Washington State kicks off the 2015 football season by welcoming the Portland State Vikings to town on Saturday morning. The Cougars and Vikings faced off last year, with WSU cruising to a 59-21 victory in Pullman.
Former walk-on Luke Falk is now running the show at quarterback for the Cougars. He threw two passes against the Vikings in last year's matchup, one being an 80-yard touchdown strike to Dom Williams. He'll have Williams to throw to again, along with the rest of a stacked receiver group that includes River Cracraft, Gabe Marks and Clemson transfer Ky Priester.
At Portland State, transfer Alex Kuresa nabbed the starting quarterback spot from incumbent Kieran McDonagh. Kuresa was a junior college All-America last season. He'll look to improve the passing attack to complement what has been a solid running game for the Vikings.
The two teams feature some similarities in that they are both coming off of disappointing 3-9 seasons and have new defensive coordinators. Alex Grinch takes the defensive reins for WSU, and will look to be more aggressive with a revamped secondary and solid front seven. Former Cougar Malik Roberson is now running the defense at Portland State after serving as the Vikings' defensive line coach last season.
Weather in Pullman will give it the feel of a late October meeting. The forecast calls for mid-50s and rain.
Game time: 11 a.m. PT
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Stream: Pac-12 Live (cable subscription required)
Radio: TuneIn