Cougars to visit New Mexico with playoffs and pride on the line
WSU plays Lobos at 6:30 p.m. today
Washington State coach Jake Dickert doesn’t care about his opponent’s record.
“It’s zero and zero, and we’re both going for the same things,” Dickert said. “And there’s a team that you can tell they’re hungry, you can tell the way they play, they’re hungry, they’re playing hard.”
That may be standard procedure for any coach preparing his team for a game, but it becomes especially important when one understands what the Cougars could gain from a win versus what they could lose with a loss.
No. 18 WSU (8-1) visits the mountainous desert to challenge the New Mexico Lobos (4-6) of the Mountain West at 6:30 p.m. Pacific today at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. FS1 will broadcast the game.
From hunter, to hunted
WSU is ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press poll, the first time since 2018 that the Cougs have been ranked in November.
More importantly, Wazzu is No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
With their lone loss to No. 13 Boise State, the Cougs have an outside shot at the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but it’s all contingent on the teams ranked around them suffering, the Broncos excelling and most importantly, Wazzu winning out.
Nothing short of an 11-1 record will even put WSU in the conversation for one of seven at-large bids in December when the committee makes its picks.
New Mexico, under the leadership of first-year Lobos coach Bronco Mendenhall, is 4-6, but trending upward, having beaten San Diego State 21-16 on Nov. 8.
Mendenhall led the BYU and Virginia football programs for a combined 17 seasons and has been in various coaching positions including at Oregon State and New Mexico since 1989.
With two games remaining, the Lobos need two more wins to earn bowl eligibility.
“Going to a bowl game after not being very successful the last four years is a huge step in what they’re trying to build down there,” Dickert said. “And obviously us coming in a ranked football team. I mean, we’re going to get their best, and our best will be required.”
Duel of dual-threats
Any outside look at the WSU and UNM rosters and one’s eye will be immediately drawn to the quarterback position.
WSU’s John Mateer and UNM sophomore signal-caller Devon Dampier have each been among the most dynamic dual-threat QBs in nation.
Mateer’s success as a first-year starter is perhaps understated. The third-year sophomore leads the nation in points responsible for per game at 22.4 — 0.2 ahead of Miami sensation Cam Ward, the QB he backed up for two years with the Cougs before the senior left for the Hurricanes.
Mateer, dubbed by his coach as “the best QB on the West Coast” has completed 166-of-266 (62%) of his passes for 2,332 yards 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. His next-level threat comes on the ground, where he has racked up 630 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Mateer is the only QB in the nation with at least 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Dampier is ahead of Mateer in sheer yardage production, but has not found the end zone nearly as much.
The Tuscon, Ariz., native has completed 196 of his 334 passes (58.7%) for 2,418 yards. He has a scorching 902 yards rushing and 24 total touchdowns (11 passing, 13 rushing). Dampier has thrown more interceptions (12) than passing touchdowns.
However, Dampier’s elusiveness coupled with solid offensive line play has resulted in him taking just five sacks through 10 games.
Dickert said Dampier was under-recruited out of high school, similar to Mateer — a pair of decisions that have worked out quite nicely for both schools.
“It’s dynamics over dimensions,” Dickert said.
More on the Lobos
New Mexico began the first year of the Mendenhall era with four straight losses, two of which were to Arizona and Auburn.
They beat New Mexico State 50-40 on Sept. 28, starting a streak of three straight wins. The Lobos beat Air Force 52-37 and Utah State 50-45 the next two weeks.
After two more losses to fellow Mountain West schools, the Lobos’ 21-16 win over San Diego State last week has led them to a Saturday date with WSU with bowl eligibility hopes hanging in the balance.
UNM’s defense has allowed 477.2 yards and almost five touchdowns per game.
WSU racked up 303 rushing yards last week versus Utah State. Freshman running back Wayshawn Parker could be in for another big game if the Lobos’ defense tries to limit the short passing plays that Mateer has thrived in throwing.
Dickert said the UNM defense shifted schemes midseason, returning to Mendenhall’s bread and butter of a 3-3 scheme.
“I have so much respect for their coaching staff,” Dickert said. “I see a high level of schematic coaching and fitting the scheme to their players.”
Mateer may be in for a big rushing day, too, but Dickert knows the Lobos will employ a spy to contain him as team’s have begun doing for the past two months.
Lobos junior safety Christian Ellis leads the team in tackles with 88 for a defense that has allowed 38.3 points per game, the fourth-worst mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
That said, UNM is a team looking to knock off the big bad Pac-12 wolf that played a role in poaching the top five Mountain West schools to join the Pac-12, leaving UNM and the remaining MWC schools in a similarly precarious position.
“If you want to achieve your goals ... you just got to stay true to the little things,” Dickert said. “And if we do simple better than New Mexico, we’ll go out of there with a win.”
Extra points
WSU is 2-0 all-time versus New Mexico. The Cougs last beat the Lobos 21-17 on Sept. 3, 2004.
Dickert said Parker practiced in a limited fashion earlier in the week and anticipates “him being ready to roll.”
Dickert said senior edge Quinn Roff and wide receiver Tre Shackelford would be game-time decisions but were “trending in a really positive direction” as of Wednesday.
The basics
What: WSU (8-1) at New Mexico (4-6)
Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
When: 6:30 p.m. today
TV: FS1
Radio: KHTR-FM (104.3/103.9), KCLX-AM (1450)
Spread: Washington State -10.5
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.
