IF WASHINGTON STATE wants to make it two in a row over Washington, the Cougar pass rush is going to have play a major factor, says WSU quarterback legend Jack Thompson. UW’s Michael Penix Jr. has been one of the nation’s most prolific passers and lethal when he can sit in the pocket and throw.
Generating pressure in a variety of ways will be critical, says Thompson, whose company — The Thompson Group of Cross County Mortgage — is the official mortgage company of Cougfan.com. Here are Thompson’s five keys to beating Washington on Saturday.
1. GET FREQUENT HEAT ON MICHAEL PENIX JR.
Against Arizona last week, it was preferable for WSU to let Jayden de Laura stay in the pocket and force him to make throws in that way but the opposite is the case this week. The Cougars would prefer to let Penix get outside of the pocket and make throws on the run than allow him to sit back and deliver from a clean pocket. UW has only yielded seven sacks this year, so the onus will fall on Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson especially to make Penix uncomfortable.
Jack Thompson’s takeaway: “He is the best technically-sound quarterback in the conference in my opinion. He is a smooth operator, reads defenses really well. You have to get him off of his spot. He can throw on the run but he isn’t as dynamic as Caleb Williams or Jayden de Laura in that way. But he’s dynamic in other ways.”
2. PLAY 60 MINUTES OF OFFENSIVE FOOTBALL
The last three weeks has been the tale of two halves as far as the offense is concerned. In WSU’s three-game win streak, the Cougar offense scored 12 touchdowns in the first half of those games. In the second half, WSU has scored just one offensive touchdown, and it came from the second unit.
The team has built up big enough leads to get away with it in the last three games, but Washington will not be so forgiving. The Cougars need to be in attack mode for all 60 minutes of Saturday’s game, and maintain the offensive rhythm in the second half.
Jack Thompson’s takeaway: “We have to keep our offense on the field against these guys. They can’t score if they don’t have the ball. Sustained drives and we need to score a lot. No more of these quick, lethargic drives where we don’t move the ball.”
3. STRETCH THE FIELD VERTICALLY
WSU’s offensive line issues have limited the vertical passing game all year for the Cougars. And while those issues still linger, the UW secondary has been a struggle. It has steadily improved in recent weeks but a lot of that has to do with playing poor quarterbacks (Bo Nix of Oregon notwithstanding). There is a time and place for the shots, especially because UW can generate pressure. But this is an opportunity to exploit a weak secondary and try to go down the field and get the ball into the hands of the outside receivers.
Jack Thompson’s takeaway: “We tried a little more of it against Arizona. And we want Cam thinking that way about going deep and throwing long. Let the ball fly and stretch the field. Take advantage of where they struggle and hit some big plays.”
4. MAKE UW FEEL HOW COLD IT WILL BE
The low for Saturday is 32 degrees and that does not account for possible wind chill or precipitation. While it is not exactly warm in Seattle and it is not like making the trek up from Arizona or California, this is a level of cold that a lot of UW players may not be used to, considering the Huskies haven’t played in Pullman since 2018.
It is an opportunity for the Cougars to make UW feel the cold early. Whether it’s the macho tactics WSU used against ASU by coming out shirtless on a freezing day, or even a couple hard hits in the cold Pullman night. Take advantage of the conditions and use them to your favor.
Jack Thompson’s takeaway: “I’m thinking about all the elements and it’s funny because I’ve seen Husky teams come in and do quite well in the elements. Think about 2018 and the Gardner Minshew year. That didn’t play into our hands back then. Now it does. It’s a new year and they don’t like coming here.”
5. BUTTS NEED TO BE IN SEATS FOR 60 MINUTES
It truly felt like part of the reason WSU was so lethargic in the second half of its last home against Arizona State was because the crowd completely emptied at halftime. Thompson has made it clear all year long, it does the team absolutely no good to have a bunch of people leave at halftime or wander back in from the beer garden midway through the third quarter.
In a game like this, the crowd has the opportunity to be a massive factor. It will be cold, it will not be perfect temperatures but the Cougar fans need to be in the seats all game long. A sellout crowd does not mean anything if it is only that way for one half.
Jack Thompson’s takeaway: “You go back to all the elements that are key. Home field advantage needs to be a key. I spoke on it in the article I did earlier in the week. I felt so strongly about this that I asked to do an extra article about the importance. This is such a critical factor of the game.”
THIS COLUMN IS BROUGHT TO you by The Thompson Group of Cross Country Mortgage. For more information, contact them here and tell ’em Cougfan.com sent ya. Jack Thompson shattered NCAA passing records while at WSU from 1974-78 and today stands as one of only two football players in WSU history to have his number retired. He is the co-founder of CougsFirst!, the organization that promotes the idea of Cougs doing business with fellow Cougs.
WSU-UW GAME DETAILS FOR SATURDAY:
- WHERE: Martin Stadium
- KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. Pacific
- TV: ESPN (Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, Dawn Davenport)
- RADIO: Washington State IMG Radio Network
- WEATHER: 31 degrees, light winds, 12 percent chance snow
- RECORDS: WSU 7-4/4-4, UW 9-2/6-2
- THE SERIES: UW leads 73-33-6
- LAST TIME: WSU won 40-13 in Seattle in 2021
- ESPN matchup predictor: 52.6 percent chance UW wins
- RANKINGS: UW No. 12, WSU receiving votes in Coaches Poll
- THE LINE: UW by 2
Related: Jack Thompson says time for Cougar football fans to match resilience of team
