Pullman, Wash., isn’t exactly a prime vacation destination.

But for the ASU football team, it might be just what the doctor ordered.

The Sun Devils (2-2, 0-1 Pac-10), currently on a two-game losing skid and hearing grumblings from fans wanting a change at quarterback, will travel to Washington State to face the Cougars (1-4, 0-3 Pac-10) on Saturday at Martin Stadium.

“We’re excited to get back out on the field and try and get ourselves back to where we want to be,” ASU senior quarterback Danny Sullivan said. “The last two games have not been easy to deal with, and that’s for sure. It’s a new week, [a] new game, and you’ve got to take it that way and good things are going to happen.”

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On paper, this should be the perfect game for the Sun Devils to get back on track, as WSU has been a frequent cellar-dweller of the Pac-10 in recent years and ranks dead last in the conference in almost every major statistical category.

But ASU coach Dennis Erickson said the Cougars are no pushover.

“It’s not like we’re the Super Bowl champs,” Erickson said. “They’re

It certainly wasn’t an easy contest the last time the Sun Devil were on the Palouse. A 37-yard field goal by then-freshman Thomas Weber, with less than one minute remaining in the game, was needed to propel ASU to a 23-20 victory.

But Weber’s golden leg will not be available this time around, as he is still sidelined with a groin injury.

The Sun Devils are coming off a disappointing home loss to Oregon State in their Pac-10 opener in a game where the offense continued to sputter and the defense was uncharacteristically sub-par.

Despite boos from the home fans and the fact that he ranks 10th in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency (103), Erickson is sticking with Sullivan as his starting quarterback this weekend.

“I’ve always been confident, but situations have occurred where things haven’t really gone my way,” Sullivan said. “The frustration kicked in, definitely, but I’m fine with it. I’m ready to go. You always have to put it behind you.”

But true freshman quarterback Brock Osweiler will also find himself in his first game action since the Louisiana-Monroe contest, and it will not be in mop-up duty.

“I’m really comfortable,” Osweiler said. “I’ve been in this offense going back all the way to last January, so nothing’s really too new and surprising. I still am a true freshman, but at the same time, I think I have a pretty good grasp on this offense, and I think Saturday should be a lot of fun.”

And if there’s ever a time for Sullivan to regain any lost confidence or to give Osweiler snaps in significant situations, it’s this weekend, as the Cougars allow almost 310 passing yards per game.

The Sun Devils, who rank third in the nation in total defense (232 yards allowed per game), will be up against a WSU no-huddle offense that has been hurt by injuries, has seen three different quarterbacks and ranks dead last in the Pac-10 in scoring offense (15 points per game), rushing offense (101.4 yards per game) and total offense (283 yards per game).

“We’ve just got to be aggressive like we were the first three games,” senior linebacker Mike Nixon said. “I feel like last week, for whatever reason, we played a little bit on our heels, and we’ve got to get back to just flying around and making plays.”

ASU will also have to deal with some external elements when they roll into Martin Stadium. The projected temperatures for Saturday afternoon will be in the mid-40s, and it is homecoming for the Cougars in a stadium that only seats about 30,000 but is known to provide its fair share of noise.

“Their fans are rowdy, that’s for sure,” Sullivan said. “It’s a rough environment, especially on homecoming. Anything can happen at any time during that game.”

Junior cornerback Omar Bolden is doubtful for Saturday’s contest after spraining his knee during Wednesday’s practice, Erickson said.

Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu.