Cougars open Mountain West slate at Boise State

PULLMAN — Coming off a comeback win at home against San Jose State, the Washington State Cougars travel to No. 25 Boise State in their first true road test of the 2024 season. 

The Broncos enter the game at 2-1 having defeated Portland State 56-14 the week prior. 

“Tough place to play – really tough place to play,” WSU Head Coach Jake Dickert said at a press conference Monday. “Our older guys, I equate it to Oregon; it’ll be packed, it’ll be lively. I think a lot of our fans will be there too. It’s going to be a great environment, a great atmosphere to play in and I think a lot of our guys are excited about it too.” 

Garnering the headlines for Boise State this season has been running back Ashton Jeanty, who has rushed for 586 yards and nine touchdowns this season on just 56 carries – good enough for a 10.5-yard average per carry. 

Jeanty’s marks are second in the FBS despite the junior only playing in three games this season. Against Oregon in Week 2, he rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. 

“He’s averaging 10 yards a carry, they’ve played some pretty prominent teams and he played a half of football last week,” Dickert said. “He’s strong, he’s got one of the best stiff-arms I’ve seen in a long time. If you think you’re going to tackle him above the waist, it’s not happening... I don’t know if there’s a running back out there that’s really great without being behind a really good offensive line too.” 

It’s not just the run game that Dickert noted the Cougars will have to focus on when kickoff comes on Saturday, as the Broncos work in their passing offense off of its powerful rushing attack.  

“Because they’re so good at running the football, their play-action pass game is incredible,” Dickert said. “They have two giant receivers that they throw the ball to. Their boot game – we've had issues in the boot game in the past. (Madsen) is more than a game manager, he’s a good player. He’s tough, he’s physical, he runs when needed.” 

Dickert also emphasized staying in front of the chains offensively and capitalizing on early downs. 

“Their core seven players are built with physicality, and they’re going to attack,” Dickert said. “I think in the second half against Oregon, they probably pressured 90% of the time.” 

Boise State narrowly edged out the Cougars in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, receiving 69 votes to WSU’s 67 to find themselves at No. 25 in the country. Despite what the rankings say, Cougar EDGE Quinn Roff said the team remains focused on the game itself as opposed to national rankings. 

“As players at Washington State, we always have a chip on our shoulder,” Roff said at a press conference Tuesday. “I don’t think necessarily going against ranked teams – or we played against two other teams that were supposed to beat us this year and we beat them – they’re another nameless, faceless opponent. We’re focused on the things we can control.” 

Of course, this time of the season is typically when conference play begins around the country. Saturday’s game is the first Mountain West game on the schedule for the Cougars this season; along with Oregon State, the teams are playing eight Mountain West games this season because of the Pac-12's collapse. 

“The opportunity's the same, to still go 1-0 and still get this win, to not have the end in mind when you’re playing this game,” Dickert said. “We didn’t play the first four weeks with the end in mind; we just played now-football. And that’s what we’ll continue to take as we go through it.” 

The Cougars defeated San Jose State 54-52 in double overtime at home a week ago, marking WSU’s first 4-0 start in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than a century. However, after last year’s 4-0 start, the Cougars lost seven of their final eight games to finish the year 5-7. 

Putting that behind them was a subject of the off-season, Roff said.  

“The thing we talked about all off-season is having the hard conversations and (being) liked versus respected,” he said. “Not afraid to call someone out or lift someone up even if you know it’s not going to make them feel the best or they may feel some type of way about you, but still calling it out because you love them so much that you’re going to lift them up anyway.” 

Kickoff between the Cougars and Broncos is at 7 p.m. Saturday in Boise, Idaho. 

    Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, left, fights for extra yards during a game against Oregon on Sept. 7. Jeanty has rushed for 586 yards and nine touchdowns on 56 carries this season, the second-most yards and tied for the second-most touchdowns in the FBS.