One week after they cemented bowl eligibility, the Cougars are headed to California to play in the Rose Bowl.

Well, kind of.

The Washington State Cougars (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12) travel to California to take on the No. 18 UCLA Bruins (7-2, 4-2) in Rose Bowl Stadium on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.

WSU is hoping to pull off its first win over a ranked team in 10 tries in its first game the Rose Bowl Stadium since 2011. That means nearly all the Cougars’ current players have yet to play in the stadium, and with the mystique the stadium brings, they’re trying not to be distracted by it.

“The Rose Bowl is obviously the goal for every Pac-12 team to play in,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Eduardo Middleton said. “It’s cool just to be down there and be a part of that, but we don’t want to get lost in just being down there; we’re there to win.”

The Cougars also have 35 players from southern California on their roster, so many players on the team will be supported by family and friends wearing Cougar gear.

One of those players is redshirt junior receiver Gabe Marks, who is just four catches shy of breaking WSU’s career receptions record. With 192 career catches, Marks is just three away from Michael Bumpus’ 195.

The man throwing him the ball, redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk, has been on a tear over the last five weeks. He’s averaged nearly 450 passing yards per game and thrown 23 touchdowns during that same stretch, as well as for 2,277 yards.

After a big fourth quarter last week, Falk has now led the Cougars to three fourth-quarter comebacks this season. Last week’s comeback over Arizona State was capped off by a 75-yard touchdown reception by redshirt senior receiver Dom Williams.

“He’s so composed,” Williams said of Falk. “Even when times are hard, he just sits up in there. He’ll deliver the ball, that’s his biggest thing; he’s going to deliver. He’s really taken a leadership role, especially to us outside receivers.”

In comparison, Falk’s counterpart, UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen, has thrown for just 2,562 yards and 18 touchdowns all season. Those statistics don’t tell the whole story, though. WSU senior linebacker Kache Palachio, who currently leads the team with five sacks on the season, said Rosen will be challenging to face.

“Young guys usually hold the ball longer because they don’t want to make mistakes, but I’ve been watching film, and he looks pretty good,” Palachio said. “I’m pretty excited to go after him though.”

The game will be broadcast on ESPN, and live audio will be available at www.wsucougars.com.