Idaho @ Washington State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2013 ) Idaho 0, Washington State 42

Washington State head coach Mike Leach has spent much of the early part of the season being angry with his team. He, along with the rest of the Cougars, will look to vent their collective frustrations Saturday as they host an Idaho Vandals' team coming off a one-sided loss to another Pac-12 team, getting routed 59-14 by No. 8 Washington.

Leach was irate with his players following last week's 31-28 road loss to Boise State, which came on the heels of a stunning 45-42 home loss to FCS Eastern Washington in the season opener. "We outperformed them in a ton of different ways but we're not tough enough," Leach said following the Boise State defeat. "And as a football team we have to get (a lot) tougher and right now we're not very tough." Leach was right to be frustrated, as his Cougars had six drives that reached Broncos territory but failed to produce any points. The Vandals opened the season with a 20-17 win over Montana State but failed to carry that momentum forward, allowing the Huskies to gain 482 total yards while turning the ball over three times.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Washington State -24.5

ABOUT IDAHO (1-1): There wasn't much the Vandals could do last weekend after finding themselves in a 35-point deficit at halftime, but they did manage a pair of second-half touchdowns to ease head coach Paul Petrino's pain - at least a little. "We got whooped," he said afterward. "We got whooped but I thought our guys stayed fighting in the second half." Any shot at an upset Saturday will hinge on the performance of quarterback Matt Linehan, who is averaging a pedestrian 157.5 passing yards per game with only one touchdown through the air.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (0-2): As if Leach needed extra incentive in this one, he and Petrino share some animosity centered around the teams' previous meeting in 2013. Washington State led 42-0 late when the Vandals marched deep into Cougars territory, prompting Leach to put most of his starting defense back in the game in an effort to preserve the school's first shutout since 2003. Washington State preserved the blanking, but the two coaches exchanged heated words at the postgame handshake as Petrino took offense to Leach's tactics.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington State has won eight straight meetings in the series by a combined score of 340-93.

2. Cougars QB Luke Falk ranks second in the Pac-12 in passing yards (898) and touchdowns (eight) and is first in completion percentage (78.7).

3. Washington State has incurred a whopping 22 penalties for 180 yards through two games.

PREDICTION: Washington State 42, Idaho 24