STANFORD, Calif. – Picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North, No. 15 Washington State now sits in the driver’s seat for a spot in the conference title game. The Cougars are riding a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s road contest against No. 23 Stanford, which snapped a two-game losing skid with last week’s 20-13 win over Arizona State.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Stanford -3
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Washington State jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead against Oregon last week and held on for a 34-20 victory behind quarterback Gardner Minshew, who completed 39-of-51 passes for 323 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. The fifth-year senior graduate transfer has recorded seven straight 300-yard passing games for the Cougars, who entered last week’s showdown in Pullman ranked second in the conference in yards allowed but held the explosive Oregon offense to 39 yards in the first half. The Cougars will need another complete effort against Stanford, which fell out of the Pac-12 North lead with losses to Notre Dame and Utah but dominated the time of possession against Arizona State. Stanford will look to control the clock again this week and could use a big game from running back Bryce Love, who has rushed for just 348 yards in five games.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12)
The Cougars boast a surprisingly balanced offensive attack led by Minshew (392 passing yards per game) and running backs James Williams and Max Borghi, a 5-foot-10 freshman who has seven touchdowns. The deep receiving corps includes Easop Winston Jr., Dezmon Patmon and Tay Martin, who has 46 receptions and six touchdowns. The team’s underrated defense is coming off a stellar outing against Oregon and features several veteran playmakers, including senior linebacker Peyton Pelluer, who has two sacks and a team-high 54 tackles.
ABOUT STANFORD (5-2, 3-1)
Quarterback K.J. Costello continued to impress in the win over Arizona State with 231 passing yards and a touchdown pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who is averaging 17 yards per catch and has reached the end zone nine times. Love missed the Utah loss with a left ankle injury and was held to 21 yards on 11 carries against the Sun Devils, but coach David Shaw saw enough to be encouraged about the star senior. “Once he got warm, got loose, there were a couple of 4-, 5-yard runs that were really impressive,” Shaw told reporters. “His explosiveness in short areas was impressive.”
EXTRA POINTS
1. Stanford holds a 40-27-1 lead in the all-time series, but Washington State has won the last two meetings.
2. Washington State has rushed for 13 touchdowns through seven games after rushing for eight scores all of last season.
3. Stanford WR Trenton Irwin has at least one reception in 35 straight games.
PREDICTION: Washington State 31, Stanford 24