WSU vs Arizona Wildcats: 5 Keys To A Win
By Nick Nordi
Offensive Line
Oct 5, 2013; Berkeley, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Washington State Cougars long snapper Alex Den Bleyker (65) snaps the ball against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Washington State defeated California 44-22. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The offensive line has to work as hard as the defensive line does. The Wildcat’s defense has 13 sacks so far on the season and 12 interceptions meaning they get to the quarterback at will. The offensive line will have to stop linebackers Scooby Wright and Marquise Flowers who have 68 and 62 tackles each. The other linebacker in the top 5 in tackles this season is Jake Fischer who has 58 tackles and 1 game less than the other two linebackers.
The Cougars will have to give Halliday the time he needs in the pocket to get the ball off without having to force the ball and run a play he doesn’t want to. The ground game has emerged more this season and the top 3 running backs; Marcus Mason, Teondray Caldwell, and Jeremiah Laufasa have a combined total of 448 yards and 9 touchdowns. Getting the running game in check to bail out Halliday if the Arizona defense comes out to play.
The offensive line has been off and on this season. At one point the offensive line was a great part of the Cougars success and now many are pointing to the offensive line as being the issue. Setting the pace and dominating the trenches can only mean good things for the Cougars.