Washington State visits James Madison (GAME THREAD)

I hope WSU’s football program has some sort of mileage plan, because they’re sure putting in the miles this season. The Cougs have traveled to the state of Virginia for the second time this season, and to the Central or Eastern Time Zone for the fourth time.

A win today clinches bowl eligibility with one more game to play. Lose, and the finale at home against Oregon State has a lot riding on it.

But today, it’s the Dukes of James Madison, a team that’s 9-1, ranked no. 21, and trying to make a case to be the G5 rep in the College Football Playoff. What a ride for the Dukes, as James Madison was an FCS team just four seasons ago.

The WSU defense has bowed up recently, and after giving up gobs of points at North Texas and against UW in the Apple Cup, the numbers have improved (missed tackles notwithstanding). But it’ll be a dual threat quarterback they’ll have to deal with today, as James Madison’s Alonza Barnett III can do it all.

Oh, and Barnett III isn’t the only quarterback JMU trots out there, so the WSU defense had to prepare for two QBs this week. Good luck, guys!

The Cougs may have to play nearly perfect today to have a chance. That means….

• Getting to the quarterback against one of the best offensive lines they’ve faced this season

• Limiting their missed tackles

• Taking care of the football

• Not committing so many penalties

That last one is noteworthy, as WSU absolutely kills its drives with costly penalties.

So here’s the hoping the Cougs play the spoiler today. Talk about it here.

When

10 a.m. PST, which brings me back to the summers of my youth when the Mariners were out east and the game started at 10 a.m. back home.

Where

Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It’s a kind of an odd stadium, with an upper deck on just one side.

How to Watch

This one’s on ESPN+ only, the first time—I believe—that WSU played a football game only available on ESPN’s streaming service. This would have been a bigger deal a few years ago, but I feel like ESPN+ is more accessible nowadays. Maybe it’s just me?

Curt Dudley (no relation), Brian Barlow and David Hulvey on the call.

The Line

JMU, -13.5. The O/U is 43.5 per ESPN Bet.

Familiar Faces

I was ready to come up empty on this one, but then….look who we have here!

Eric Mele, a one-time running backs and special teams coach at WSU, is the assistant special teams coach for the Dukes. Mele went from WSU to Mississippi State to North Carolina and now JMU.