STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.

STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.

STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.

STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.

STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.

STANFORD — For the first time in five weeks, Stanford is leaving home.

For the first time in two years, it will play in driving rain (if the forecast holds).

And for the first time in a full roster cycle, the Cardinal will set foot in Pullman, Washington.

The first-place duel Saturday night with Washington State marks Stanford’s first visit to Cougar country since 2011. No current player participated in the 44-14 victory, which featured quarterback Andrew Luck, tailback Stepfan Taylor and tight end Zach Ertz.

The teams’ tangle in 2013, while technically a road game for Stanford, was played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle — in a downpour — and not at the bandbox that is WSU’s Martin Stadium.

“We’re not at home, we’re on the road in a tough environment with rain and colder weather,” coach David Shaw said. “Can we still play at a high level? That’s our next challenge.”

The weather conditions and raucous crowd are just two of the obstacles facing the eighth-ranked Cardinal (6-1, 5-0) as it attempts to take control of the North division.

There’s also the matter of WSU’s offense, which is better known as the Air Raid and has produced 142 points in the past three games.

Quarterback Luke Falk averages 55 pass attempts per game, which could test the conditioning of Stanford’s injury-depleted defensive line.

“The first 20 rushes, you’re probably not going to get there,” end Aziz Shittu said. “But it’s going to be that 21st, 22nd rush that you’ve got to keep on coming. That’s the time you get home, get a hit on the quarterback. It’s going to be a test of wills.”

Pressuring Falk, whether it’s by blitzing or standard three-man rush, is the key to slowing the Cougars (5-2, 3-1).

Stanford ranks 11th in the conference in sacks, with 1.43 per game.

“You can’t let him sit back, because he’ll pick you apart,” Shaw said. “They can get you little by little, or they can get you in big chunks.”

“We have bunch of guys who have played a game in not sunshine,” Shaw said. “We don’t spend too much time talking about it because we have so many guys from all over the country.”

“How quickly it went viral speaks for itself,” left tackle Kyle Murphy said.

For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at . Contact him at or 408-920-5716.