Preview: Cougars to take on No. 14 Utah, QB Rising

PULLMAN – Both No. 14 Utah and Washington State are coming off of bye weeks ahead of their Thursday night matchup in Pullman, something that allowed extra time for players and coaches on what would have been a short week. “We started last Wednesday, had a great practice in the snow on Saturday, and now we’re ready to go,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said at a press conference Monday. Before the bye, the Utes defeated then-No. 7 USC in a 43-42 comeback win where quarterback Cameron Rising had a one-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead in the final minute. Rising, a two-year starter, is a dual-threat at the position with 1,855 yards and 15 touchdowns as a passer and 308 yards and six touchdowns as a runner. Against the Trojans, he threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns, adding 60 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. “This guy does it all,” Dickert said. “If they need to run him 20 times, he’ll do that and he’ll do it physically. If he needs to throw it 40 times, he’ll do it. If they need to (run a) play-action pass and run the ball, I think he can do that as well.”