GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: Classic battle of strength vs. strength Saturday when Washington State hosts Utah on Saturday. The Cougars have one of the more potent passing offenses in the nation, ranking second with 401.8 yards a game behind the throwing of graduate transfer Gardner Minshew (154 of 217 for 1,547 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions). Utah, which has the No. 1 defense overall in the nation (allowing 204.7 yards per game), tops the country in pass defense yielding only 93 yards a game. LB Chase Hansen, converted from strong safety, leads the Utes with two sacks and has an interception.
DRAFT SLANT
–OT Andre Dillard, an agile fifth-year senior, has been timed at 5.23 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He has started 30 consecutive games dating to 2016.
ROSTER REPORT:
–DT Jonathan “Pono” Lolohea, a coveted junior college transfer who was challenging for a starting position, abruptly left the program for unspecified reasons during fall camp.
–LB Derek Moore is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. He is not expected to be available Saturday when the Cougars host Utah.
–NT Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei was not eligible for the opener against Wyoming because of NCAA paperwork problems after his transfer from junior college. He had 1.5 sacks in against San Jose State and Eastern Washington but did not record a tackle against USC last week.