PULLMAN, Wash. — It was not pretty, but the Washington State Cougars improved to 5-1 with a gritty victory over Fresno State this past Saturday thanks to a pick-six by redshirt freshman Ethan O'Connor.
Now, the Cougs have a chance to become bowl-eligible with a win at home on Saturday over Hawaii.
The Rainbow Warriors are 2-4 on the season, but despite a rough start to the season, WSU head coach Jake Dickert knows his team will face Hawaii's best shot.
"They play hard, there are no ifs ands or buts," Dickert said. "You don't earn your way on that field for that program and that culture without playing extremely hard."
Hawaii runs a 'run and shoot' offense similar to the one run by San Jose State, who gashed the Cougs earlier this season and scored 52 points.
"It is our second crack at the 'run and shoot', the first one did not go so well, so we have got to adjust how we play that, but they will also see some of our base ideas for it, so we need to play that chess match," Dickert said. "I think they are more authentic to the true 'run and shoot', so we need to be better on defense. They have our attention because when you play an offense and it doesn't go the way you want it to, we need to have a fiery week of practice to prove we can go and defend this stuff."
As for the Cougar offense, which only accrued 295 yards of total offense against Fresno State, Coach Dickert would like to see better execution this week, which begins by running the football earlier and more often.
"Fresno State made us grind it out, which is different than how we have scored in the past," Dickert said. "We have had a bunch of explosive plays every week, so we need to look at that, but stay patient. Running the ball and staying ahead of the chains allows you to attack them a little bit better."
Despite the obvious advantages on paper, Coach Dickert is making sure his team does not overlook Hawaii.
"Trust me, there is nobody who is comfortable on that fifth floor," Dickert said. "This is a tough opponent and homecoming, so we need to play our best."
Kick-off Saturday at Gesa Field is set for 12:30 p.m. You can catch the game on the CW, KSKN 22.