Utah @ Washington State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2012 ) Washington State 6, Utah 49

Utah looks to end a four-game losing streak when it travels to face Washington State on Saturday. The Utes haven't won since upsetting nationally-ranked Stanford in mid-October and could fall out of bowl contention with another loss. The Cougars snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a win over Arizona and can become bowl eligible with a victory.

The Utes will have sophomore Adam Schulz, a former walk-on, at the helm of the offense for the second straight week after starting quarterback Travis Wilson was knocked out for the year with a concussion on Nov. 9. Schulz didn't put up big numbers in his first start, last week against Oregon, though he did direct the offense to three touchdowns. Washington State signal caller Connor Halliday is having a big year, having already passed for 3,417 yards.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: None

ABOUT UTAH (4-6, 1-6 Pac-12): Though he's only making his second start at quarterback, Schulz feels a responsibility to uphold the Utah program. The Utes had gone to nine straight bowl games before the streak was snapped last year, and Schulz is motivated to get his team back to the postseason. “We're not used to not going to bowl games,” Schulz told the Salt Lake Tribune. “The thing that is left for us to do is get to a bowl game. That is our goal right now.”

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (5-5, 3-4 Pac-12): It's been a rough few years for Washington State football, with the 20 members of this year's senior class enduring a record of 14-32 during their time with the Cougars. But the hope is that another win will get the squad back to a bowl game and start a resurgence of Washington State football. “Our senior class, you know, we're taking a lot of pride in being hopefully the class that gets this thing rolling and leaving our mark,” offensive lineman Elliott Bosch told the Spokesman-Review. “It's gotten progressively better each year I've been here … and I hope that we're remembered as the ones that kind of started it all and got this thing back on track.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Utah leads the nation in total sacks with 36 and sacks per game with 3.60.

2. Washington State S Deone Bucannon is four tackles away from becoming the first Cougars player to post back-to-back 100-tackle seasons since Billy Newman in 1999 and 2000.

3. The Utes lead the series between the two schools 7-5 and have a 4-1 record in games played in Pullman, Wash.

PREDICTION: Washington State 35, Utah 28