PLAYERS TO WATCH
–LB Peyton Pelluer played his 45th career game when the Cougars played at USC last week. Former WR Gabe Marks and DL Daniel Ekuale hold the school record with 51 games played. Pelluer recorded his first sack of the season, third of his career. Pelluer also had 12 tackles for his ninth career double-digit tackle game, with two tackles for loss, increasing his career total to 26.5 in that category.
–QB Gardner Minshew, a graduate transfer from East Carolina, threw for 344 yards against the Trojans, becoming the first Cougar quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards in his first four starts.
–WR Easop Winston Jr. caught his third and fourth touchdown passes of the season against USC. He caught six passes for 143 yards, which is his first career 100-yard game.
–PK Blake Mazza made a 50-yard field goal against USC, but his 38-yard attempt to tie the game late was blocked.
SERIES HISTORY: Washington State leads Utah 8-7 in the series that dates to 1966 but has been played five times since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Washington State is 3-2 in those games, having won the last three encounters, including 33-25 last year in Salt Lake City.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I thought we played pretty good. We played pretty hard across the board. I think our effort is great. We’ve got to become a more consistent team.” — Washington State coach Mike Leach after the Cougars lost at USC 39-36 last week.
