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2022 football preview: New frontman QB Cameron Ward
brings an up-tempo rhythm in Coach Jake Dickert’s first full season at Washington
State
Wed., Aug. 31, 2022 By Colton Clark, Spokane S-R
WSU football schedule
2022
9/3: Idaho, 6:30 p.m.
9/10: at Wisconsin,
12:30 p.m.
9/17: Colorado St., 2
p.m.
9/24: Oregon, TBD
10/1: Cal, TBD
10/8: at USC, TBD
10/15: at Oregon St.,
TBD
10/27: Utah, 7 p.m.
11/5: at Stanford, TBD
11/12: Arizona St., TBD
11/19: at Arizona, TBD
11/26: Washington, TBD
And
so begins the Jake Dickert era at Washington State.
For
real, this time.
The
Cougs played well under Dickert for the final six games of the 2021 season,
after coach Nick Rolovich was dismissed for failing to comply with a state
COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Yet
Dickert’s seventh game at the helm – 6:30 p.m. Saturday versus Idaho – will
signal the proper start to his head-coaching career at WSU.
He’ll
be joined on the sidelines by the staff he assembled this offseason – eight new
assistants, including two coordinators. WSU will debut its revamped version of
the Air Raid offense. Several prized additions from Dickert’s first recruiting
class will play starring roles.
It
will be the team Dickert shaped, not the team he inherited.
Of
course, many familiar faces are back from WSU’s 2021 roster, a group of players
that handled last season’s turmoil with grace and came up one game shy of a
Pac-12 championship berth. The Cougs had to replace 11 starters, but they
return a strong core of leadership – especially on defense – and a handful of
potential standouts who played behind established veterans last year.
WSU
won a few important recruiting battles for coveted transfers this offseason. No
Cougar player has attracted more public interest than the headliner of the 2022
class, quarterback Cameron Ward.
Side A (offense): The Cougs are counting on Ward to
operate the Air Raid efficiently and live up to his ever-building expectations
of stardom. He was a highly touted signal-caller coming out of FCS Incarnate
Word – where he dazzled over the past two seasons under coach Eric Morris, who
is now coordinating WSU’s offense.
This
preseason, Ward looked the part, exhibiting the uncommon skill set that had
made him one of the top-rated transfer players of this recruiting cycle. He has
“elite pocket presence,” Dickert noted, plus mobility and the arm strength and
precision to make any throw – even when he’s firing from off-balance footing.
“I
was really amazed with his arm and I think everyone talks about his arm, but I
don’t think people talk enough about his leadership,” slot receiver Lincoln
Victor said.
Ward
will be surrounded by a deep and talented group of pass-catchers, captained by
Victor and seventh-year senior slotback Renard Bell, and including returning starters
on the outsides in De’Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie.
“It’s
the best receiving corps I’ve been with,” Bell said.
WSU
reloaded fast after losing its two leading receivers from last season in Calvin
Jackson Jr. and Travell Harris.
Nakia
Watson will shoulder running back duties after sitting last year behind the
senior duo of Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh. But the Cougars will take a
“by-committee” approach on the ground and play three or more tailbacks. Watson,
a 500-yard rusher at Wisconsin between 2019-20, is the only Coug RB with game
reps.
The
key for WSU’s offense will be keeping Ward clean. The Cougs’ offensive line is
unproven after being remade this offseason following several departures.
The
Air Raid has returned to Pullman, but it will only partially resemble the
system former coach Mike Leach employed from 2012-19. Although WSU’s new
offense will lean on the passing game, it boasts the ability to ground and
pound. Expect the Cougars to operate at a quick pace and send out a variety of
formations – from five-wide sets to “bunch” formations with two tight ends.
“It’s
a diverse offense,” linebacker Travion Brown said. “They’ve got a lot of stuff
going on. It’s really good for the defense because it gives us a lot of looks.”
Side B (defense): The Cougs are staying mostly
consistent with their defensive approach and building upon the foundation
Dickert set as defensive coordinator over the past two years.
WSU’s
new DC, Brian Ward, shares coaching philosophies and strategy with Dickert.
“Brian
Ward has a very similar scheme – same philosophy,” edge-rusher Brennan Jackson
said. “There’s still a big emphasis on turning the ball over, being ballhawks
and just sprinting to the ball – 100% effort, every play.”
The
Cougars played a resilient, swarming style of defense in 2021 and finished the
season fifth nationally in takeaways (29).
WSU’s
defense is paced by the edge-rushers, a deep and disruptive group that brings
back all-conference stalwarts/team captains in Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. WSU is
fortified up front with an ultra-experienced rotation of tackles.
“You
can’t take off days when you play against this type of defense,” Cameron Ward
said.
The
Cougs landed a professional-caliber recruit this offseason in senior Nevada
transfer Daiyan Henley, an outside linebacker who quickly distinguished himself
as one of the team’s top pound-for-pound players. He’ll pair with co-starters
Brown and Francisco Mauigoa to form an athletic linebacking corps that
shouldn’t take a step back despite graduating longtime starters Jahad Woods and
Justus Rogers.
Nickel
Armani Marsh, a Spokane native, reprises his role as captain of the WSU
secondary, which lost both of its starting safeties and its lockdown corner –
Jaylen Watson, now with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cougs gained an impact
transfer to take the job at strong safety in senior Jordan Lee. Otherwise, WSU
isn’t blessed with experience at the safety spots.
The
cornerbacks might lack star power, but the group is fairly tested and has four
reliable pieces. The primary question for WSU’s CBs: Can senior Derrick
Langford Jr. replace Watson effectively and blanket the Pac-12’s best
receivers?
Extras (special teams): The Cougs have few concerns – if
any – regarding their kicking and punting units.
Dean
Janikowski emerged last season as the Pac-12’s most accurate placekicker and
claimed first-team all-conference honors. Australian punter Nick Haberer
impressed in his first season playing American football and took home freshman
All-America honors.
WSU
should be effective in the return game with two of its most electric offensive
playmakers – Victor and Bell – catching kicks and punts.
Surprise hits: Two dynamic young skill players
had breakout performances this preseason and both are expected to contribute
significantly off the bench in 2022.
True
freshman tailback Jaylen Jenkins wowed onlookers throughout fall camp with his
elusive running style and exceptional top-end speed. He offers a change of pace
for a running back group that will be spearheaded by a power-centric
ball-carrier in Nakia Watson.
Receiver
Orion Peters, a second-year freshman, established himself as WSU’s No. 3 option
at slotback early this preseason. Peters made sharp cuts to shake off defensive
backs and came up with plenty of highlight-reel sideline receptions this
preseason to secure a key rotational role in WSU’s pass-heavy offense.
Producer: A first-time head coach, Dickert
earned his title through both chance and merit.
He
led a defensive resurgence as a WSU coordinator in 2021. When a uniquely odd
situation left the Cougars coachless at midseason, Dickert seemed like the best
choice to steer the ship on an acting basis.
Dickert
proved himself as a unifying presence, pulling the fractured team together and
guiding it to a winning season and a rare Apple Cup triumph. His interim tag
was removed in late November. It wasn’t how he imagined, but Dickert had become
a head coach after 15 years climbing the occupational ladder.
After
an encouraging offseason of program-building, Dickert is all set to debut his
remade team, the “New Wazzu,” he calls it.
Album review: The Cougars have the makeup of a
winning team, so we’re comfortable predicting an above-.500 finish and a bowl
berth. We’re going to stay conservative with our estimate, considering the
uncertainties that come with a first-year staff, a freshly installed offensive
system and several new faces occupying key roles on the field. WSU certainly
has the potential to outperform our record prediction. But let’s not get too
carried away before we see the “New Wazzu” in action.
Prediction: 7-5
