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The Washington State Cougars' homestand continues as they prepare to take on the BYU Cougars at 3:30 p.m. ET Oct. 23 at Clarence D. Martin Stadium. Washington State will be strutting in after a victory while BYU will be stumbling in from a loss.
Last week, Washington State narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Stanford Cardinal 34-31. The win came about thanks to a strong surge after the first quarter to overcome a 13 to nothing deficit. Washington State can attribute much of their success to QB Jayden de Laura, who passed for three TDs and 289 yards on 30 attempts, and RB Max Borghi, who punched in two rushing touchdowns. Washington State's win came on a two-yard rush from Borghi with only 1:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, BYU came up short against the Baylor Bears last week, falling 38-24. Despite the defeat, BYU had strong showings from WR Puka Nacua, who caught five passes for one TD and 168 yards, and QB Jaren Hall, who passed for one TD and 342 yards on 31 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown. Hall put himself on the highlight reel with a 56-yard TD scramble in the third quarter.
Washington State is expected to lose this next one by 4.5. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a four-game streak of ATS wins.
Washington State's win brought them up to 4-3 while BYU's loss pulled them down to 5-2. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Washington State is 188th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with ten on the season. BYU has experienced some rushing struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the matchup with the 209th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 12 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
