Hawai’i heads to Pullman for Washington State homecoming weekend

HONOLULU – Pull up in Pullman. 

Hawai’i (2-4) visits Washington State (5-1) for the first time since 2009 this Saturday, looking to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping consecutive outings against San Diego State and Boise State. The matchup, serving as the Cougars’ homecoming weekend game, is just the sixth meeting all-time between the programs and first time they have ever met in Pullman. 

The Rainbow Warriors and Cougars have one common opponent so far through six games, both falling to Boise State while allowing Ashton Jeanty to go over 200 yards. UH was able to keep the Broncos to a season-worst 28 points while Jeanty needed over 30 carries to rack up 217 yards in a three-score loss while Washington State fell while visiting BSU’s blue turf, 45-24, allowing Jeanty to go for 259 yards and four TDs on 26 attempts. 

While Hawai’i’s calling card this season has been the defense, Washington State enters the weekend with one of the best offenses in the country to date. The Cougars’ 39.0 PPG places them as the 19th-highest scoring team among FBS programs entering the weekend, seeing that number rise to 53.7 PPG in three outings playing inside the cozy confines of Gesa Field.  

That dynamic attack has been led by redshirt sophomore QB John Mateer, who has totaled 2,100 total yards of offense (1,601 passing, 499 rushing) in his six starts for the Cougars. Mateer has the third-highest rushing grade in the country among quarterbacks (85.9) and his 499 yards on the ground already set a new single-season record for Washington State QBs. 

When he goes to the air, Mateer has been effective with 13 TD passes while spreading the love around with three different receivers with 300-plus yards and 20 or more catches. Leading the pack of pass catchers is former UNLV receiver Kyle Williams, who transferred to Washington State before the 2023 season and has been productive ever since. 

The 6-foot-0 senior wideout recorded 843 yards and six touchdowns on 61 catches in his first season in Pullman and has only gotten better it seems as he has racked up 28 receptions for 503 yards and five scores to pace WSU in the six games so far in 2024. Fellow senior Kris Hutson is following right behind with 416 yards and one touchdown on a team-high 30 catches. 

The WSU passing attack benefits even more from an elite pass blocking offensive line that holds an 82.9 grade from PFF. Though opponents have tallied 17 sacks this season, only five sacks have been credited to the line by PFF while the other 12 were classified as either QB sacks or rushing attempts that were a loss. 

While Mateer can provide plenty in the running game, the Cougars features another strong option in true freshman Wayshawn Parker as part of the attack averaging 185 yards on the ground each time out. Parker collects an average of 65 of those yards, proving to be a bowling ball in his first year at the college level by averaging more than five yards per carry. 

A week after facing the stout 5-foot-9, 215-pound Ashton Jeanty, Parker presents a slightly different frame at 6-foot-0 and 199 pounds. With the return of Ezra Evaimalo to an already solid defensive front, Hawai’i hopes to close the gaps that led to a few explosive runs last weekend while tackling better than against the Broncos (11 missed tackles). 

While the Washington State defense is used to seeing points put up against it (29.8 PPG, 101st nationally), the Cougars love to get after the ball and force turnovers. Through six games, WSU’s 11 forced turnovers rank as the 19th-most in the country. 

Leading the way on the turnover train is redshirt freshman Ethan O’Connor, who recorded his third pick of the season last weekend against Fresno State. Redshirt senior Tyson Durant is close behind, adding a pair of interceptions while adding a couple of QB hits and a fumble recovery as defensive back. 

The forced turnovers have helped offset the lack of pass rush for Washington State, which has totaled only seven sacks this year. The defensive trenches for the Cougars have looked to senior edge rusher Andrew Edson as the leader with the 6-foot-3, 253-pounder has been in the backfield the most with a team-best 2.0 sacks and 5.0 TFLs. 

It will be vital for the Hawai’i offensive line to shake off struggles of their own to continue holding down the Cougars’ pass rush this weekend if the Rainbow Warriors wish to hand the second loss of the year to WSU. If UH can protect Brayden Schager, the onus then falls on the senior QB to take care of the ball against a ball-hawking back line of Washington State’s defense. 

It will be a neat homecoming weekend for a few Cougars, playing against their home state’s college team in the Rainbow Warriors. Senior defensive backs Kapena Gushiken (KS-Maui) and Tanner Moku (KS-Kapālama) both will see action against Hawai’i while another local boy in freshman defensive tackle Hyrum-Benjamin Moors (Kahuku) watches from the sideline. 

Gushiken is another player to watch on the Washington State defense, serving as a jack-of-all-trades defensive back with the 4th-most tackles on the team (27, 21 solo), 3rd-most TFLs (2.5) and an interception. The Pukalani, Maui-native is listed as the starting nickel on the latest Cougars depth chart for hosting Hawai’i. 

The Rainbow Warriors, who have struggled on the road in Timmy Chang’s tenure, have another opportunity to change the narrative against a quality Cougars team on Saturday. While WSU has been able to finish out games when it matters, they have seen a pair of close calls that almost went the other way against Mountain West programs already in the Fresno State and San Jose State games. 

Hawai’i needs to give themselves a chance to keep it close by avoiding untimely penalties and playing complimentary football for all 60 minutes. The offense has had moments, the defense has had even more moments but rarely have the units done it on the same occasion. 

To save bowl game hopes, they will have to both show up from the opening kick to final whistle for over and over during the second half of the year. With six games remaining, Hawai’i will need five wins to clinch a spot in a bowl for the first time under Chang or will enter an offseason filled with questions.