A season ago WSU started 4-0, hit the bye week, then went 1-7 down the stretch. This year the Cougs started 4-0 again but fell to now No. 17 Boise State. Following a bye week, the Cougs (4-1) have a chance to put all the memories of 2023’s collapse in the rearview against Fresno State (3-2) this week.
The bye week gave WSU the chance to get players healthy, reset mentally and attack this week with more energy than even last year’s squad had, head coach Jake Dickert said.
“Urgency is something you need to have in everything you do, whether it’s successful things or you’re seeing failure. This team has a little more urgency and focus on what they want to do [than last year’s]. There’s a great opportunity in front of us and it’s Fresno State,” Dickert said.
The matchup is another preview of a Pac-12 rivalry, with FSU set to join the conference in 2026.
WSU is 3-2 all-time against FSU, but the Bulldogs, however, took the most recent meeting in 2022, 29-6 in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. It was a tough time for WSU due to the transfer portal, but there are no excuses, Dickert said.
Both teams come into this game following a blowout loss in week five and a week six bye. Each school lost to either half of the class of the Mountain West Conference, WSU losing to BSU 45-24 and FSU losing to UNLV 59-14.
The loss for the Bulldogs was just their second of the season, with the other coming in week one to defending National Champion and currently No. 24 ranked Michigan. UNLV also snuck into the top 25 following the win over FSU but fell out a week ago after an overtime loss to Syracuse.
The key for WSU bouncing back is controlling the line of scrimmage, senior offensive tackle Esa Pole said. WSU has gone back to basic technique to make it happen.
“Going into the bye week and into this week coach [Jared] Kaster really took a step back and wanted to dive into the fundamentals. Sometimes we get away from what we do best,” Pole said. “We’re gonna have to win this game in the trenches. The line of scrimmage is not set, we set it.”
WSU allowed eight sacks to BSU; in the first four weeks of the season, they only allowed five. The good news, FSU only has six sacks in 2024 so far.
Another key issue for the Cougs in the loss to BSU was communication, offensively and defensively. The main thing WSU focused on improving throughout the bye week and this week so far is communication, Dickert said.
“We cannot be on the field and not communicate with each other,” Dickert said. “That’s verbal, that’s nonverbal, pre-snap… We’re in game six now. We eliminate the excuses and put the ownership on the players and the coaches to go out there and communicate better.”
With a bye week comes rest, and WSU got significantly healthier over the time off. Going into FSU the Cougs will get a significant boost with several players getting back on the field.
Two Cougs will make their season debuts Saturday in sophomore receiver Carlos Hernandez and junior cornerback Jamorri Colson. Colson started the last three games of the 2023 season, playing in four total, recording five tackles, three pass breakups and an interception. Hernandez was the Cougs’ fourth-leading receiver as a true freshman in 2023 with 24 catches for 258 yards.
The addition of the veteran Colson to an inexperienced secondary could prove crucial. On the other side, Hernandez now adds to a receiver group finding its groove with senior wideouts Kyle Williams and Kris Hutson each racking up over 100 receiving yards against BSU. Williams, who was not at 100% going into the bye week despite nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown, is good to go, he said.
“I’m back, I’m back. Full go. I’m happy,” Williams said.
As the skill rooms continue to add depth, so does the running back room. Redshirt sophomore Djouvensky Schlenbaker, who was injured in the Apple Cup, is back to 100% going into FSU, Dickert said. Schlenbaker had established a role as a goalline back before going down, scoring three touchdowns on just 16 carries.
Coming off the bye, one of the biggest things to watch for is how quarterback John Mateer responds. Despite a statistically impressive season and performance against BSU, consistency is key, he said. He threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos, but also had a costly interception. The big struggle this season has been the deep ball, which while surprising, is something he believes is entirely fixable, he said.
The matchup of WSU and FSU could be a shootout, with the Cougs allowing 32.4 points per game and 468.6 yards per game (8th most in the country) while the Bulldogs allow 28 points per game. The Cougs also have a potent offense, averaging 41.8 points per game and 495.4 yards per game (10th).
The matchup to watch defensively for WSU is the connection between junior QB Mikey Keene and senior wide receiver Mac Dalena. Keene is second in the MWC with 1,356 passing yards while Dalena is second in the conference in receiving yards with 501. Four of Keene’s seven touchdown passes have gone to Dalena.
WSU already faced SJSU’s star receiver Nick Nash this season, who currently is second in the nation in receiving through six weeks. The Cougar defense allowed him 16 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. FSU’s Dalena trails Nash by 211 yards on the season, but has 33 fewer catches, averaging 22.8 yards per catch to Nash’s 12.9.
Both teams look to right the ship and retake control of their respective seasons.
“[With FSU] you see a very disciplined, well-coached, hard-nosed football team,” Dickert said. “I’ve played there twice. It’ll be a tough environment.”
The matchup with FSU could prove to be a turning point of the 2024 season for the Cougs whether good or bad. But on the road against an equally rested, equally hungry team coming off an embarrassing loss, it is set to be a dog (and Coug) fight.
The game is at 4 p.m. Saturday, and will be aired on FS1.
