Washington State @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 12, 2016 ) California 21, Washington State 56

Off to its first 6-0 start since 2001, No. 9 Washington State looks to avoid a letdown Friday on the road against a California team that has lost three in a row. The Cougars are tied with Washington atop the Pac-12 North standings following back-to-back wins over USC and Oregon, while Cal is looking to regroup after being held to 93 yards of total offense in last Saturday’s 38-7 loss to the Huskies.

Quarterback Luke Falk has thrown for 19 touchdowns with just two interceptions for Washington State, which played its first road game last Saturday and held Oregon almost 40 points under its season average in a 33-10 win over the Ducks. Known for their Air Raid offense, the Cougars have been just as impressive on defense, ranking sixth in the nation in passing defense (allowing 146.3 yards per game), tied for seventh in sacks (3.5 per game) and eighth in passing efficiency defense (99.97). The numbers don’t bode well for a Cal team that has been outscored by an average of 20.7 points in losses to USC, Oregon and Washington. “We just, across the board, have got to be better,” first-year coach Justin Wilcox told reporters. “It’s hard right now. We’re sitting at 3-3, we’ve lost three in a row, we haven’t played well enough. We’ve got to be better.”

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Washington State -14

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12): With tackle Hercules Mata’afa drawing double teams against Oregon, linebackers Frankie Luvu, Hunter Dale and Jahad Woods combined for 26 tackles and two sacks. The Cougars are last in the Pac-12 in rushing due largely to the team’s prolific aerial attack, but Gerard Wicks, James Williams and Jamal Morrow have been a quietly effective trio out of the backfield. If Saturday’s game is close late, give the edge to Cougars senior kicker Erik Powell, who was named the Pac-12 special teams player of the week after connecting on all four of his field goals against the Ducks, including a career-long 52-yarder and a 47-yarder.

ABOUT CAL (3-3, 0-3): Wilcox said changes could be in store after the Bears recorded just one play longer than 15 yards and allowed eight sacks in the dismal showing against Washington. Junior quarterback Chase Forrest could share playing time Saturday alongside starter Ross Bowers, who was 11-of-18 for 80 yards against the Huskies and has been sacked 17 times over the last three games, including seven times last week. While the Bears’ offense is in disarray, the defense continues to show steady improvement with linebacker Devante Downs (Pac-12-high 60 tackles) leading the way.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cal leads the all-time series 46-27-5, but Washington State posted a 56-21 victory in Pullman last season.

2. Washington State linebackers Isaac Dotson and Nate DeRider could be unavailable Saturday after both exited last week’s game due to injury.

3. Cal’s defense ranks second to last in the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed (1,584).

PREDICTION: Washington State 44, Cal 17