Washington State @ Boise State preview

Two teams that can light up the scoreboard figure to keep it active on Saturday when Washington State visits Boise State in a nonconference affair. The Cougars rely on junior quarterback Luke Falk to ignite the "Air Raid" attack while the Broncos have a star quarterback in sophomore Brett Rypien, who surprisingly spurned Washington State and the Pac-12 to play for the Mountain West program.

Rypien's bloodlines add to the luster of this matchup as he is the nephew of Mark Rypien, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Washington Redskins as well as a former Washington State standout. "It feels a little bit weird right now growing up watching the Cougs, my uncle went there, my mom went there," Rypien told reporters. "It's definitely a different feeling playing the team I grew up watching, but I think when we get out there Saturday it's just going to be another opponent." Washington State boasts Falk (15 career 300-yard games) but will have to be much better on defense after giving up 496 passing yards - and 606 yards overall - in a disappointing season-opening 45-42 loss to FCS foe Eastern Washington. The Cougars will have senior safety Shalom Luani (90 tackles last season) back in the lineup after he missed the opener due to his arrest for allegedly breaking a man's nose on Aug. 24.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Boise State -11.5

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (0-1): Falk opened the campaign with 418 yards and four touchdown passes versus Eastern Washington and ranks fifth in school history with 55 TD passes and seventh with 6,843 passing yards. Senior receiver Gabe Marks, one of the best receivers in school history, had 10 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the opener and his school-record 237 catches rank eighth all-time in Pac-12 history. Junior middle linebacker Peyton Pelluer followed up a 101-tackle sophomore campaign with 10 stops in the opener while junior cornerback Marcellus Pippins recorded his fourth career interception.

ABOUT BOISE STATE (1-0): Rypien passed for 347 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-10 season-opening win at Louisiana-Lafayette for his sixth career 300-yard outing. Junior running back Jeremy McNichols, who tied for second in the nation with 26 touchdowns (20 rushing, six receiving) last season, tallied three in the opener (two rushing, one receiving). Senior strongside linebacker Tanner Vallejo and senior weakside linebacker Ben Weaver are the leaders of the defense while senior defensive end Sam McCaskill had two of the unit's five sacks in the opener.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington State has won all four previous meetings, the most recent being a 41-20 triumph at Boise State in 2001.

2. Boise State is 96-6 on the blue turf since 2000 but dropped its final two home games last season (New Mexico and Air Force).

3. Cougars senior WR River Cracraft ranks seventh in school history with 170 career receptions.

PREDICTION: Boise State 55, Washington State 47