On Monday, Central Michigan football (8-4, 6-2) practiced in Tucson, Arizona with plans of facing Boise State in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. Then, things changed.

"Got the word sometime that day when everything started to break, so we got back from practice and said, ‘oh by the way, does anyone know how to get some Washington State film,” said head coach Jim McElwain. “That was kinda it, we went to work. We’ve just got a great staff, and the guys didn’t even blink.”

Boise State was forced to pull out of the game because of COVID-19, leaving the Chippewas without an opponent. Washington State was in a similar position after Miami withdrew from the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

However, after some discussion, CMU decided to make the trip to El Paso, Texas to play the Cougars Dec. 31 on CBS.

“To have our kids be able to play a game down in a great bowl, in a site like the Sun Bowl with great history, one of the oldest bowl games there is, and just finishing the season out, so these guys can play one more game,” said McElwain. “The people at Washington State, the people at the Sun Bowl have done an outstanding job of trying to cobble this thing together and our kids are excited as heck to get the opportunity.”

Led by newly-minted head coach Jake Dickert, Washington State relied on offensive production throughout the season en route to a 7-5 record. The Cougars enter Friday’s contest averaging 28.4 points per game.

The Washington State offense runs through sophomore quarterback Jayden De Laura. In 2021, the Honolulu, Hawaii native passed for 2751 years and completed 64.33% of his throws resulting in 23 touchdowns. De Laura’s 250.1 yards per game average ranks first in the PAC-12.

De Laura has plenty of weapons at his disposal starting with the Cougars’ wide receiver corp, led by graduate student Calvin Jackson Jr and redshirt senior Travell Harris. Through 12 games, Jackson made 63 grabs for 955 yards while grabbing seven touchdowns. His 79.6 yards per game ranks first in the PAC-12. Harris leads the team in receiving touchdowns with nine.

In addition to the talent out-wide, Washington State relied on senior running back Max Borghi to keep the offense moving. In 2021, Borghi finished with 941 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns.

“I’m sure they’re licking their chops right now, saying might be able to set an NCAA record,” McElwain said. “There’s a huge difference, you’re talking about a power-five program out of the PAC-12, against a bunch of guys from Central Michigan that only have one set of uniforms. There’s a huge challenge for us, but again what a great opportunity. We get a chance for three hours to put Central Michigan University on National television.”

Although WSU enters the matchup as the more highly-touted offense, the Chippewas average 33 points per game. In addition to averaging more points, CMU's strength comes from running the ball with redshirt freshman running back Lew Nichols III. The Cougars allow 161.6 rushing yards per game to opposing teams.

For the Chippewas, McElwain believes limiting the impact of WSU’s explosive plays will be a key to victory.

"For us, it’s going to be about trying to keep the ball in front of us, and make them earn the yards they get,” McElwain said. “They’re gonna get yards, it’s the nature of it, but the key is to not allow explosive (plays) to disrupt the whole game.”

Washington State (7-5, 6-3 PAC-12) vs Central Michigan (8-4, 6-2 MAC)

All-time series: First meeting

Time: Noon ET

Stadium: Sun Bowl Stadium

Location: El Paso, Texas

Odds: Washington State -7

Over/Under: 57

TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jamie Erdahl)

Radio: 98.5 WUPS, Varsity Network (Adam Jaksa, Brock Gutierrez, Chris Jared)