Washington State @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2014 ) Arizona 59, Washington State 37

There's no quarterback controversy at Washington State, where sophomore Luke Falk enters Saturday's game at Arizona ranked among the top signal-callers in the nation. The Wildcats, on the other hand, have seen returning starter Anu Solomon struggle enough recently that he was replaced last weekend by Jerrard Randall, and coach Rich Rodriguez has been hesitant to name a starter against the Cougars.

Falk is fifth in the nation in passing yards (2,371) and second in completion percentage (72.3), engineering the Cougars' pass-heavy offense to near perfection. He was intercepted twice in the scoreless second half last weekend against Oregon State, but that was offset by six first-half touchdown passes in the 52-31 victory. Arizona also had to bring in a replacement at running back last week, and Jared Baker did a fine job filling in for Nick Wilson (foot). Baker rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns and also had a TD catch, breaking the final tie in the 31-24 victory.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Arizona -7.5

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12): Every good quarterback usually has a talented receiver or two, and Falk depends heavily on Gabe Marks, who leads the Pac-12 with 49 catches - 33 for first downs - and 620 receiving yards. When Marks is double-covered, Falk still can look to Dom Williams, who has proven to be dependable in the past as he enters Saturday second in school history with 25 touchdown receptions. The duo is a big reason Falk has led Washington State to three fourth-quarter comebacks in just 12 appearances with the Cougars.

ABOUT ARIZONA (5-2, 2-2): The Wildcats already are without their best defensive player in linebacker Scooby Wright III, who suffered a sprained right foot on Sept. 26 against UCLA and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Arizona also may have to get by without top cornerback DaVonte' Neal, who tweaked his hamstring last weekend and is questionable to play against Washington State - which is especially problematic as the team's other starting cornerback, Cam Denson, is a sophomore while the three backups (two freshmen and a sophomore) have little experience. Arizona also ranks ninth in the conference in pass defense and is allowing 7.4 yards per attempt, which is second-to-last in the Pac-12.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona averages 1.86 sacks per game, which ranks 74th in the nation.

2. Washington State's 51 tackles-for-loss are its most in the first six games since it recorded 56 in 1999.

3. The Cougars lead the nation in fourth-down attempts (21) and conversions (14).

PREDICTION: Washington State 51, Arizona 34.