What to watch for when WSU takes on UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

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Stefanie Loh
By
Seattle Times staff reporter

WSU Cougars vs. No. 18 UCLA

WSU Players to watch

QB Luke Falk – 33 pass TD

WR Dom Williams – 14.4 yards per rec

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WR Gabe Marks – 11 rec TD

FS Shalom Luani – 5 pass breakups

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LB Kache Palacio – 5 sacks

UCLA Players to watch

QB Josh Rosen – 18 pass TD

RB Paul Perkins – 10 rush TD

WR Jordan Payton – 15.0 yards per rec

WR Thomas Duarte – 8 rec TD

LB Jayon Brown – 59 total tackles

 

7:45 p.m., ESPN

 

Convert in the red zone

UCLA has the Pac-12’s second-best red zone defense, but WSU boasts the league’s second-best red zone offense. Which will prevail?

Get ahead, early

The Cougs’ offense has started slow in the last two games. It cannot afford to do this against UCLA. If Luke Falk and the receivers can get into a rhythm early and keep the pressure on UCLA’s offense to keep up, the need to score might force freshman quarterback Josh Rosen into uncharacteristic mistakes.

Cover well downfield

In Jordan Payton (83.4 rec yards per game) and Thomas Duarte (74.0 rec yards per game), Rosen has a pair of reliable, capable downfield threats who will challenge WSU’s secondary.

Pressure Rosen

Freshman status or not, Rosen is a cerebral, astute passer who does well adjusting to defenses. It’s imperative that WSU’s defense does not give him time to sit back, process and throw. The Cougs have produced seven sacks in the last two weeks. They need to keep the pressure on to disrupt Rosen and make him uncomfortable.

Prediction: WSU 38, UCLA 35

Now, some links

— ESPN’s David Lombardi says WSU’s improved defense has played a huge part in the Cougars’ turnaround

— ESPN.com’s Pac-12 Blog staff is split as to which team will win on Saturday: WSU or UCLA?

— CougCenter.com’s Brian Anderson has this analysis piece on what to look for in the WSU vs. UCLA matchup.

— Jacob Thorpe has this story about how LB Kache Palacio’s dad used to pay him to sack opposing quarterbacks

— WR Thomas Duarte might be questionable for this weekend’s game because he’s missed most of UCLA’s practices with an illness this week, Jack Wang says.

— The LA Times’ Chris Foster has this feature on Duarte, who was a midseason addition to the Biletnikoff Watch List

— WSU’s 35 Californians are excited to play in their home state in the Rose Bowl

— WSU got a commitment from Carter High (Rialto, Calif.) defensive back Marcus Strong on Thursday night

Stefanie Loh: sloh@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @StefanieLoh. Stefanie Loh is the assistant managing editor overseeing features at The Seattle Times. She formerly held features editor, assistant sports editor and college football reporter positions at The Seattle Times.