Published Oct 19, 2024
Washington State returns home to host Hawaii
Kuria Pounds
Staff writer

Washington State returns back to the Palouse after a long stretch away from Pullman, going 1-1 on the road with a bye game and nearly a month passed since the last home game, to face Hawaiā€™i in an early Saturday homecoming contest.

The Cougars havenā€™t played a home game since that 54-52 double-overtime thriller against San Jose State on Sept. 20, and Washington State (5-1) is looking for more success on its home turf.

Since then, WSU dropped a game on the road against Boise State but picked up a gritty win at Fresno State, where the offense struggled to moved the ball consistently but the defense showed up when it mattered.

The Rainbow Warriors (2-4) struggled to get any offensive rhythm in the red zone last week in a 28-7 loss against Boise State but kept things close in the first half, before Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty continued to run through Hawaiiā€™s defense.

Hawaii runs a similar offense to San Jose State that emphasizes the pass game more than the run, led by senior quarterback Brayden Schager.

Head coach Jake Dickert talked on Monday about how his latest experience with the Run and Shoot has prepared his defense to try and limit this Hawaii offensive unit.

"We got to play that chess match. ā€¦ We got to be better on defense and they got our attention," he said.

Hawaii has struggled away from "the island" and has not won away from home yet, but its defense has still proven to be a challenge for whoever the opponent is, including almost picking up am upset win against Big Ten foe UCLA at home.

The Cougars look to be bowl eligible with a win on Saturday, after last year coming up one game short at 5-7.

Injury Report

Dickert said that redshirt senior tight end Billy Riviere III and redshirt junior defensive back Jackson Lataimua were expected back at practice this week.

Lataimua was ruled out of the last game with a concussion and Riviere has been dealing with a injury that has sidelined him for a couple weeks.

Senior punter Nick Haberer has been cleared by medical staff to start kicking, after being a game-time decision in back-to-back contests. The hope for him is to make his season debut on Saturday against Hawaii.

Dickert said on Monday that the team is still working in redshirt junior defensive back Jamorri Colson and sophomore wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who each made their season debuts last week.

Both should see some increase in reps and snaps this week against Hawaii at home.

Offense: What to expect vs. Hawaii

Hawaii is a very physical defense that can stop the run up front, and make the QB throw under pressured or hurried throws.

Even with the scoreboard reflecting different, the Rainbow Warriors kept themselves in the game against Boise State, especially in the first half, with their run defense and forcing some punts from the Broncos offense.

Dickert gave credit to their defense with how they were able to contain Jeanty, matched with their physicality.

ā€œTheyā€™ve been fast, theyā€™ve been aggressive. ā€¦ Their team speed is above average, and I think they play physical.ā€ Dickert said. ā€œItā€™s hard to contain Jeanty and I thought they did it to the ability to keep themselves in a fourth quarter game.ā€

If the Cougars want to win this game, they are going to need a consistent offense throughout all four quarters against a physical, quick defense that likes to be aggressive and can match the physicality, even with the size advantage for WSU.

Dickert said on Monday that the defensive schemes Hawaii likes to run could potentially trip up his offense, but they need to match their physicality at the line if the offense wants to move efficiently down the field.

ā€œOne thing I know about playing this Hawaii team in my past ā€¦ they play hard,ā€ Dickert said.

Defense: What to expect vs. Hawaii

The Cougars are going to have to force pressure on Schager (1,592 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 6 interceptions) if they want to hold on for a victory on Saturday, with how comfortable San Jose State quarterback Emmett Brown was in the pocket against WSU, who didnā€™t generate any pressure.

Last week, Boise State collected 8 sacks defensively, being able to force pressure on Schager and get him down, not allowing too many explosive plays.

Dickert said his team will have to have another good performance like the tail end of last week against Fresno State, forcing all the pressure, to be able to get the win.

ā€œWe got to be more versatile, and we got to do the same thing this week,ā€ Dickert said. ā€œWhen we played San Jose, we didnā€™t affect the quarterback.ā€

Dickert said the game plan defensively is really limiting Schagerā€™s opportunity to create a play, with Hawaii being more true to the Run-and-Shoot and seeing how WSUā€™s defense fared last time.

ā€œThis is our second crack at the Run-and-Shoot. ā€¦ We got to adjust how we play that, but theyā€™ll also see some our base ideas for it,ā€ Dickert said.

For senior defensive back Kapena Gushiken, Saturdayā€™s matchup means more for him, with playing against a couple of his former high school teammates who now play for Hawaii.

Gushiken said after practice on Tuesday that the connection between himself and the coaching staff is also strong, being recruited by the Rainbow Warriors at one point.

ā€œI was also offered a walk-on spot before I had went to my junior college and then they recruited me out of my JUCO,ā€ Gushiken said. ā€œAt the end of the day, itā€™s just business."

Game Outlook

The Cougars opened as 19.5-point favorites at home against the Rainbow Warriors for Saturday afternoon with a total at 55.5 points (All odds according to ESPNBET).

Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PST/9:30 a.m. HST from Gesa Field at Martin Stadium and will be broadcast on the CW Network.

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