Washington State Football: Keys to Victory at Oregon State

Jared Miller | 7 Hours Ago

Oct 5, 2024; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers wide receiver Zachary Card (12) fields a kickoff during the first quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

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The Cougars suffered just their second loss of the year last weekend against New Mexico and, by many accounts, it was a shocker. Ranked well within the Top 25 and playing a team with a losing record, albeit on the road, WSU was expected to win. Now at 8-2 Jake Dickert's squad is tasked with bouncing back and they might have the perfect opportunity to do just that against an Oregon State unit that has been in a tailspin as of late.

Here's what Washington State needs to do on Saturday to avoid a second straight defeat and get back on the right track.

Move Past Last Week

First and foremost, the Cougs need to forget the loss last weekend. The New Mexico debacle is over and done with, and it ought to be treated as such. Dwelling on the misfortunes that plagued them a week ago will only spell bad news against an Oregon State squad that is desperately looking to salvage whatever it can from a season. If WSU comes into this one and lets that loss give them a disadvantage in any aspect, that might be all OSU needs to get a leg up. Essentially, they can't let the Lobos beat them twice.

In order to mentally rebound from the toll of their second loss the best thing for WSU might be to get back to the basics in all phases of the game. The offense needs to rediscover and reaffirm what has made it so competitive all year. The defense has to wash their collective minds of the poor showing in Albuquerque. If Dickert can get the team back to what they were before last week... and there's no reason to believer he can't... they'll be just fine.

Tackle, Tackle, Tackle

It's no secret that one of the main issues last weekend for the Cougars was an inability to bring ball carriers down. Some of that can be blamed on the dynamic play of Deveon Dampier but a lot of it can be attributed to not wrapping up and failing to be sound in their tackles across the board. A repeat of that showing against Beavers playmakers such as Anthony Hankerson or Trent Walker could again yield some ugly results.

Fortunately for Washington State, they have the right guys to fix those errors. Senior linebacker Kyle Thornton is one of the best out there when it comes to making stops. He has 53 tackles this season (36 solo) and has been the enforcer for the team in the middle of the field for several seasons. Redshirt Sophomore "Buddah" Al-Qudah is also excellent in this department with a team-leading 58 stops. If these two can do what they are best at and get everyone else to follow suit, the Cougs will find a lot more success this Saturday.

Keep the Chains Moving

A surefire way to keep OSU on its toes is to keep its defense tired and to do that, Washington State needs some long, sustained drives. Moving the sticks, especially on third down, will help that happen. The Beavers allow their opponents to convert 45% of the third downs they attempt and, while that rate is somewhat high, the Cougars should aim for much more than that. Getting the Oregon State defense fatigued will go a long way.

John Mateer and company need to make sure, when they do get into third down scenarios, that they are manageable. Positive pushes on early downs is a must. Whether it be Mateer running himself, completing short and high-percentage throws to his pass catchers or strong rushes from running back Wayshawn Parker, the offense needs to stay on schedule. Little things like this will make all the difference against a foe that is struggling.

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