Idaho Vandals vs. Washington State Cougars preview

The 0-3 Idaho Vandals will be taking on the 2-1 Washington State Cougars on Saturday. You better brew some coffee; the game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time and can be seen on the Pac-12 Network. Do you have questions about the game? No? Well you should! Below I’ve provided some question FOR you. And answers. Thank me later.

Just how good are the Cougars this year?

Well, it certainly looks like they’ll be better than last year’s three-win team. What’s been especially impressive so far is the Washington State defense, which is currently ranked 11th in the country in yards allowed per game and first in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. To be fair, Auburn hardly threw the ball at all against the Cougars, and USC’s Cody Kessler struggled mightily when he went up against Washington State, but the numbers are definitely encouraging.

Okay, so how good are the Vandals on defense?

Um, they’re terrible. Idaho is tied for 117th in the nation in terms of scoring defense and is 108th in pass defense.

So that means Connor Halliday should have a big game, right?

Yep. I certainly expect the Mike Leach offense to be on full display against the hapless Vandals. Halliday is currently 15th in the nation in passing yards per game at 314.0, but he’s thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns (six). That said, an easy game against an inferior opponent could go a long ways towards boosting his confidence. If Washington State wants to be a feared team in the competitive Pac-12 North, Halliday will have to cut down on those interceptions (he’s throw 23 in his career to only 32 touchdowns).

So who is worth watching on the Washington State defense?

Keep an eye on senior Deone Bucannon. His average of 10 tackles per game leads the Pac-12 conference. Also, Damante Horton has three interceptions already this season, two of which he’s returned for touchdowns.

This game probably won’t be super close. If I get bored at halftime and go out on a date, do you have any advice?

Why take my advice when you can have some words of wisdom from Washington State head coach Mike Leach? According to Leach, the best strategy for a first date is to bust out a coupon book. Yes, that’s his actual advice:

"It worked for me. You’ll cut the weak out of the lineup right away if you do it that way. You’ll only be involved with committed people if they’re going to do the coupon book. It doesn’t hurt. If you’re just trying to dress your life up a little and pretend you have a relationship, then maybe you don’t want to use the coupon book if it’s some kind of a volume deal. But if you want to zero in on one or two, break out the coupon book, saw off the weak right off the top so you can get down the path to find the right one. It’s worked out pretty good, because I’ve been married … I can’t remember, a long time. Thirty years or something (Fox Sports)."

Sounds genius to me.