Washington State visits Jayden de Laura and the Arizona Wildcats

Nov 19, 2022 - 2:58 PM

Good morning Coug fans, and welcome to the second-to-last weekend of regular season Cougar football. Washington State is on the road to visit the Arizona Wildcats, a team coming off a big upset over UCLA and looking to stay alive in the bowl eligibility race.

Of course, that’d pretty much be the end of the storylines in this one, except former WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura is now the quarterback at Arizona. And wouldn’t you know it, de Laura kicked of the week throwing fresh meat to the college football media and fans with his “It’s personal” comment.

De Laura softened his comments during the week, and WSU head coach Jake Dickert did his best to not throw any more logs on the fire with some pretty vanilla comments. Then, Lincoln Victor threw cold water on the Jayden-quit-at-halftime-of-the-Sun-Bowl theory. This whole thing is a Rorschach test for fans. Still, it hasn’t stopped anybody from using it as conversation pieces to get through the week. Jeff and Craig talked about it this week, and it’s definitely a worthy storyline.

Oh, and former WSU head coach Nick Rolovich filed his suit against WSU, Pat Chun and Jay Inslee the Monday of game week. Would he show up at the game? Drama!

But while the off-field stuff makes for some fascinating drama, the two teams still have a game to play. The Cougs are slight favorites on the road, and this probably won’t be the same blowout like last year’s game in the fog. Arizona is in desperation mode needing two wins in the final two weeks to become bowl eligible, and de Laura no doubt has some extra motivation. The Wildcats are probably feeling pretty confident coming off their UCLA win.

The Cougs should get Renard Bell back, which is huge. Will the offensive line hold up to give Cam Ward enough time to find Bell and the other receivers? The defense is ferocious but can’t let de Laura improvise and get beat by his legs.

We have an early kick today for your west coasters. Let’s get win no. 7. Go Cougs.

Links

Two-minute drill: Keys to victory for Washington State against Arizona | The Spokesman-Review
Story of the game …

The pick: Why Washington State will beat Arizona | The Spokesman-Review
TUCSON, Ariz. – Considering matchup advantages, the team’s recent results, the odds, the setting, the unpredictable nature of the Pac-12 – I had a tough time making a call on this one.

Washington State looks to extend winning streak to three Saturday against Arizona, former Cougar quarterback | The Spokesman-Review
TUCSON, Ariz. – Unbeaten in November and bowl eligible once again, Washington State is riding a late surge of momentum heading into a highly anticipated final stretch of its season.

Cougs kick off four-match home stretch with Friday sweep over Utah - Washington State University Athletics
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Pia Timmer finished with a match-high 16 kills as 25th-ranked Washington State volleyball (20-8, 12-5 Pac-12) swept Utah (15-13, 8-9 Pac-12), 25-20, 25-12, 25-18, Friday night in Bohler Gym.

Cougs fall to BYU in first game of the North Shore Showcase - Washington State University Athletics
LAIE, HAWAII – The Washington State women's basketball team was handed its first loss of the 2022-23 season Friday, Nov. 18, as the Cougars fell to BYU, 65-56, in their first game at the 2022 North Shore Showcase.