One more sleep until Cougar Football Saturday!
The weather is starting to shift across the Pacific Northwest, and I sure am glad for a 12:30 kickoff — for the fans’ sake. With the potential for rain and a high in the low 50s, protecting the football will have to be top of mind. Here are the key players the Cougs will need to contain to get the win tomorrow.
Toledo (4–3) @ WSU (3–4) | Spread: Toledo -1.5 | Game Time: 12:30 p.m. | Broadcast: The CW
The spread opened with WSU favored by 1.5, but it’s since moved three full points. There’s usually a built-in three-point advantage for the home team, so bettors are effectively saying that on a neutral field, Toledo would be 4.5-point favorites. If you want to dig into the numbers, check out the previous article breaking down their season. Toledo is 0–3 on the road this year and has only beaten one top-100 RPI team.
Key Players on Offense
QB: Tucker Gleason (6th-Year Senior)
2025 Stats: 64.8% Completion | 212 Yards Per Game | 12 TDs, 4 INTs | 8 Sacks | 58 Rush Yards, 3 TDs
Another week, another 24-year-old quarterback on the opposing sideline. Remarkably, this marks three straight weeks facing QBs who are 23 or older. In fact, Chandler Morris last week and Tucker Gleason this week are both older than Caleb Williams — who’s in his second NFL season! That experience is a major asset for the Rockets.
Gleason is a pocket passer with little threat to run, but he’s only been sacked eight times in seven games. If the Cougs can’t manufacture pressure, it could be a long day for the defense. Of note: in Toledo’s three road games this season, Gleason has thrown all four of his interceptions, taken seven of his eight sacks, and fumbled four times. Hopefully that trend continues tomorrow.
WR: Junior Vandeross III (Senior) – 5’8”, 182 lbs
2025 Stats: 45 Receptions | 556 Yards | 79.4 Yards/Game | 7 TDs
The passing game really starts and ends with Junior Vandeross III. No other receiver has more than one touchdown reception this season. Averaging nearly seven catches, 80 yards, and a touchdown per game, he can absolutely take over. Vandeross has gone over 100 yards three times and has caught at least one pass in 27 straight games. He has breakaway speed and can make defenders miss — keeping him in front and tackling well in the open field will be critical.
RB: DeaMonte “Chip” Trayanum (6th-Year Senior) – 5’11”, 227 lbs | QUESTIONABLE
2025 Stats: 6 Games | 103 Carries | 601 Yards | 5.8 Yards/Attempt | 7 TDs
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — another sixth-year player! Trayanum is officially questionable the day before the game. He didn’t play last week, and there isn’t much information available about his injury. A transfer from ASU to Ohio State to Toledo, Trayanum has scored at least one touchdown in his last five games and has gone over 125 yards in three of them.
In his absence, Kenji Christian filled in with 113 rushing yards, so the success might have more to do with Toledo’s offensive line than any one running back’s ability. If Trayanum does play, making the first tackle will be vital — he has 348 yards after contact through six games.
Key Players on Defense
Safety: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Senior) – 6’2”, 202 lbs
McNeil-Warren is currently rated the #2 safety in the country according to PFF and ranks #133 on early NFL Draft boards. He’s a complete player — a sure tackler with a career 9.3% missed tackle rate, and a hard hitter who has already forced two fumbles this year (10 over the last three seasons). He’s also made an impact in coverage, recording a pick-six this season. Limiting McNeil-Warren’s influence could be key to avoiding turnovers.
Edge Rusher: Malachi Davis (Junior) – 6’4”, 255 lbs
The Rockets’ best pass rusher, Davis has 3.5 sacks and six additional tackles for loss this season. Keeping him out of the backfield will be critical for both the passing and rushing attack.
Corner: Andre Fuller (5th-Year Senior) – 6’2”, 202 lbs
Another big piece of Toledo’s secondary, Fuller is currently ranked #17 nationally as a coverage corner. He’s allowed only 10 catches as the primary defender this season and has given up just one touchdown in the last three years in that role. If Toledo plays a lot of man coverage, expect Fuller to blanket Meredith and force someone else to step up in the passing game.
Another week, another very experienced football team on the other side. With colder and possibly wetter conditions than usual, the turnover margin will likely tell the tale in this one. Forcing eight turnovers in four games against top-111 RPI opponents shows how opportunistic this defense is — but Gleason’s four interceptions in three road games and their six total turnovers in those same matchups show that they can be just as careless.
Prediction: Toledo 17 @ WSU 28
I find it insulting that we’re underdogs at home after how we’ve played the last three games — and given Toledo’s winless road record. I think WSU should be at least a three-point favorite and expect the Cougs to get back in the win column this weekend.
Go Cougs!