PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB James Williams rushed for three touchdowns in the win over Eastern Washington last week, becoming the first Cougar to achieve that feat since Carl Winston in the 2012 Apple Cup against Washington.
–QB Gardner Minshew II, a graduate transfer from East Carolina, threw for a career-high 470 yards against Eastern Washington. He threw for 463 yards for East Carolina in a game at Houston last season. Minshew is the first Cougars quarterback to win his first three starts since Steve Birnbaum in 1998.
–WR Tay Martin set a career-highs with 13 receptions for 149 yards, tied for fifth-most catches in school history.
–S Jalen Thompson recorded his first interception of the season and the fifth of his career in the win over Eastern Washington.
SERIES HISTORY: Washington State trails its series with USC 58-10-4 but the Cougars have won two of the last three meetings, both wins in Pullman, Wash. The Trojans won 44-14 the last time the teams met in Los Angeles in 2014. The schools have only played each other three times in the last eight seasons.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think all of it is tuning into one another. We’ve got a lot of receivers that haven’t played very many snaps, and he hasn’t played with them very many snaps. I think that can start to come together, hopefully that’s not too optimistic.” — Washington State coach Mike Leach on new QB Gardner Minshew II throwing for 470 yards against Eastern Washington.
