Will WSU’s Air Raid be grounded by the weather against UCLA?

It’s homecoming in Pullman, and the wind will be blowing and the rain will be falling on Saturday night when UCLA meets Washington State at Martin Stadium.

The Cougars are favored by seven points in the 7:30 game on 710 ESPN Seattle, and I’m trying to figure out if that line’s out of whack or not. On first glance, it would appear to be – it’s not as if UCLA is some slappy team that looks ready to be throttled by double digits.

The Bruins held their own against a Texas A&M team that is ranked in the top 10 in the season opener, losing 31-24. They’re 3-3, featuring wins over BYU and Arizona. And they’re solid on defense, ranking 25^th in the country in yards allowed at 342.5, which is third in the Pac-12.

But the line takes into account the possible absence of quarterback Josh Rosen, who hurt his throwing shoulder and leg last Saturday in a 23-20 loss to Arizona State.

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Late this week it sounded as if coach Jim Mora didn’t know if Rosen would be able to play. Rosen has not missed a game in his UCLA career, and though it appears doubtful he will play against the Cougs, he could be a college version of Russell Wilson and magically appear at Martin Stadium.

Backup Mike Falfaul, a former walk-on, took more snaps than usual this week at practice, and Mora thinks the experience he got playing against the Sun Devils will help him this week. Falfaul’s numbers against ASU – 3 for 11 for 44 yards with two interceptions – look to me like his presence will help WSU more than UCLA.

In a statistical oddity, the Cougars and their Air Raid offense have run for 150 more yards this season than the Bruins, who are last in the Pac-12 in rushing offense, averaging 99 a game.

Luke Falk could have another big passing night – and I say “could” not necessarily because of the Bruins’ defense. Weather will be a factor, and the Cougar QB is not likely to hit his completion average of 74 percent.

Falk directed a last-minute drive that beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl last year, and if it comes down to a grind-it-out game because of the wet and windy conditions, the Cougs appear better equipped to handle it whether Rosen plays or not.

On a personal side note, though I actually like Mora, I hope he leaves Pulllman with his chin dragging on the pavement. In the 2011 Apple Cup that was played at CenturyLink Field, the Huskies beat the Cougars, and I got only one text after the game from a Dawg fan who wanted to rub it in.

It was from Mora, and he playfully mocked the Cougs. There’s this thing called karma, and I think the football gods believe in it too. Five years later, the team he mocked is going to hand his team a heart-breaking defeat.

I’m going with a closer-than-the-experts-think prediction, and even though WSU kikcer Erik Powell’s confidence is shot, he’ll come through in the clutch this time and hit the game-winner as time expires Saturday night.

Line: Cougars by 7.

Prediction: Washington State 24, UCLA 21.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for SeattlePI.com and KitsapSun.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.