Washington State Football: Cougars face taxing Alamo Bowl vs. Iowa State

After getting snubbed by the committee, Washington State football looks to refocus for a tough Alamo Bowl matchup with Iowa State in San Antonio.

Washington State came out of nowhere in 2018, rising from a projected cellar finish in the Pac-12 to push for the conference championship.

Led by transfer quarterback Garnder Minshew, Mike Leach’s team won 10 games, far exceeding any reasonable expectations for 2018.

The season ended disappointingly with a sixth straight defeat in the Apple Cup to Washington, which prevented the Cougars from playing in the Pac-12 Championship with a spot in the Rose Bowl on the line.

The defeat to the Huskies knocked Washington State out of the Top 12, and sent them spiraling out of the New Year’s Six and down to the Alamo Bowl, a dispiriting finish to an otherwise excellent season in Pullman.

It seems unfair that one loss, in a blizzard in Pullman, should have knocked them out of a more prestigious bowl game, but they’ll have to refocus for a tough draw against Iowa State, a team built to frustrate and befuddle air-raid offenses.

After a 1-3 start to the season, Matt Campbell turned to true freshman quarterback Brock Purdy, and changed the fortunes in Ames. The Cyclones went 7-1 in the last eight games of the season, culminating in a third place finish in the Big 12, one game away from playing in the conference title game.

Campbell’s defense is equipped to slow down Leach’s air-raid, having already flustered Leach disciple Dana Holgorsen and West Virginia in October. They also held the likes of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas below their season averages.

No one runs the offense more efficiently than Washington State, but the Cougars will face stark challenge against the Cyclones in San Antonio. Can Washington State bounce back from the Apple Cup and garner an 11th victory, or will Iowa State’s defense continue to perplex the air-raid and build momentum for what could be a big 2019 in Ames?

Here’s how you can watch the Alamo Bowl between the Cougars and Cyclones:

Date: Friday, December 28
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: San Antonio, TX
Venue: Alamodome
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Does Mike Leach have a backup plan if things go awry? Leach hasn’t been able to get over the Chris Petersen hump, largely due to an inability to adjust when the passing offense isn’t able to get the ball moving. Minshew is an excellent quarterback, but Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock will have a game plan that will surely frustrate the pirate and his mustachioed signal-caller. Can the Cougars adjust and find some success running the ball with James Williams to make the Cyclones pay for sitting back on the pass? They’ll have to, or it could be another frustrating evening for Washington State.

Iowa State will hope to maintain some offensive balance so as to not put too much pressure on freshman Purdy. David Montgomery is one of the most talented running backs in the country, and could be playing his final game for the Cyclones. They’ll hope to open up running lanes for Montgomery to stay on schedule and control the clock, keeping Minshew and Washington State’s offense on the sidelines. They’d prefer this game didn’t turn into the shootout it has the capability of becoming, limiting the Cougars’ offensive possessions by grinding out long drives.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Washington State -3.5
Over/Under: 54.5

Prediction

Iowa State’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme can be tough to crack for pass-happy offenses like Washington State, and I expect with the extra time to prepare Campbell and Heacock will come up with schemes to befuddle Leach and Minshew. Look for a strong game from Montgomery, and for Purdy to hit some big passing plays down the field off of play-action to Hakeem Butler, who will be a tough cover for the Wazzu defense.

Final Score: Iowa State 31, Washington State 27