WSU football to take on Pac-12 defensive power

Air-Raid offense will be tested against Bear’s defense

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HSING-HAN CHEN | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Junior defensive line Will Rodgers III anticipates Colorado offense on Oct. 19 at Martin Stadium.

SAM GRANT, Evergreen reporter

WSU will be traveling to Berkeley, California to take on Cal on Friday for their second road game in a row.

The Cougars (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) come off a37-35 loss against Oregon (8-1, 5-0 Pac-12), followed by a bye week.

Cal (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) also comes off a bye week, most recently challenging Utah in a 35-0 shutout loss in Salt Lake City.

Despite the bye week, redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Gordon still leads the nation in passing yards.

Head coach Mike Leach credited the offense for being more efficient than previous teams that he has coached, crediting Gordon and sophomore running back Max Borghi.

“We got quite a few receivers back,” Leach said, “and I think Max has been playing better than he was last year. Gordon, the ball gets off his hand quickly, and he reads the field pretty good.”

Gordon and Borghi have been leading the Cougar offense to high scoring games, as Gordon has 32 touchdowns through his first eight games this season.

Borghi has caught three of those touchdown passes, while also taking seven of them to the house on his own. Borghi also has 566 yards on the ground this season.

Gordon said he was locked in and focused on the season at hand, despite being on pace for a 5,000-yard season, something no WSU quarterback has reached before.

“I haven’t thought about that whatsoever,” Gordon said, “just focused on improving week to week. There’s a lot of opportunities to improve on our schedule, and we’re really looking for these last four opportunities to really go out with some momentum.”

WSU’s high-powered offense will be meeting a tough defense with Cal, spearheaded by senior linebacker Evan Weaver. Gordon credited Cal’s defense.

“They do some great things over there,” Gordon said, “they’re well-coached, and got some good athletes. They get the most out of each of their players.”

Gordon also credited Weaver specifically, naming him one of the top players in the country at his position.

“I’m going to be cautious of where he’s at,” Gordon said, “but we also are scared of him, so we’re going to execute our game plan accordingly.”

The game begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.