Analysis: In close win over Fresno State, WSU shows its offense has some real work to do

Oct. 13—FRESNO, Calif. — John Mateer and Tyson Durant were locker neighbors for Washington State’s latest game, a road test against Fresno State. The quarterback and safety have developed a solid rapport this fall, and as the Cougars came out of the locker room after halftime in Saturday’s game, Durant encouraged his teammate. Wanted to see more from him.

“Keep playing free,” Durant told Mateer. “You’re gonna get that ball back. Our defense is gonna do that for you.”

Durant held up his end of the bargain, his unit getting a go-ahead interception return for a touchdown from redshirt freshman cornerback Ethan O’Connor in the fourth quarter. But even in WSU’s 25-17 win, it might not be fair to say Mateer and the Cougars’ offense held up theirs.

As the Cougars secured the victory to move to 5-1 for the first time since 2018, their offense wobbled and swayed. Mateer threw his sixth interception of the season, robbing his team of a chance to score before halftime for the second straight game, and he coughed up a fumble earlier . No matter what WSU’s offense did, it could not establish anything resembling rhythm.

For the Cougars, it’s hardly the end of the world. Fresno State always figured to be their toughest game for the remainder of the season, and they’re leaving with a win. They were favored to win, and they’ll likely be favored to win the rest of the six games on their regular-season schedule, potentially paving the way for the kind of special season that many teams across the country would kill for.

Even so, Washington State cannot expect its defense to bail its offense out the way it did against the Bulldogs, no matter the opponent.

The Cougars spent much of the game trailing because after their opening touchdown, head coach Jake Dickert and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle decided to go for the 2-point…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/analysis-close-win-over-fresno-020300626.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-10-14 02:03:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.