After a much-needed bye week to recharge following its first win of the season, Oregon State football is back in action this week with a home game against Washington State.
The final two remaining members of the old Pac-12 will face off twice this season, both having played independent schedules. Who will take the first bout of the final Pac-2 series this week in Corvallis?
Washington State leads the all-time series, 57-48-3. OSU won last season's matchup, 41-38. It was the last time Trent Bray won a game as OSU coach.
Eckhaus has been up and down this season since separating from Jaxon Potter in the QB competition. But in WSU's biggest game of the year so far at Mississippi, he went 24-31 for two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
The Cougars narrowly lost that game, 24-21, to a Rebels team well on its way to the College Football Playoff. They followed that up with a 22-20 loss on the road at ranked Virginia, but Eckhaus threw two picks in that one.
The 6-0, 209 pound quarterback can move, too. He has 168 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground this season. But he's been sacked 11 times.
(88) Isaac Terrell, EDGE
Terrell is taking a big step in his junior year with the Cougars. He leads the team with 4.5 sacks, two of which were picked up against a high-level offensive line at Mississippi.
Terrell's availability is in question, though, as he sat out a win over Toledo this past Saturday for unspecified reasons and wasn't dressed according to reports. Whether he is injured or otherwise, OSU fans should know more this week about whether the Cougars' star pass rusher is going to be available Saturday.
Something to know
While Washington State is in the lower middle of the road at No. 85 in the country in passing offense, it has one of the worst rushing attacks in the nation at No. 127 -- averaging just 101.9 yards per game on the ground.
What to expect
Both OSU and WSU are in flux in the final year before the Pac-12 reboots, but it's been a much worse season for the Beavers so far. Still, this game is essentially a toss-up between two teams set to face off again in Pullman in late November.
Can OSU carry over the momentum from its first win of the season, a 45-13 thrashing of Lafayette buoyed by a second half explosion? Who will start at quarterback for the Beavers? Can the OSU defense keep Eckhaus contained and provide necessary pressure?
Interim coach Robb Akey leads the Beavers against a program he worked for as an assistant from 1999 to 2006.