No. 15 Washington State Cougars (7-1 SU, 5-3 ATS) at Arizona Wildcats (5-2 SU, 4-3 ATS)
College Football Week 9
Date/Time: Saturday, October 28, 9:30PM ET
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ.
TV: Pac-12N
by Wilson, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: WSU -3/UA +3
Over/Under Total: 64.5
The Washington State Cougars got back on track last weekend as they shutout the Colorado Buffaloes 28-0 at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. WSU QB, Luke Falk, looked once again like a Heisman candidate. Falk tossed three touchdown passes and was 17 of 34 passing for 197 yards and 41 yards rushing. Cougar Head Coach Mike Leach said of Falk, Its about time he used his legs some. Thats quite a bit overdue. Falk turned his performance around from the previous week at California where it often looked like it was his first collegiate contest as the Cougs dropped to the Golden Bears 37-3. However, it was a full 360 for the Cougars against Colorado as they fired on all cylinders, defensively and offensively, and Falk ran for positive yardage instead being stagnant and getting sacked like he did at Cal. If Falk can continue to play with that kind of pocket awareness (where he scrambles from trouble) the Cougs will be good heading into their final regular season games. This week the Cougars are again, on the road at Arizona. The Wildcats are quietly 5-2 and 2nd in the Pac-12 South. Arizona is always tough at home and this could be a classic battle of wildcats (Cougars vs. Wildcats).
For the Cougars to be successful at Arizona they will need to play a lot like they did last week and avoid having another let-down game like the one at Cal. Most bowl committees can look past one garbage game and call it a bad day, but two let-downs might get the Cougs locked into Uncle Biffs Carwash Bowl come December. WSU has a chance still to land a respectable bowl game, but it wont be easy in Tucson. ESPNs power index has Arizona ahead of WSU 53.3% to 46.7 but the tale of tape as far as passing offense goes favors the Cougs. Luke Falk has 22 TDs and 7 INTs on the season while Arizona QB, Brandon Dawkins has 5TDs and 3 picks with just 670 yards passing which is lopsided compared to Falks 2,483 yards through the air. On the other hand, the Wildcats are more effective with the running gameRB Khalil Tate has 56 carries (same amount as WSUs Jamal Morrow) but Tate has 780 yards to Morrows 412. This will be a story of two different offensive attacks, WSU Air Raid vs. UAs running game.
Arizona is averaging 43 points per contest while the Cougars are averaging 33. UA allows 29.3 points per game and WSU only gives up 18.5 points per game. The two very different offensive teams earn their yardage by who they areWSU racks up 359 yards passing per contest while Arizona gains 342 yards per game on the ground. Defense once again will be a key factor for both teams. However, it is Washington State that has the stronger defense against both the run and the pass. The Cougars allow 153 yards thru the air and 120 yards on the ground per game. Arizona gives up 257 yards thru the air (not a good thing versus the Air Raid!) and 162 yards rushing per contest. All statistics considered, the truth is, either team can win this game if they play to their capabilities. UA is always a threat to put up a lot of points as they have the last three weeks, scoring 45, 47, 45 and earlier this season they put up 62 on N. Arizona and 63 on UTEP. Can the Cougar defense shut the Wildcats down like they shutout Colorado? Probably not likely, but they will need to slow the Cats down.
Washington State can also put up huge numbers on the scoreboard and that is just how their offense is designedscore fast and often! Weve seen what Luke Falk and company can do if they are all on the same page but dont look past Arizona because they have a lot of talent in the right spots. WSU got back in the groove last week and I believe they continue to hit big plays on the road at Arizona. I like WSU to win but Im more comfortable taking the OVER in this gamethe defenses will have trouble containing each offensive threat.
Wilson’s Pick: The OVER. Luck to ya and hey if you need another betting account or are looking to bet online for the first time, check out MyBookie where you get a 100% BONUS on your first deposit – There’s nothing better than FREE LOOT!