Two-minute drill: Washington State's keys to victory against Oregon State

Nov. 28—PULLMAN — Here is what to watch for when Washington State completes its regular-season slate with a home matchup against Oregon State, set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday on The CW.

When Oregon State has the ball...

As was the case when these teams met the first time this season, a 10-7 win over OSU in Corvallis, all eyes will be on who the Beavers start at quarterback. For almost the entire season, the two options came down to Maalik Murphy or Gabarri Johnson, the latter of whom took over for the former in mid-October.

But now Oregon State has a third QB on the table: True freshman Tristan Ti'a. A former four-star prospect from the California Bay Area, Ti'a came off the bench in the fourth quarter to lead two touchdown drives in the Beavers' last game, a road loss to Tulsa. Stuck in mud for much of the game, OSU's offense roared to life with Ti'a under center, albeit in a too-little, too-late type of effort.

Could Oregon State return to that well this weekend in Pullman? The Beavers don't have much to lose. They have just two wins on the season — their only FBS victory came over WSU a few weeks ago — and they just hired a new head coach, JaMarcus Shephard, who is leaving his post as Alabama's wide receivers coach for the opportunity. It's been a season to forget for OSU, which is probably ready to start over next year, especially in a structured environment in the new-world Pac-12.

If OSU does go with Ti'a on Saturday, WSU will be squaring off with an accurate thrower, a pocket-passer kind of quarterback. In that loss to Tulsa (OSU was idle last week), Ti'a completed 8 of 11 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, one a 3-yard pass and the other a 4-yard completion. He energized the Beavers' offense in ways that neither Johnson, who started, nor Murphy could.

The Cougars may not be coming off the most promising of showings on defense, permitting two long touchdowns in a one-score loss to James Madison last weekend, but that unit still ranks No. 14 nationwide in passing defense, allowing only 167 yards per game. And WSU could be getting healthier with the return of veteran safety Cale Reeder, a key cog who has missed each of the last two games with a hand injury. His vision and tackling ability would be huge boons for this WSU defense.

Washington State may still rank second-to-last nationally in Pro Football Focus' tackling grades, but the Cougars missed only nine tackles against JMU, tying for their season-low. That figures to help them slow OSU running back Anthony Hankerson, who burned WSU for 132 rushing yards and one touchdown in Corvallis a few weeks ago.

When WSU has the ball...

If the Cougs have made anything clear on offense lately, it's this: Play like they have in the second half lately and they might be in trouble this weekend. In their last three second halves on the road, WSU has scored a total of six points, underscoring issues that coach Jimmy Rogers has attributed to a combination of playcalling and execution.

But this game is in Pullman, where the Cougars have fared much better. In their last time playing here, they racked up 28 points on Louisiana Tech. They also scored the same number on Toledo, which remains one of the nation's best defenses, in whatever measure you like best. At Gesa Field, WSU QB Zevi Eckhaus hasn't experienced the kinds of interception problems that have plagued him on the road, perhaps an encouraging sign that the Cougars can earn win No. 6 and secure bowl eligibility.

Here's one storyline to watch: Will center Brock Dieu be able to play? He exited early from WSU's loss to JMU last week, and Rogers said it was "highly doubtful" that Dieu will be able to play against OSU, which would mark his final home game with the Cougars. If Dieu can't go, expect coaches to tap backup Kyle Martin, who has two games of college experience: the first game against Oregon State and against JMU, both in relief of Dieu, who suffered foot injuries on both occasions.

It'll be worth watching if the Cougs' rushing offense enjoys the same type of success without Dieu, who has earned the top run-blocking grade on WSU's offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus. He's earned a figure of 59.5. Martin's run-blocking grade is 52.9. Maybe that doesn't seem like much of a drop-off, but in the second half against JMU — when Dieu got hurt — the Cougs' rushing offense generated only 35 yards. It produced 95 in the first half.

In either case, look for WSU running back Kirby Vorhees to continue what has been a hot stretch of two games. He logged 76 rushing yards and a touchdown against Louisiana Tech, then followed with 61 rushing yards against JMU. With or without Dieu, Vorhees will have to look like his best self.