PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!

To learn more about Oregon State's opponent this weekend, BeaversEdge.com chatted with WazzuWatch publisher Scott Hood, who covers the Washington State Cougars.

MORE: Oregon State Football: Wednesday Notebook | WATCH: Offense + Defense Preview Washington State

Scott Hood: "Changes will be evident on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the new scheme introduced by Rolovich is the Run and Shoot. It's similar in some ways to Leach's Air Raid but with important differences. Unlike the Air Raid, where most of the adjustments are made pre-snap by the QB at the line of scrimmage, the run and shoot requires the QB and WRs to recognize the defensive formations and make post-snap adjustments.

The scheme requires a high level of communication (verbal and non-verbal) between the QB and WRs. The Run and Shoot also features the run more than the Air Raid. As a result, look for Max Borghi to get more touches on the ground than he did in the Air Raid, which emphasized spreading the ball around. Defensively, WSU's base scheme is now the 4-2-5 instead of the 3-4 'Speed D' favored in prior years. The players seem to like it better."

SH: "Most folks will tell you that Rolovich's decision to go with de Laura at QB wasn't much of a surprise. Unlike his two competitors, de Laura ran the run and shoot in high school and was very familiar with its workings and concepts when he arrived at WSU in the spring.

But he's still a true freshman playing in his first college football game, so trying to predict how he'll perform is probably foolhardy. He has the skill set to direct the run and shoot offense, but the Power 5 athletes he'll be facing on the defensive side of the ball will be much better than anything he saw in high school."