Score Predictions and 5 Questions with WSU’s Beat Writer
We asked the football beat writer for The Daily Evergreen five quick questions about the Sun Devils’ next opponent. And don’t forget to add your score prediction in the comments!
Leveraging the power of our new Facebook page, we asked The Daily Evergreen sports writer Mike Baldwin five questions to acquaint us with this week’s opponent.
Q: Give us two guys we should know about for their football prowess.
A: Senior linebacker Greg Trent is a quiet guy, but mean on the field. Trent recently became the 10th member of the 300-tackle club at WSU after recording a season-high 10 tackles against Arizona on Saturday. Trent totaled 89 total tackles and four sacks last season, and has become a daunting figure in the eyes of opposing quarterbacks. Junior defensive end Andy Mattingly has helped out an inexperienced front line this season with maturity and toughness. Mattingly finished with eight sacks last season and doesn’t let up as he appears at press conferences with a little blood on the cheek and a boxer’s nose.
Q: Give us one guy we should know about for something off the field.
A: Senior wide receiver Brandon Gibson makes a lot of big plays on the field, but is also a great student on campus. Gibson doesn’t hesitate to sign autographs and deliver advice to the younger crowd in Pullman. He also loves to joke around with fellow teammates with a light-hearted approach to the horrendous season endured by the Cougars.
Q: What’s the best case scenario for your squad this weekend?
A: The Cougars’ best case scenario this weekend is a narrow victory over the Sun Devils in a high-scoring affair. The team is coming off a 28-point performance against the Wildcats, supposedly the second-best scoring defense in the Pac-10. Their best chances are to control the ball on offense and stop ASU from rushing the ball to victory.
Q: And the worst case?
A: WSU’s worst case scenario is something they’re very familiar with—a blowout loss. As motivated as they were this week in practice, it’s still possible the Cougars could fall big against the Sun Devils by not showing up on offense and allowing another 60 points to a Pac-10 opponent.
Q: OK, the Cougars are 30-point dogs. Who you got straight up? Who you got in Vegas?
A: The Cougars’ offense will continue to thrive and progress behind quarterback Kevin Lopina, but this WSU squad has yet to play competitively on the road this season. Their closest road defeat came in a 28-3 loss versus UCLA in Pasadena. Saturday’s game will feature plenty of scoring, but WSU won’t prevail behind a young defense. ASU wins, 45-24.
What’s Your Take, Sun Devils?
Do the Sun Devils have a winning streak in them? Give us your score prediction in the comments below.
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I’m concerned about how guard Zach Schlink’s injury will impact our newfound running game. That said, WSU is very bad. I’ll go 37-13.
A 30-point spread?! That’s giving ASU way too much credit. Even so, I think it will be a nice tidy win for homecoming. ASU 38-17.
The WSU writer nearly nails my final score, too. I don’t think ASU covers. That line screams to me “Vegas wants to encourage some play on this game!”
I’ll take ASU 42-20, making all of us alumni happy.
As a note: man, I bet there isn’t a whole lot of play in Vegas on this game. It’s an all-or-nothing here. Anything less than a 3-TD spread would have generated a flood of betting toward ASU. Anything more almost halts the betting completely. I bet there’s nothing short of a 7-TD line that would encourage anyone to bet WSU, especially on the road. Good times.
As another note: I’m going to Vegas in two weeks… can you tell that I’m itching to get there? I can’t wait for the Titans to cover a 20-pointer over Detroit, just to make that morning game watchable. Good stuff.
49-10 ASU. My devilz aren’t that good. The coogz are that bad.