Arizona

[Flatlandcoug]

I was reading an article talking about our upcoming game against Arizona and it was talking about how great Arizona is doing and how a recent win was showing that their season was really coming around. What I like about that is how often we've heard that this season where we've been the one who sent them home frustrated.

Oregon had just beaten UW.

Stanford had just knocked off ASU to end a couple game slide.

Cal had just beaten UW.

All three teams were feeling good about their seasons and people were starting to talk about how dangerous those games were going to be for WSU and we just keep on beating teams back down. I'm glad that our players can see plenty of evidence that we can't take Arizona lightly and I expect Leach and the other coaches to have them focused.

 

[CougPatrol]

Arizona routed a reeling (and average) Oregon team in Tucson in an electric night game setting. They do that to someone at home every year. The following weekend they beat Colorado at home 42-34.

Arizona is without question capable of beating us on Saturday. They have elite talent at QB, RB, and WR. They also have a really sketchy defense and a pattern of inconsistent play on the road.

With that said, I still have a very bad feeling about this game.

 

[kougkurt]

Arizona routed a reeling (and average) Oregon team in Tucson in an electric night game setting. They do that to someone at home every year. The following weekend they beat Colorado at home 42-34.

Arizona is without question capable of beating us on Saturday. They have elite talent at QB, RB, and WR. They also have a really sketchy defense and a pattern of inconsistent play on the road.

With that said, I still have a very bad feeling about this game.

That a boy

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

I was reading an article talking about our upcoming game against Arizona and it was talking about how great Arizona is doing and how a recent win was showing that their season was really coming around. What I like about that is how often we've heard that this season where we've been the one who sent them home frustrated.

Oregon had just beaten UW.

Stanford had just knocked off ASU to end a couple game slide.

Cal had just beaten UW.

All three teams were feeling good about their seasons and people were starting to talk about how dangerous those games were going to be for WSU and we just keep on beating teams back down. I'm glad that our players can see plenty of evidence that we can't take Arizona lightly and I expect Leach and the other coaches to have them focused.

Whelp, they've figured us out. We've simply lucked our way to 9-1 against sub-par teams, barely squeaking out wins over any and all comers.

 

[CougPatrol]

If you look at Arizona’s conference record, they’ve played much better of late, which coincides with Tate playing at 100%. They had an ugly game at Utah, but apart from that, they’ve played everyone about as tough as we have. If we play well offensively, we’ll control the ball and keep their offense on the bench in the cold. If we kick it around and drop passes, it’ll be a dangerous game.

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

Tate is much better at home. I'm interested in how he throws in the cold. Our safeties better play more disciplined than last year.

 

[OrangeGravy]

Tate is much better at home. I'm interested in how he throws in the cold. Our safeties better play more disciplined than last year.

It's really hard to stay disciplined back there when your getting gashed with the QB run/running game. When the running game goes for huge chunks, eventually the backend cheats and gets burned over the top. It happens at all levels of football. If we can keep Tate and the running game to short or at most modest gains occasionally, their passing game shouldn't be much to worry about. I don't trust Tate having to make throws into tight coverage. He's a guy that looks great when play action leaves receivers wide open on seam routes, but looks like an average high school QB when guys aren't wide open often. If we can't contain him running like last year, it'll be much the same. Have to win a shootout in that case.

 

[random soul]

I was reading an article talking about our upcoming game against Arizona and it was talking about how great Arizona is doing and how a recent win was showing that their season was really coming around. What I like about that is how often we've heard that this season where we've been the one who sent them home frustrated.

Oregon had just beaten UW.

Stanford had just knocked off ASU to end a couple game slide.

Cal had just beaten UW.

All three teams were feeling good about their seasons and people were starting to talk about how dangerous those games were going to be for WSU and we just keep on beating teams back down. I'm glad that our players can see plenty of evidence that we can't take Arizona lightly and I expect Leach and the other coaches to have them focused.

After that wreck in Tucson last year nobody will be taking this game lightly. And this year we have Pelluer

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

Claeys > Grinch. And its not even close. We will be in good shape against Arizona at home.

 

[Coug90]

Claeys > Grinch. And its not even close. We will be in good shape against Arizona at home.

I prefer CougPatrols take

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

Sorry our d is better this year....we lead the league in sacks and our QB sustains drives which keeps them fresh. What Claeys/Phelps has done with comfort, begg, tago and Taylor !!!/silvels is the best coaching job in America.

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

Tate throws lots of deep balls (many 50/50 jump balls) and when he is throwing a hard cold ball for the first time this year it will be to our advantage. Plus crowd noise should affect their tempo. Both the USC game and the UCLA games looked much closer than games really were. They rallied late when game was won and d got soft.

 

[CougPatrol]

Tate didn’t play against UCLA, and he missed time it some other games too.

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

I'm sorry but this years Tate is not the same as last year's. I've seen almost all of their games this year....yes his ankle is better now, but last years version scares me way more than this years. He torched a bad Colorado defense and Joe salavea slow dl coached oregon d. We are different.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

They get chunk yardage, they'll continue to get chunk yardage. We have to mitigate and minimize it.

Pelluer spies Tate, defense drops into a nickel cover 3, keeping everything in front of them. Molton and Strong are going to be on islands again, they'll have to make the most of their jam at the line. DL has to contain Tate and not let AZ set the edge.

Tall order, but I think their up to it. Probably their toughest match up to date, imho.

 

[ShockandAweWSU]

1411 rushing yards for Tate last year....about 150 yards this year. Different offense.

 

[azgreg]

Good luck tonight guys. Here's to a good and injury free game.

 

[Coug90]

They get chunk yardage, they'll continue to get chunk yardage. We have to mitigate and minimize it.

Pelluer spies Tate, defense drops into a nickel cover 3, keeping everything in front of them. Molton and Strong are going to be on islands again, they'll have to make the most of their jam at the line. DL has to contain Tate and not let AZ set the edge.

Tall order, but I think their up to it. Probably their toughest match up to date, imho.

Arizona’s offense is much more explosive than UWs right now. If we shut them down UW is F’d.

 

[jarvis1981]

First of all nice comment from azgreg. Always want an injury free contest no matter who wins.

Here's something I'd like Clays to do for the defense. Bait Tate to run a few plays early and then get a clean hit on him. Let him know what it feels like to be tackled in freezing weather. He'll have second thoughts about it as anyone would.

In general while the Arizona offense has play makers WSU does match that with their offense and the defense seems to come up with key plays when needed.

41-24 Cougs if the weather stays good

 

[YakiCoug]

Whelp, they've figured us out. We've simply lucked our way to 9-1 against sub-par teams, barely squeaking out wins over any and all comers.

If we didn't have MInshew playing LB and d-line, we'd probably be 1-9 at this juncture.