PULLMAN – Since arriving in Pullman, Washington State’s seniors have never played a late-season game with anything more than pride on the line.
That all changes Saturday, and if the Cougars defeat California, WSU’s three other regular-season games also could have heightened significance.
The Cougars (3-5), riding a four-game losing streak, need three wins to become bowl eligible and four wins to guarantee their first bowl trip since 2003.
California and Utah, both 4-4, appear to be the most vulnerable opponents left on WSU’s schedule. The Cougars face Utah in Pullman on Nov. 19, one week after 20th-ranked Arizona State (6-2) becomes just the second team to visit Pullman since Sept. 10.
WSU’s regular season ends Nov. 26 against Washington (6-2) in Seattle.
“Four games left,” senior linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis said with a steely glare. “The next one coming up, we want to go 1-0. It’s the only one that matters right now.”
California is coming off a 31-14 loss to a UCLA team that had to rally late to beat Washington State, 28-25, on Oct. 8. The Bears have lost four of five since a 3-0 start, and coach Jeff Tedford’s job status – like that of WSU’s Paul Wulff – is a hot topic.
TUEL UPDATE
Jeff Tuel, Washington State’s No. 1 quarterback, said his left collarbone and right calf remain sore. He’s sitting out a second straight week of practice but hopes to resume practicing next week.
Asked if he expects to play again this season, Tuel said, “I don’t want to say because I don’t want to get my hopes up, then be let down.”
WILSON SHINES
WSU sophomore wide receiver Marquess Wilson, who caught a career-high 11 passes for 126 yards at Oregon last week, has topped the 100-yard mark in nine of his 20 collegiate games.
Wilson ranks third in the Pac-12 and 10th in the nation with 111.1 receiving yards per game. Cal’s Keenan Allen, at 123.6, is second in the league (behind USC’s Robert Woods) and sixth nationally despite the inconsistent play of quarterback Zach Maynard.
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson recently said Wilson “might be one of the best (college receivers) I’ve seen in a long time.”
Wilson and his offensive playmates face a stern test against a California defense that ranks third in the Pac-12 in yards allowed (337.1), first in tackles for loss (7.9) and fourth in quarterback sacks (2.8).
Tedford said Tuesday he has decided to stick with Maynard at quarterback. The Bears are favored by 91/2 points in a game that was a late addition to the Root Sports television schedule.
Aging Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., is undergoing renovations, so California’s 2011 home games are being played in downtown San Francisco at AT&T Park, the home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants.
POINTS GALORE
Washington State has yielded more than 40 points and 450 yards each of the past three games.
Interestingly, the Cougars were in all three games at halftime. They trailed then-No. 7 Stanford 10-7, unranked Oregon State 24-14 and then-No. 7 Oregon 15-10.
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