A lot has changed in the Pac-12 over the last two weeks. The conference is now at seven teams after adding five new schools from the Mountain West Conference, and the Cougs (4-0) will get their first taste of ‘conference’ play in week five against the Boise State Broncos (2-1).
The two face off at 8 p.m. MST Saturday in Boise, Idaho on the Broncos’ home blue turf, one of the most unique sights in college football. BSU comes in as the No. 25 ranked team in the nation in the most recent AP Poll with WSU receiving the most votes of non-ranked teams, essentially making the Cougs No. 26.
With BSU joining the Pac-12 in 2026, the matchup foreshadows the future of the conference, with a Pac-12 after-dark matchup on the “Smurf turf.
“It’s way better than the red turf. No offense to our friends up at Eastern Washington,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said. “Any of the Cougs that go there are going to see a wild environment, a sold-out crowd. So, Pac-12 after dark still lives, and it’s going to be a hell of a football game.”
Saturday will be WSU’s first true road game this season. To prepare for the atmosphere, the Cougs will add crowd noise to practice.
“I apologize Pullmanites, at 8-9 p.m. there is gonna be a lot of crowd noise going throughout the city,” Dickert said. “Our guys are ultimate competitors, they want to go into the biggest arenas, play on the biggest stages and play in a good environment.”
The Cougs are coming off a 54-52 win on a short week at home against San Jose State University that went to double overtime. Now the Cougs get a chance to go to Boise with an extra day of preparation and rest compared to a normal week. On top of the extra day, WSU also has a bye the following week.
“It’s good for players, bodies, recovery and academics,” Dickert said. “On the back end of [this week] there is three days off, what are you saving? Even the coaches, I told them we’re going to push this week and we’re pushing.”
The Cougs can use any advantage they can get going on the road to face one of the most dangerous offensive threats in college football in running back Ashton Jeanty for BSU.
Jeanty, a 5-foot, 9-inch 215-pound junior, was highly touted coming into the season having posted 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. But so far in 2024, he has found a new gear.
Jeanty through only three games has 586 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 56 carries for an average of 10.5 yards per carry. He is tied for second in the NCAA in touchdowns, second in yards and first in the nation in yards per carry. Jeanty also is fourth on the On3 Heisman Trophy Poll after week four, despite only playing in one half of the Broncos week four blowout of Portland State.
The most significant effort from Jeanty this season came in week two against the now No. 8 ranked Oregon Ducks on the road. He ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns nearly leading an upset as BSU fell 37-34. The week prior, Jeanty ran for 267 yards and six touchdowns against Georgia Southern.
“He’s strong, he’s got one of the best stiff arms I’ve seen in a long time. If you think you are gonna arm tackle him above the waist, it’s not happening. You gotta get to his legs, kill his motor, gang tackle this guy,” Dickert said. “I don’t know if there is a better running back out there, that behind a really good offensive line.”
The WSU defense is allowing 470.8 yards per game this season, the seventh most in the nation, including 151.3 rushing yards per game. Jeanty and the BSU offense will be a true litmus test for a Cougar defense that has taken on a “bend but don’t break” mentality this season, Dickert said.
Where WSU keeps up is on the offensive side of the ball. The Cougs are 10th in the nation in yards per game with 515.3 and are averaging over 200 yards rushing per game. Quarterback John Mateer is 14th in the nation and first among QBs with 425 rushing yards, and led the team’s shootout win in week three with 390 yards and four touchdowns passing, adding 111 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
WSU QB John Mateer runs in open space in a week four win 54-52 over SJSU at Gesa Field in Pullman, Wash.
Sloppiness was an issue in week four for WSU, which allowed an onside kick, a fake punt and two interceptions. SJSU “threw the whole special teams book at us,” Dickert said. But with an extra day of preparation, WSU has a chance this week to face a Bronco defense that is allowing 32 points per game, including 45 and 37 to GSU and UO respectively.
WSU leads the all-time series 5-1 with the most recent game coming in 2017, a 47-44 triple-overtime win for WSU. With these two teams being so closely ranked, there are sure to be fireworks, and the winner will have certainly made a statement.
Boise State is a 7.5-point favorite and opens with a 62.2% chance to win, according to ESPN. The outside noise, however, is something WSU players do not pay attention to, WSU senior edge Quinn Roff said.
“As players at WSU we always have a chip on our shoulder,” Roff said. “We played two other teams that were supposed to beat us this year, they’re another nameless, faceless opponent.”
“We don’t really pay attention to all the outside noise,” Dylan Paine, WSU redshirt junior running back said. “Coach Dickert tells us to stay off of social media, focus on ourselves and be ready to play.”
WSU RB Dylan Paine celebrates a touchdown with his offensive linemen.
After a 4-0 start for the second season in a row, there is pressure on WSU to perform, especially with eyes on the performance of the current two-team Pac-12. Going into their first ranked matchup of the season, the Cougars understand the challenges, and are ready, Dickert said.
“We didn’t play the first four weeks of football with the end in mind. We just played now football,” Dickert said. “We understand we got the target on our back. There’s going to be a heck of a football game, two really good football teams going at it, and execution is going to win.”
The game will be aired at 7 p.m. PST, Saturday on FS1.
