What to know before Stanford takes on Washington State

Stanford is looking to end a four-game losing streak to the Cougars.

STANFORD AT WASHINGTON STATE

Records: Stanford 3-3, 2-2; Washington State 3-3, 2-2.

Kickoff: 4:30 p.m., Martin Stadium, Pullman, Wash.

Radio: KNBR 1050 AM

Television: ESPNU

Series history: Stanford has lost four straight against Washington State, its longest losing streak in the series in more than 50 years. The most recent game was a 49-22 WSU win in Pullman in 2019.

Storylines: Both teams have had up-and-down seasons, but the winner would still be well positioned in the Pac-12 North Division, where everyone has at least one conference loss. … The Cardinal is back on the road for the fifth time in seven games, the most by a Power 5 team (no one else in the Pac 12 will have played more than three). … Nick Rolovich may be coaching his final game for Washington State. University employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a medical or religious exemption by Oct. 18. Rolovich applied for a religious exemption, but the status of that request hadn’t been announced as of Wednesday.

Matchup to watch: Jayden de Laura vs. the Stanford secondary. de Laura has thrown for three TDs in three of his last four games and is coming off a season-best 399 passing yards last week against Oregon State. Stanford has started nine different players in the secondary through six games and has shown a tendency to get burned by big plays.

Stanford injuries: WR John Humphries, FB Jay Symonds, RB E.J. Smith and TE/DE Tucker Fisk are all out. FS Noah Williams, WR Bryce Farrell and CB Zahran Manley are questionable, and K Joshua Karty is probable.

Stats that matter: WSU is seventh in the country with 13 takeaways (7 INTs, 6 fumble recoveries). … Stanford QB Tanner McKee had a streak of 168 attempts without an interception to begin his career before he was intercepted three times last week at Arizona State. … The Cardinal is 3-0 this season when scoring first and leading at halftime, compared to 0-3 when the opponent scores first or leads at the half. … WSU LB Jahad Woods has the third-most career tackles of any active FBS player (363).