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Sep. 19—PULLMAN — Here is what to watch for when Washington State hosts San Jose State at 7 p.m. Friday.
When San Jose State has the ball …
The leader is quarterback Emmett Brown, who transferred from WSU to SJSU last offseason. With nearly 1,000 passing yards and a 61% completion rate to his name, he’s developed into one of the country’s most potent arms, using a group of talented receivers around him to make San Jose State’s offense a handful to defend.
WSU cornerback Steve Hall will likely get the assignment on SJSU’s best wideout, sixth-year slot receiver Nick Nash, at 6-foot-3. He leads the country with six touchdown receptions, best among any position group, and his 485 receiving yards are also tops nationwide. He’s become a key cog in the Spartans’ offense, using his tall frame to catch passes others might not .
The Cougars would also do well to contain the Spartans’ running back tandem, Floyd Chalk IV and Jabari Bates, who have combined for 224 rushing yards and two touchdowns, both from Chalk, who has a slightly bigger role. At 5-7, Chalk is undersized, making WSU’s tackling game even more important.
The Cougars have missed 51 tackles in three games this season, second most in the country, highlighting two trends: They’ve played some tough competition (they’re one of only four teams in the country to take down two Power Four teams), and they’ve had some real issues bringing down ball-carriers. They’ve missed at least 17 tackles in all three games, wins over FCS Portland State, Texas Tech and rival Washington.
“Tackling is tracking and it’s all angles,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said. “Against Texas Tech, I thought that was one of the best right defensive tackling performances we’ve had in a while, and to follow it up, I mean, once again, give credit to (UW running back) Jonah Coleman. This guy is hard,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/two-minute-drill-washington-states-020300785.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-09-20 02:03:00
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