The reorganization of the conference caused all kinds of madness.
Like this: Washington State has played more games against Mountain West teams this season than between Mountain West teams.
The Cougars come to town this week to take on San Diego State, the fifth of eight Mountain West opponents on Washington State’s 2024 schedule.
This is the result of scheduling agreements the Mountain West made with Washington State and Oregon State after last year’s collapse of the Pac-12. As a result, Mountain West schools play a seven-game conference schedule. There will be one less game than usual to accommodate games against the Cougars and Beavers.
SDSU already had Washington State on its schedule this season, so the Aztecs also added Oregon State.
SDSU (3-3) and Washington State (6-1) have only met twice on the football field. In 2011, the Aztecs won 42-24 at home, and in 2007, the Cougars won 45-17 at home.
The Aztecs opened Saturday’s game as a 14-point underdog. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium (CBS Sports Network).
About Cougar
Washington State has appeared in seven bowl games in the last 10 years. Still, that didn’t prevent the Cougars from playing in the shadow of their big brother in the West, Washington.
The two biggest blows came in a 1-2 punch last season when the Huskies reached the national championship game just months after an invitation to the Big Ten. While everyone else in the Pac-12 fled to other power conferences, the Cougars were left in the cold against Oregon State.
Washington State’s 24-19 victory over Washington in the Apple Cup last month was of little consolation. The Cougars’ only setback this season was a 45-24 loss to the currently No. 1 Cougars. 17 Boise State. Washington State sent three teams from outside the Mountain West, defeating San Jose State (54-52 in overtime), Fresno State (25-17) and Hawaii State (42-10).
Washington State is coached by Jake Dickert, who was hired as the Cougars’ defensive coordinator in 2020. He replaced Nick Rolovich midway through the 2021 season when Rolovich was fired for refusing to take the state-mandated coronavirus vaccine.
Washington State, coach Dickert’s team, earned bowl eligibility with last week’s win over Hawaii and is 21-17.
crime
Washington State quarterback John Mattia is 6-foot-1 and weighs 219 pounds. He doesn’t look particularly impressive.
But Mateer can also pass and run, and that combination has helped the Cougars’ offense average 39.4 points per game (15th in the nation).
“He can hurt opponents in a variety of ways and is a very accurate thrower,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “They have offensive skill positions that can carry the ball a long way and change the scoreboard quickly.
“But when you have a quarterback this big who can hurt himself and is utilized within a scheme in the right way, both run and pass, it creates a lot of stress on the defensive unit.”
Mattia completed 129 of 215 passes for 1,896 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed for 533 yards and eight more TDs.
The redshirt sophomore from Little Elm, Texas, passed for three touchdowns in the first half and rushed for two in the second half in last week’s win over Hawaii.
Mattia’s top targets were wide receivers Kyle Williams (32 catches, 562 yards, 5 TDs), Chris Hutson (37 catches, 506 yards, 2 TDs) and Josh Meredith (24 catches, 337 yards, 2 TDs).
True freshman Wayshawn Parker (413 yards, 2 TDs) has emerged as Washington State’s top running back.
defense
The Cougars’ defense is allowing 27 points per game, which ranks 88th in the country (SDSU ranks 59th at 22.7 points).
Washington State allowed more points in its overtime win over San Jose State and lopsided loss to Boise State (97 total points) than in its other five games combined (92 points).
Lewis said the Cougars don’t have a lot of quarterback offense (10 sacks), but their front six is still effective.
“They do a really great job with their talent, and they do a really great job of not putting pressure on them and keeping them off balance and derailing their schedules,” Lewis said.
Linebacker Kyle Thornton led the team with 40 tackles. Edge Andrew Edson had a team-high 2 1/2 sacks.
Washington State was good at creating turnovers, picking off 10 passes and recovering six fumbles (10 forced fumbles). Half of the team’s interceptions came from defensive backs Ethan O’Connor (three) and Tyson Durant (two).
Punter/kicker Dean Janikowski was called up less frequently but was effective when needed. Janikowski averaged 43.6 yards on 23 punts and was 7-of-9 on field goal attempts for 52 yards.
Did you know?
Washington State advanced to the Rose Bowl four times (1915, 1930, 1997, and 2002).
The Cougars’ only victory was a 14-0 victory over Brown on January 1, 1916, although the game was still called the Tournament East-West Football Game.
This game is notable for starting what is now a 109-year streak of playing “The Granddaddy of Them All.” The game was played at Pasadena’s Tournament Park (the Rose Bowl did not open until 1922) and was actually the second game in the bowl’s history.
In 1902, the University of Michigan defeated Stanford University 49-0 in the first Rose Bowl. The score was so lopsided (Stanford withdrew in the third quarter) that the game was not played again until 14 years later.
