washington State beat Oregon State two weeks ago. Gabe Marks, a receiver, and Daniel Ekuale, a defensive lineman, hold the school record with 51 games played. Pelluer recorded 11 tackles, his third straight double-digit tackle effort and 11th of his career. He increased his career tackle total to 302, one away from moving in the school’s Top 10 list. He has 29 career tackles for loss.
–FS Jalen Thompson, junior, recorded his fifth career fumble recovery in the win over Oregon State two weeks ago. Thompson is rated by NFLDraftScout.com as the No. 3 free safety eligible for the 2019 draft.
–WR Tay Martin caught eight passes for 119 yards with two touchdowns against Oregon State. It was his second 100-yard game. He has six touchdowns this season and 12 in his career.
KEYS
TO THE GAME
Good times have come to Pullman, Wash.
In addition to ESPN’s College GameDay visiting the campus Saturday for 25th-ranked Washington State’s showdown with No. 12 Oregon, Mike Leach’s program finds itself in the hunt for a Pac-12 North title for the third consecutive year.
The game between Washington State (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) and Oregon (5-1, 2-1) will go a long way to determining the North champion because the winner will have a two-game edge over the other (one game, plus the tie-breaker).
The Cougars, Ducks, No. 15 Washington (5-2, 3-1) and Stanford (4-2, 2-1) each have one loss in conference play, with five games remaining for the Huskies and six for the others.
The presence of Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard with College GameDay only adds to the intrigue Saturday at Martin Stadium.
“I think it’s pretty good. With the flag tradition that we have, I think it’s very important with that and I think it’s overdue,” Leach said of the College GameDay visit.
“We’re certainly excited to have it and our students are excited to have it. As a team, it’s kind of business as usual but I think it’s a really good opportunity for our fans and a good showcase for our university and our team.”
Leach’s team is coming off a bye week after defeating Oregon State 56-37 in Corvallis, Ore., on Oct. 6. Oregon is coming off a thrilling 30-27 overtime win over then-No. 7 Washington on CJ Verdell’s touchdown run.
Oregon first-year coach Mario Cristobal said his team did not celebrate long after the win over Washington. He said his team during Monday’s practice immediately became “refocused” and “dialed in and locked in to Washington State and the kind of team that they are.”
He talked about practice on Tuesday and Wednesday as being vital to his team’s success this weekend.
“The Tuesday/Wednesday practice for us is the ultimate difference-maker for us in our process and our program,” he said.
“It really is that simple. I know it sounds boring and certainly not interesting at all, but for us, because of where we are and how we’re developing, it’s completely tied into how we play on Saturday.
Also getting Oregon’s attention is the fact Washington State has won three consecutive games over its Pacific Northwest rival. A big plus for the Ducks this time is that All-Pac-12 quarterback candidate Justin Herbert is healthy.
In the last three games against the Ducks, the Cougars have gone against suspect quarterback competition, starting in 2015 with Jeff Lockie, a former Marcus Mariota backup. Dakota Prukop and Herbert, then a true freshman, split time in 2016, and true freshman Braxton Burmeister played in last year’s game.
Oregon’s quarterbacks completed 57 percent of their passes, with three touchdowns and four interceptions, during that span.
Herbert, a 6-foot-6, 233-pound NFL prospect, enters Saturday’s game completing 63.1 percent of his passes (106 of 168) for 1,613 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He will go against a Washington State defense that ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 against the pass (165.5 yards allowed a game), but the Cougars have not faced a quarterback of his caliber.
“I think he’s pretty good,” Leach said of Herbert. “He does a good job leading the unit. I think that he can run a little bit (106 yards on 38 carries). He’s more effective throwing it, though.”
Oregon ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 with 209.5 yards rushing a game. Verdell has gained 531 yards on 97 carries with four touchdowns.
Of particular concern for Oregon is that two offensive line starters — tackle Penei Sewell and guard Dallas Warmack — were injured against Washington. Cristobal said Warmack is “full go” for Saturday but Sewell is likely to miss the rest of the regular season because of an ankle injury.
Washington State is primarily a passing team with its “Air Raid” offense under Leach. East Carolina graduate transfer Gardner Minshew is the top passer in the Pac-12 (averaging 403.7 yards a game) while completing 68.7 percent of his passes (215 of 313) with 19 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
“He’s been excellent … he is very decisive and he gets it out quick. I’m talking about just not the decision, but his actual mechanics, the ball is gone,” Cristobal said of Minshew.
“He’s a 6-3 guy, so he’s a good size guy that can see over those big offensive linemen, but he knows where he’s going with the football. Changing the picture on him is important because if he knows exactly what you’re in, he can dial it up.”
