The Cougs (8-1) made the jump from 21 to 18 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. With a magical season on the line, WSU travels to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to face the Lobos (4-6) for the first time since 2004.
The Cougars lead the all-time series 2-0, with a win in 2004 and a win in Pullman in 2003. Despite UNM’s record, the challenge is clear.
“I don’t care about their record, to me it’s 0-0. We’re both going for the same things. This is a team that, you can tell they’re hungry. They’re playing hard. These guys wanna do something,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said.
UNM still has a chance at a bowl game, needing to win its last two games to be eligible. Standing in the way of that is WSU, which presents a potentially fiery Lobos attack, Dickert said.
Despite its record, UNM has explosive pieces, and has improved significantly over the season, Dickert said.
UNM averages 479.6 yards per game, good for 8th in the nation. They also average 33.4 points per game, rushing for 237.7 yards per game, putting them 12th nationally. The WSU defense that allows 421.1 yards per game certainly has a challenge ahead.
The Lobos’ attack is led by sophomore quarterback Devon Dampier, who has thrown for 2,418 yards and ran for 872. His 3,290 total yards is more than WSU QB John Mateer’s 2,962.
“This quarterback is a problem. He has more yards from scrimmage than John does. Hopefully, that wakes everybody up, this guy is real. He’s shorter, he’s fast, he has one of the highest explosive play rates in the country, and [UNM] runs a wildly unique scheme,” Dickert said.
Dampier has 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with 11 passing this season, rivaling Mateer’s 33 total touchdowns. Saturday is set to be an electric matchup between two true dual-threat QBs.
Where Mateer has the edge is efficiency. He has thrown for 2,332 yards and 22 touchdowns, while only throwing six interceptions and completing 62.4% of his passes. He has also rushed for 630 yards and 11 touchdowns while only losing one fumble.
He is second in the nation in total touchdowns, only behind former WSU QB Cam Ward at Miami, a Heisman candidate. He was also named a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, an award for the best QB in the nation.
“I think John Mateer is one of the best ten quarterbacks in the country. I think he’s the best quarterback on the West Coast. I say that very firmly. We need to do everything for John to keep him here,” Dickert said. “I’m proud of him for being his own best player.”
Dampier on the other side has struggled efficiency-wise, throwing 12 interceptions to his 11 touchdowns, and completing just 58.7% of his passes. WSU has gotten turnovers in clutch moments time and time again this season and may have a chance this week as well.
The Cougar defense has also stiffened against the passing game in recent weeks. Despite still allowing 263.3 yards per game through the air, WSU has held opposing QBs to 196, 195 and 208 passing yards in the last three games.
“It’s just confidence, we have that confidence that whoever is in front of us, we can get the job done,” WSU senior defensive back Kapena Gushiken said. “We’ve been building week by week. Building communication and chemistry. In the back end, being able to trust each other and knowing that the guys up front are gonna handle business.”
The bigger challenge for WSU’s defense will be stopping UNM’s top-15 rush attack. Wazzu is allowing 157.8 rush yards per game, and gave up 187 to Utah State, although 72 came on the Aggies’ last offensive play.
On the flip side, WSU ran for 303 yards against Utah State and may look to keep it going against UNM’s 3-3 defensive scheme. True freshman running back Wayshawn Parker has 595 rushing yards, averaging 5.8 per carry this season and had 149 against USU.
Parker left the game in the third quarter due to injury, but after being limited in practice throughout the week, Dickert said Parker looked “really good” Wednesday and should be ready to go.
WSU may also receive more reinforcements in the form of junior wide receiver Tre Shackelford who missed last week’s game. The Austin Peay transfer will be a game-time decision, and currently has 144 yards and one touchdown on 10 catches. Also a game-time decision is senior edge Quinn Roff, who has missed the last two games.
Per ESPN, WSU has a 6.9% chance of making its first-ever CFP. Despite many roadblocks such as not having a conference championship game, all the Cougs can do is win the game in front of them, and let the teams around them do the rest.
This week, despite the wide betting margins, could be a challenge as the Cougs hit the road. The lone Cougar loss this season was on the road in blowout fashion to Boise State, with Wazzu also struggling through one-score road victories over Fresno State and San Diego State.
The upcoming road test is a chance for WSU to exert road dominance it has yet to show this season. One thing is known, the players are comfortable on the road, WSU senior receiver Kyle Williams said.
“I like to walk in your house and take over your house. I like to make a sandwich in your house and then go home. Those types of games are fun,” Williams said.
The chance for WSU to go into the Lobos’ house and make a sandwich comes at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will streamed on FS1.
