[tps_title]ASU at Washington State[/tps_title]
[tps_header]1:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1[/tps_header]
ASU (4-4, 2-3) AT
WASHINGTON STATE (5-3, 3-2)
1:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Pointspread: Washington State by 2.5 points
— The game opened this week as a pick ’em.
— Washington State throws on nearly every down. It’s at the core of why the offense led by Luke Falk within Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense. Arizona State is big on the blitz and leads the Pac-12 in sacks. Something will have to give when the Cougars host the Sun Devils.
— Falk is averaging more than 400 yards per game through the air, and the Cougars have an array of good receivers. But the Sun Devils rank second in the nation with 9.5 tackles for loss per game. They have 29 sacks on the season, three more than any other Pac-12 defense.
–Arizona State poses a different kind of problem on the other side of the ball. The Cougars have been vulnerable to running quarterbacks this season, and Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici is detemined to do damage with his legs.
— Leach added drama to this matchup when he said this week that the Pac-12 should investigate ASU for stealing opponents’ signals. “It’s one thing to just pick up a cue, it’s another thing to break it down as a science and film various things and carry it over from one year to the next and do some special analysis of it,” Leach said. ASU coach Todd Graham said there’s nothing wrong with what his team is doing. “Do we steal signals? Yeah, we do,” Graham said on the Pac-12 coaches’ conference call. “Do people steal our signals? Yeah they do.” The Pac-12 said it has received no formal request from a school for an inquiry.
— Washington State needs just one more win in an encouraging season to become bowl-eligible. The Cougars got close last week, coming within a missed field goal of upsetting No. 9 Stanford and getting that sixth win.
— Arizona State leads the series 26-13-2 and has won three straight. But the Sun Devils are 10-8 in Pullman.
Arizona State is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Arizona State is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
Arizona State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Arizona State is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Washington State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Washington State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Washington State is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home
My pick: Washington State will win and cover
Steve Rivera’s pick: Washington State will win and cover
Anthony Gimino’s pick: Washington State will win and cover
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