For just the second time in six weeks, the No. 13 Cougs are hitting the road following a 4-0 start to take on the UCLA Bruins (3-1). More than just another game, however, this is the Cougs’ mental health awareness game.
The Cougs will be partnering with Hilinski’s Hope and wearing green patches during the game to help raise awareness and break the stigma on mental health.
The Bruins come into this matchup leading the all-time series 41-20-1 with the last Wazzu win coming in 2016. The matchup against UCLA is the first since the 2019 disaster that ended in a 67-63 WSU loss.
WSU head coach Jake Dickert vaguely remembers the game, as he was the defensive coordinaor at Wyoming at the time, but it is a new year with new opportunities, he said. The key this time around to avoid that happening again has been the key all year long: “finishing.”
“If we’re going to be successful we got to win the fourth quarter. We got to start fast. We got to jump on them early. We got to be the most excited team to play,” Dickert said.
Despite the difference in ranking, the two teams are not as uneven as it may look from a distance. UCLA is currently receiving 19 votes for the top 25, which essentially marks them as the No. 29 team in the country.
The WSU offense has been clicking through the air this season, averaging 407 passing yards per game, good for second in the country. WSU is also averaging 45.8 points per game which is fifth in the country and 533.5 total yards per game which is sixth in the nation.
But it once again will be a big test for the offense as they take on one of the Pac-12 and the country’s best defenses so far, as UCLA comes in only allowing 11 points per game, good for eighth in the country. Dickert said he has not seen a bigger, longer defense in a long time.
“These guys have great length and they’re attacking and they’re playing tremendously on that side of the ball. It is impressive to watch their physicality. The [Laiatu Latu] kid is a problem,” Dickert said. “It presents a big challenge especially up front and how much they want to blitz.”
As Dickert mentioned, the leader of the UCLA unit is edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Latu had 10.5 sacks last season and already has four this year with a forced fumble and an interception. He was also ranked eighth on Pro Football Focus’ top 50 2024 NFL draft prospects big board.
The WSU offense will have their hands full with Latu and the defensive front, but the good news is this is not unfamiliar territory. Oregon State came into Pullman also allowing 11 points per game, and first in the Pac-12 in team sacks before the Cougs scored 38 points and allowed just one sack.
Perhaps the biggest statistic for WSU this season has been their success on third down. Last season the Cougars converted just 36.6% of their third down tries, but this season they have converted 61.5%, good for third in the country. The success, however, is just as much a sign of their early down success as their third down success, Dickert said.
“Our distances have been lower. So you’re seeing a higher number of conversions. So that means winning first down, we’re being efficient. Every time we’re digging ourselves a hole, we’re getting out of those situations,” Dickert said. “Probably the biggest point is the offensive line, keeping Cam upright. And Cam does some special things off script.”
The other major change for WSU is the creativity of the offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The Cougs have already lined up in multiple two-QB formations and ran plenty of trick plays. Despite what has been seen so far, more is coming, said QB Cam Ward.
“There’s some plays in the playbook y’all don’t know yet. They’ll come out eventually. We call them duffies though. So they’ll get pulled out eventually,” Ward said.
It should be another fun quarterback matchup as well, as Ward comes in off perhaps the best game of his collegiate career third in the Pac-12 in passing yards per game. He is also one of just four QBs in the nation with over 140 pass attempts and no interceptions, and amongst the group holds the highest completion percentage (74.6).
On the other side of the ball, it is believed to be true freshman Dante Moore calling the signals for the Bruins offense. Moore is not just any true freshman, as he came in as a five-star recruit, the No. 3 recruit in the class and the No. 4 overall recruit.
It has not been sunshine and rainbows to start Moore’s career, however, as he was sacked seven times and completed just 42.9% of his passes in their week four 14-7 loss to Utah. Moore also threw one interception, which happened to be a pick-six and the difference in the game.
The key, it seems, is to pressure Moore and not allow him to be comfortable. The key for the defense as it has been all year long will be to stop the run early, and force UCLA to throw the ball, edge rusher Brennan Jackson said.
UCLA as a team comes in at No. 35 in the county in rushing yards per game at 205 but just No. 80 in team passing per game at 251 yards on average.
Perhaps the biggest challenge the Cougs face is the road atmosphere. Not a single player on the current WSU roster has ever played in the Rose Bowl, but the week one road test should help, Dickert said.
“It’s well documented how hard it is to go down in LA and win,” Dickert said. “A lot of our players playing in front of friends and family, which I think is awesome, but that comes with different types of noise and we need to really narrow the scope of our focus […] It’s huge [having been on the road before]. I think we feel tested in every form.”
WSU truly has been through about every situation possible from a road trip for the new guys, two nationally televised ranked matchups, and a blowout to give the backups plenty of work. Now the Cougs will play UCLA at 12 p.m. Saturday in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California looking to continue to improve upon their impressive resume. Despite the success, the mentality is the same.
“We have not arrived,” Dickert said. “We’ve not accomplished anything. We’re off to a fantastic start and we got to take it for what it is, but understand the challenges ahead.”
