Preview: GameDay, Cougs-Ducks battle make Palouse center of CFB universe
WHAT: Oregon (5-1, 2-1) at Washington State (5-1, 2-1)
WHERE: Martin Stadium (32,952), Pullman, WA
WHEN: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. PT
TV/RADIO: Fox (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Holly Sonders) and Washington State IMG Sports Network (Matt Chazanow, Alex Brink, Jessamyn McIntyre)
In view of the frenzied euphoria in Pullman surrounding the presence of ESPN College GameDay on the Washington State campus, it’s very easy to forget that WSU and Oregon have a vitally important football game to play late Saturday afternoon at sold-out Martin Stadium.
Just look at the current Pac-12 North standings. Stanford’s tight 20-13 victory over Arizona State Thursday night in Tempe catapulted the Cardinal into a first-place tie with Washington with a 3-1 conference record. Right behind those two teams are the Cougars and Ducks, both 2-1 in the league. Thus, the winner of Saturday’s showdown will leap into a 3-way tie for first place in the division and remain alive for a coveted CFP New Year’s Day Bowl game (Orange Bowl reps are reportedly in town to scout the WSU-Oregon game) .
Meanwhile, the loser falls into sole possession of fourth place with a second league loss and just five game left, virtually eliminating them from divisional title contention. Certainly, this game has more significance than many may have expected early in the season. The game will be key in determining which program stays alive in the hunt for the Pac-12 North title, which appeared to be a race between Washington and Stanford when the season began. Four programs now seem to be very much in it at the halfway mark.
Yeah, this game is big. And with College GameDay in town, the next couple of days promise to become one of the most memorable weekends in WSU history. The setting could be unlike anything ever seen for college football’s version of Woodstock. Enthusiasm is already high in Pullman, with tens of thousands of fans expected to pour into the town of 30,000 on Saturday.
“I think it’s overdue,” Leach said of ESPN’s decision to take College GameDay to the Palouse. “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. All the exposure helps. It’s like the George Steinbrenner theory, all publicity is good. But I’ve discovered some is better than others. Players want energy and excitement, so its beneficial in that way.”
Leach has fond memories of GameDay. Ten years ago, the show’s first visit to Texas Tech during Leach’s stint as head coach in Lubbock, resulted in the Red Raiders 39-33 upset of No. 1 Texas.
As if the intrigue wasn’t enough to make Saturday’s game one of the top contests in the Pac-12 (if not the country) this week, fans can also expect to see plenty of offensive fireworks in Pullman. Oregon averages 43 points per game behind quarterback Justin Herbert and Washington State (5-1, 2-1) averages 41.8 points behind Gardner Minshew.
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal is impressed with Minshew, a graduate transfer who joined the Cougars in May from East Carolina. Minshew leads the nation with an average of 403 passing yards per game. He has also thrown a Pac-12 leading 19 TD passes, two more than Herbert.
“His completion percentage is at 68, 69 percent, something of that nature,” Cristobal said. “He’s going to have a lot of time to throw the ball so you got to stay relentless to him.”
While Minshew has made a somewhat unexpected splash in his first season at Washington State, Herbert is doing just what was expected of the steady junior. Herbert has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21 games. Overall, he’s thrown for 1,613 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, second to Minshew in the Pac-12. But he’s amazingly accurate and ranks seventh nationally for passing efficiency (171.2). Against ranked teams, Herbert is completing 70.8 percent for 1,509 yards and 11 TDs over the course of his Ducks career.
The Cougars were off last week and haven’t played since a 56-37 win at Oregon State on Oct. 6, though maybe they would have preferred to keep playing. Washington State is just 1-5 coming out of the bye week under coach Mike Leach. The Cougars coach said his team worked this week to stay sharp on fundamentals.
Offensively, the biggest difference between the team is how they view the ground game. WSU prefers to throw the ball between the 20-yard lines and then turn to the rushing attack in the red zone as seen by WSU’s 12 rushing touchdowns (James Williams and Max Borghi each have 5 rushing TD), fifth highest total in the Pac-12. Oregon, meanwhile, has the second highest number of rushing attempts (278) and rushing yards (1,257) in the Pac-12 behind UW.
Oregon freshman RB CJ Verdell is the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Oregon’s 30-27 overtime win over Washington last weekend. Verdell scored the game-winner on a 6-yard dash through the middle. He’s the first Oregon freshman to run for at least 100 yards in his first three conference games. He’s got four 100-yard games overall this season.
NOTES:
-- The national publicity gained from having ESPN College GameDay in town could give WSU’s recruiting efforts a major boost, Leach said. “”
-- According to FBSchedules.com, ESPN College GameDay coming to WSDU means just 11 Power 5 schools haven’t had the iconic show on their campus - Iowa State, Minnesota, Maryland, Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest, Cal, Syracuse, Illinois, Kansas and Rutgers.
-- Washington State carries a 10-game home winning streak into the contest. The Cougars have not lost at home since 2016, the longest streak since the Cougars won 19 straight home games from 1928-33. Leach is also racking up some good numbers. He has 43 wins at Washington State and a victory Saturday would tie him with Jim Walden for third in program history.
-- Fashion Statement: While Ol’ Crimson will be flying high on game day, Washington State is leaving its signature version of red out of its on-field look on Saturday, going with smooth dark gray or “anthracite” uniforms from head to toe. Oregon, meanwhile, is going with a clean all-white look.
-- The Ducks have scored at least 30 points in each of their first six games. Alabama’s the only other FBS team to do the same.
PREDICTIONS:
Athlon: Oregon is a late fumble vs. Stanford away from being undefeated and ranked in the top five in the nation. The Ducks have some issues defensively, but they have one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Justin Herbert and an offense that is averaging 482.8 yards per game. Washington State has been perhaps the biggest surprise in the league to date, with a 5–1 record and the only loss by three points at USC. The Cougars lost highly regarded coordinator Alex Grinch to Ohio State yet still rank second in the league in total defense with 313.7 yards allowed per game. It’s dangerous to pick against Wazzu at Martin Stadium — which should be crazy with College GameDay in town — but Oregon appears to be the better team. Oregon 34, Washington State 27.
FBSChedules.com: If there’s a major offensive statistic to be had, chances are Oregon and Washington State are 1-2 in that statistic among Pac-12 teams. The Cougars pace the Ducks by just under three yards per game in total offense, while Oregon has a scoring advantage per game of just over one point (43.0-41.8). Wazzu enjoys a significant advantage over Oregon — and everyone else — in passing offense among league teams, with Mike Leach’s passing game compiling a crazy 413.7 yards per game. Oregon is second, but only throws for 273.3 yards per tilt. Oregon’s rush defense ranks second among Pac-12 teams, allowing just over 122 yards per game. That is not likely to make much of a difference, as Washington State’s 71.83 rushing yards per game ranks third-worst among FBS clubs. The Cougars have a good touchdown-to-carry ratio (12 touchdowns in 126 carries). Minshew. Herbert. This one almost has to come down to the final possession, doesn’t it? One stop could win the game.
CollegeFootballNews.com: It’s not going to be a letdown for the Ducks as much it’ll be a big moment for Washington State. Getting two weeks off to prepare for this will be a big deal, with Gardner Minshew and the passing game coming out hot in a crazed environment that just took on a bigger level. Now, Oregon is the big dog on the Pac-12 North, and that can be Wazzu with a win. Minshew will be terrific, the defensive line will frustrate Herbert, and for all the good things Oregon has done so far, the storyline of next week will be Washington State, setting up a massive showdown at Stanford to follow. Washington State 38, Oregon 30.
WEEK 8 PAC-12 SCHEDULE (Thur. Oct. 18-Sat. Oct. 20)
Thur., Oct. 18
Stanford 20, Arizona State 13
Sat., Oct. 20
Colorado at Washington, 12:30 p.m. (Fox)
California at Oregon State, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Oregon at Washington State, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)
USC at Utah, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Arizona at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
(All Times Pacific)
Byes: None.
PAC-12 NORTH STANDINGS (As of Oct. 19)
Stanford 3-1 (5-2)
Washington 3-1 (5-2)
Washington State 2-1 (5-1)
Oregon 2-1 (5-1)
California 0-3 (3-3)
Oregon State 0-3 (1-5)
