Washington State vs Colorado: Preview, prediction, live stream in Week 8
Washington State will be hosting Colorado in Week 8 and here’s everything you need to know for the matchup.
Mike Leach didn’t mince words when speaking about his team’s performance in Week 7 against the Cal Golden Bears. The Washington State head coach called his team’s performance “sorry” and admitted the Cougars looked terrible. Fortunately, there’s still time for the Cougars to turn things around and get back into the playoff conversation.
Currently ranked No. 15 in the country, Washington State will be led by Luke Falk on Saturday evening as it faces off against last year’s Pac-12 South champ, Colorado. Falk has had a strong season outside of two games, passing for 2,286 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven picks — five of those interceptions came last week. He will need to bounce back in a big way.
Colorado, on the other hand, began the season 3-0, but lost to Washington, UCLA and Arizona to begin conference play, essentially eliminating themselves from back-to-back contention. The Buffaloes lost starting quarterback Sefo Liufau in the offseason, but return Steven Montez who has plenty of experience as the No. 1 quarterback under his belt.
Montez has passed for 1,691 yards and 12 touchdowns with six interceptions. He’s been fairly accurate this season and looks like a strong option under center. He is, however, getting close to zero help from the Buffaloes’ defense. In fact, Colorado ranks 99th in the country in total yards allowed per game, which hasn’t helped the 4-3 overall record.
Here’s how to watch Saturday’s Washington State vs Colorado game:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21
Time: 10:45 p.m. ET
Location: Pullman, Wash.
Venue: Martin Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
Washington State needs to trust Falk again. Leach took him out at the end of the Cal beatdown to preserve him for the following week and facing off against a mediocre Colorado defense, the head coach needs to take the leash off him. Let him sling it again even though he threw five interceptions against Cal. If Falk knows that the staff trusts him to go back out and prove himself again, he will play more free. Expect him to have a big day if that’s the case.
The Colorado defense will need to take a page out of Cal’s book and pressure Falk. He needs to be under constant duress and scrambling more than he’s in the pocket. When he was under pressure and uncomfortable against the Golden Bears, he threw five interceptions. While that definitely won’t happen again, he is still reeling from that loss and may make some crucial mistakes. Colorado’s defense needs to take a step in the right direction.
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Prediction
Washington State is going to come out angry as Mike Leach has lit a fire under this team all week long. It shouldn’t take much to get these guys motivated as the playoff has been dangled in front of their faces like a carrot. Luke Falk will bounce back with a big game, nearing 400 yards through the air and four touchdowns. Oh, and the Cougars will finally establish a run game. It’s going to be another long day for the Colorado defense.
Final Score: Colorado 20, Washington State 41