The WSU football team controlled the game in its win over the University of Oregon but realizes that every week lends a fresh start and they cannot let up against a nationally ranked Stanford Cardinal team.

The Cougars (2-2, 1-0) have turned away from the 30-28 defeat at home last year against Stanford and are putting their heads down in practice in order to prepare for this year’s game.

“We’ve got to focus on us, block out all the noise and go in there and get another good week of preparation,” said redshirt junior linebacker Isaac Dotson.

Focusing will be critical for the Cougars this week after the University of Washington blew out Stanford (3-1, 2-1) last Friday.

The Huskies’ dismantling of the Cardinal left a few questions on the table regarding Stanford’s skill level this season and how likely it is for the Cougars victory.

Redshirt sophomore left tackle Andre Dillard explained that the team expects Stanford to come out hard early in the game trying to make up for last week, but the Cougars are starting to reach their potential and plan to be ready for the challenge.

“They (Stanford) are a tough, physical team,” senior wide receiver John Thompson said. “We’ve got to out-tough on offense, defense and special teams, and show them what we’ve got.”

Thompson, who made his first career start against Stanford, also explained the emphasis the team has put on wide receiver blocking. The added toughness on the outside has been instrumental in the two 200-plus rushing yard games the Cougars have had so far this year.

With the help provided by the receivers on the edge, the offensive line anchored the WSU offense in the past two weeks.

The recent performance of the offensive line made Head Coach Mike Leach happy, but he expects to see more out of the unit as the season goes on.

“I think it (pass protection) has been decent, I think Luke (Falk) does a good job getting rid of it, and I think the two of them work together well,” Leach said. “I do feel like we are improving on the offensive line, but I think we’ve got a long way to go.”

Leach also said redshirt junior offensive lineman Cody O’Connell stood out in last weekend’s game.

The coaches said the team needs the offensive line to come up big against a Stanford team that will pressure the quarterback for all four quarters.

The defense will be up to a similar challenge, as the Cardinal offense will come into Saturday night’s contest led by 2015 AP player of the year, junior running back Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey is heralded as the premier back in a conference stacked with talented running backs.

Dotson said the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up does not intimidate the defense, looking at this week’s matchup just the same as last week’s and the week before that.

“He’s another running back that we’ve got to tackle and take down like any other guy,” Dotson said.

While Dotson does not see the “it” factor that makes McCaffrey the standout back in the conference, Leach thinks differently.

“Not to take anything away from McCaffrey, those offensive linemen at Stanford would have a huge role in making him as good as he is,” Leach said. “I think he’s good anyway, you can see that by the versatility he’s got, but often he is running not behind just five linemen, but seven or, at times, eight.”

WSU reached a pivotal point in its season, with a string of games against high-profile opponents. While the Cougs played well in its win over Oregon, the Cougars must match that level of play for at least the next two weeks to have a shot at the Pac-12 North crown.

The Cougars will take on the Cardinal at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and the watchESPN app.