The Washington State Cougars had a season-opening win in their grasp, but then they let go of the hold they had on their game against Rutgers. They’ll try to bounce back against Nevada.
Washington State Cougars @ Nevada Wolf Pack
Friday, September 5th – 10:35 PM ET
Odds: Washington State -2.5
Why The Cougars Will Cover
They are going to be motivated, and they also got a tougher test in their first game of the season. Washington State played a Rutgers team that won’t be great, but should certainly be a respectable kind of team as the season goes along. Getting a real test in week one, as opposed to a walkthrough against a much smaller school, should help the Cougars to develop better habits more quickly and become a sharper team than Nevada. The Wolf Pack played Southern Utah, from the lower division of college football, and the Pack wasn’t even all that strong against USU, winning by only nine points, 28-19. It’s alarming when a Football Bowl Subdivision team can beat a Football Championship Subdivision team by only nine points at home, especially when that FCS team really isn’t all that good. Washington State was this close to beating Rutgers. The Cougars led by four points and were about to receive a punt near midfield. Muffing the punt and losing possession enabled Rutgers to get the ball back and score, but the Cougars had established control up to that point in the game. Simply being able to avoid a stupid mistake such as that one will give Washington State all the cushion it needs in this game. Nevada should not be able to stop quarterback Connor Halliday and the rest of the Washington State passing game. Halliday is a veteran who knows how to read defenses and distribute the ball.
Why The Wolf Pack Will Cover
They are going up against a team with a highly suspect defense and a habit of making just enough mistakes to lose. They’re also playing at home.
Washington State might have scored a lot against Rutgers, but it gave up even more points. The Cougars also suffered that breakdown on the muffed punt mentioned above. It’s a preventable and correctable error, but it’s also the kind of thing that losing teams do. Washington State might be in great shape if it fixes its various problems, but it’s been in the nature of the Cougars to fail to fix their various problems. Nevada was undeniably shaky in its close win over Southern Utah, but if that game loosened up the Wolf Pack and made them aware of all the ways in which they can get better as a team, you could see a group this Friday night that will play with a lot more freedom and confidence. Nevada knows that unlike the Southern Utah game, this upcoming game against Washington State will be nationally televised and a great chance to showcase how much the Wolf Pack have grown. The situation of this game could work to Nevada’s advantage. Having a veteran quarterback in Cody Fajardo could give the Pack the ability to match Washington State’s experience at the position with Halliday.
Outlook
If Washington State’s passing game is great, Nevada’s offense won’t be able to keep up. It’s as simple as that. Nevada probably doesn’t have the kinds of players on defense that can stay with Washington State’s receivers.
Pick: Washington State -2.5
