Washington State will try to bounce back from a loss to then-No. 6 USC when it travels to Oregon State on Saturday night. The Cougars were coming off a win against California prior to that setback. Oregon State snapped a two-game losing skid with a 28-27 win at Stanford last week.
Washington State got off to an excellent start this season, picking up consecutive wins over Idaho, then-No. 19 Wisconsin and Colorado State. The Cougars were unable to keep their perfect season alive in Week 4, coming up short in a 44-41 final against then-No. 15 Oregon. They responded with a 28-9 win against Cal for their first conference victory of the year, but once again lost to a ranked opponent in their setback against then-No. 6 USC last week. Washington State is led by one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football, as Cameron Ward is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 15 touchdown passes.
Lock 'em up ????#GoCougs | #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/P7bQ73HWuJ
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) October 12, 2022
He is coming off his worst showing of the year, throwing for just 172 yards in the loss to USC. Ward is going to be without two of his biggest weapons this week, as wide receiver Renard Bell (arm) and running back Nakia Watson (undisclosed) are both out due to injuries. Bell has been the team’s third-leading receiver, while Watson has a team-high 325 rushing yards. Freshman running back Jaylen Jenkins has been a solid backup, rushing for 257 yards and one touchdown, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Ward will need to clean up some turnover issues, as he has thrown seven interceptions in his last five games.