After an impressive second half against San Diego State, I have to say I’m feeling much more confident about the Cougs than I did after the defensive slugfest with Idaho. North Texas is coming off a dramatic overtime win at Western Michigan (33–30). They trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter but rallied late to pull it out. Both teams have now played one close game and one blowout to start the season.
At this point, it’s still tough to get a clear read on North Texas. They’ve faced two opponents they were expected to beat—and did just that. According to Adam McClintock (@cfb_professor on X), whose analytics model has consistently ranked among the best since launching in 2006, these two teams have been within 10 spots of each other in his weekly power ratings the past two weeks. His model gives WSU a 49.6% chance of winning—making this matchup a true toss-up.
Names to Watch on Saturday:
Head Coach – Eric Morris
A familiar face for Cougar fans, Morris had two stints in Pullman and spoke highly of his time on the Palouse this week. We’ll always appreciate his role in bringing Cam Ward to WSU, the program’s second #1 overall pick (joining Drew Bledsoe; Ryan Leaf and Ed Goddard were #2 picks, while Jack Thompson was taken at #3, rounding out the program’s top five draft selections). While only 12 players remain from his previous tenure—and with a new staff and system in place—the connection is still worth noting.
Offense
- QB – Drew Mestemaker (R-Freshman): Off to a solid start this season, Mestemaker appeared in five games last year, giving him a little more experience than most freshmen. Still, he’s fairly raw at the D-I level. Western Michigan sacked him three times, so if WSU can pressure him, it could swing the game.
- WR – Wyatt Young (Sophomore): Mestemaker spreads the ball around, but Young has emerged as the top target early—posting 97 yards in Week 1 and 59 in Week 2.
- RB – Makenzie McGill II: Bounced back in a big way against Western Michigan, rushing for 102 yards after being held to just 1 yard on 6 carries in the opener.
Defense
- Linebackers: This is the strength of their defense. Sixth-year senior and Sam Houston State transfer Trey Fields leads the team in tackles (12) and has their lone interception so far. Redshirt sophomore Ethan Weslowski has graded out as their top defender, and through two weeks—though a small sample size—Pro Football Focus ranks him among the top five linebackers nationally (min. 50 snaps).
With this being WSU’s first road test and plenty of unknowns on both sides, Saturday should be a fun one to watch.
As always, Go Cougs!