WSU FOOTBALL
Recap and highlights: First-year Cougars Daiyan Henley,
Cameron Ward impress as WSU rolls Colorado State 38-7
Sept. 17, 2022 Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – So much for a
hangover.
Washington State scored
three touchdowns in the first quarter en route to a dominant 38-7 win over
Colorado State on Saturday, a week removed from an upset win over then-No. 19
Wisconsin.
The offense flashed early
and stagnated in the second half. Again it was the defense leading the way.
The Cougars (3-0) totaled
seven sacks, four three-and-outs and four fourth down stops in the win over the
Rams (0-3).
Daiyan Henley is building a
case for one of the best defensive players in the Pac-12, if not the country.
Henley has led the Cougars
in tackles each game this season. He tallied 13 to go with three sacks and two
forced fumbles on Saturday. On the season he has 30 tackles, four sacks, 7½
tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Another first-year Coug,
Cameron Ward, completed 26 of 36 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns. He
found Donovan Ollie and De’Zhaun Stribling two times apiece for touchdowns in
the first half.
Meanwhile, the Cougars
rushing attack was clicking. Nakia Watson took eight carries for 74 yards,
leading the backfield that totaled 27 for 148.
The win sets up a marquee
matchup against Oregon next week in Pullman. The No. 24 Ducks (2-1) cruised to
an upset win over No. 12 BYU 41-20 on Saturday.
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WSU FOOTBALL
‘We had to be ready to burst
out of the gate’: Washington State offense shows explosive potential, Cougar
defense dominates in rout of Colorado State
Sept. 17, 2022
By Colton Clark The
Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Washington State’s
offense had a straightforward game plan.
“Start fast,” coach Jake
Dickert said.
WSU’s new Air Raid had shown
only a few glimpses of its potential through the first two weeks of the season.
The Cougars were eager to give their supporters a show in their Week 3 matchup
with underdog Colorado State.
“We had to be ready to burst
out of the gate,” Dickert said. “Our offensive guys came out of the last two
games really, really hungry to get better and to show what we’re capable of
doing.”
The Cougars’ offense did just that with a hot start on
Saturday at Gesa Field.
WSU scored touchdowns on its
first four possessions and the Cougars’ defense kept CSU off the scoreboard
until the late stages of a 38-7 nonconference rout.
Quarterback Cameron Ward had
the finest performance of his young Cougars career. He completed 12 of his
first 14 passes and had touchdown passes on each of his first four possessions.
WSU (3-0) opened a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter and cruised
after halftime.
Ward dazzled in the first
half, displaying the unique skills that made him one of the top-rated transfer
QBs of the last recruiting cycle. He was perhaps most impressive on
improvisational plays, dodging traffic and distributing precise passes while on
the move.
WSU’s first three scoring
possessions lasted less than 2 minutes apiece. Ward hurried his teammates to
the line after each plays and the Cougars strung together big gainers.
“It was an electric start to
the game,” Dickert said. “We want to play with tempo. … We want to keep people
off-balance, make sure they can’t sub and wear them down.”
The Rams (0-3) had no
answers for WSU’s offense early in the game. CSU’s secondary looked gassed.
Coverage lapses were frequent. Cougar receivers often ran free down the field. When
windows were tight, Ward delivered accurate passes.
He connected with a
wide-open Donovan Ollie for a 17-yard touchdown on WSU’s first series, then
capped the ensuing drive with a 13-yard scoring pass to De’Zhaun Stribling, who
hauled in a well-placed, over-the-shoulder ball and tapped one toe inbounds to
open a 14-0 lead after just 5 minutes .
“Our chemistry has grown,”
Ollie said of the Cougars’ QB and receiving corps. “We know what we’re capable
of. These past two weeks, we felt like we had a lot to grow on. That first half
was big for our confidence.”
Ward found Stribling again –
this time uncovered – late in the first period for a 17-yard TD. Ollie brought
in a goal-line reception at the 6:12 mark of the second quarter after WSU had
churned out a 5-minute drive. Stribling and Ollie, the Cougars’ top two outside
receivers, combined for over 150 yards on 12 receptions.
“Don and Strib on those
edges gotta be big-body receivers and take the ball down the field, and make
plays off the catch,” Dickert said.
“I was happy in the first
half. We did a good job of playing off-script and we hit some big ones, and
found seams off of scrambles.”
The Cougars outgained CSU
255-82 in the first half. WSU’s offense averaged 8 yards per play in the first
half, but slowed its pace and appeared to play conservatively for stretches in
the second half – excluding the opening drive of the third quarter, a 70-yard
possession that ended in a short field goal.
The Cougars gained just 47
yards on 14 plays over the next four drives before a long possession at the end
of the game, which ended with WSU reserve running back Kannon Katzer’s
first-career TD. Starting running back Nakia Watson gained 71 of his 74 total
yards before halftime.
“We still didn’t play a
complete game,” Dickert said of WSU’s offense, which got off to slow starts and
performed to mixed results overall in the first two games of the season, but
made just enough plays to help the Cougars top Idaho and Wisconsin. “We’d like
to keep that fire in the second half.
“We’ll look at the first
half on offense and say, ‘This is the way we can play when every man does their
job and we put ourselves in a good situation.’ … Then, you see the second half
and that is what happens if we don’t.”
The Cougars’ offense may
have lost its groove, but WSU’s defenders never did. The unit, which has had an
exceptional start to this season, took advantage of a shorthanded CSU offensive
line – missing both of its starting tackles – and totaled seven sacks and five
tackles for loss in the run game. CSU came into the game having surrendered an
FBS-worst 16 sacks this season.
“I think we did a good job
causing disruption,” Dickert said.
Five Cougars recorded sacks,
with star linebacker Daiyan Henley’s three leading the way. WSU forced four
fumbles, recovering one.
“We’re coming with intensity
in all phases,” Henley said.
WSU found success when it
sent pressure, preventing quarterback Clay Millen and the Rams’ Air Raid
offense from finding a rhythm.
The Cougars’ secondary
played limited – standout cornerback Derrick Langford Jr. didn’t appear much
due to a lingering injury and starting strong safety Jordan Lee missed the game
with an injury – but “controlled the vertical passing game,” Dickert said. Jaden
Hicks, starting in place of Lee, recorded a diving interception in the third
quarter.
“That was the biggest
emphasis we had going into this game,” Dickert said.
CSU went three-and-out four
times and advanced the ball into the red zone on just two drives. Trailing
31-0, the Rams got on the board with a short TD pass early in the fourth
quarter.
Their ground game was held
to 37 yards on 31 carries. CSU converted 2 of 13 third-down plays as WSU’s
defense used effective blitz packages and consistently swarmed toward the ball.
Coming off a win on the road
over a ranked Wisconsin team, WSU didn’t overlook a struggling CSU team and
completed a sweep of its nonconference schedule. The Cougars built on their
early-season momentum – and showed their offensive capabilities – and could
very well be ranked in the AP Top 25 when they open Pac-12 play hosting Oregon
next weekend.
“I don’t know how many
people expected us to be at this point,” Dickert said, “but it’s a step in our
journey of where we want to go.
“I don’t know if there’s a
lot of people besides that locker room that thought we could be where we are
right now, and that’s a fun place to be. But it’s not the end of the journey.
I’m excited for conference play.”
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WSU FOOTBALL
Spokane’s Kannon Katzer gets first college carry,
scores TD in memorable Washington State debut
Sept. 17, 2022
By Theo Lawson Spokesman-Review
of Spokane/Inland Empire
PULLMAN – The football secured by his right hand,
Kannon Katzer cruised into the end zone and took two steps before raising his
left arm and pointing a single index finger toward the sky.
If Katzer had to guess, the woman looking down
would’ve been in tears, bubbling with pride and eager to meet the Washington
State running back for a postgame hug.
“She would’ve been super happy,” Katzer said.
Katzer’s gesture, which came after his first
college touchdown, was directed toward his mother Melissa, who died in an ATV
accident on Aug. 29, 2020, following Katzer’s record-setting prep career at Mt.
Spokane High and before he joined the Cougars as a preferred walk-on.
Opportunity has been scarce since Katzer rolled
up more than 3,000 all-purpose yards as a high school senior, earning him a
walk-on opportunity at WSU but no scholarship offers from the Division I level.
With the Cougars nursing a 38-7 lead on Saturday
against Colorado State, Katzer, who hasn’t been one of three running backs
listed on the team’s depth chart, was called into the game for WSU’s final
offensive drive.
He was stopped for no gain on his first college
carry, but his second rushing attempt unfolded the way so many did for Katzer
during a decorated career in the Greater Spokane League that saw him score 39
all-purpose touchdowns as a senior.
Katzer followed a blocker, broke through a hole and
saw nothing but open field, scampering for 24 yards before he was brought down
by Colorado State’s Chigozie Anusiem. That was followed by a 22-yard carry on
second-and-9 and a 7-yard gain up the middle, setting the Cougars up at CSU’s
1-yard line.
“I saw the green and I was like, ‘Oh man I can
get running,’” Katzer said, describing the 24-yard carry. “Then I got tackled.”
On the front door of the end zone, Katzer was
stood up for no gain on second down, but the 5-foot-9, 195-pound tailback got
the ball for the sixth time, collecting a handoff from quarterback Cam Ward and
pushing his way into the end zone for his first college touchdown.
Katzer’s gesture to the sky was the culmination
of a moment that he felt has been a long time coming.
“It wasn’t just me that got myself here,” he
said. “My family and my dad, my brother … of course this team and coaches.
(I’ve) gotten here because a lot of people helped me get here. Of course I’ve
got to deal with the things I’ve faced, but a lot of people helped me get to
where I am so it’s a blessing.”
With six carries for 54 yards, Katzer was the
game’s second-leading rusher, behind only WSU teammate Nakia Watson, who has
eight carries for 74 yards.
“For Katz, it’s special and hopefully something
he’ll never forget,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “When guys work that hard and
sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the team – but I’ve seen it. He used
to terrorize us on scout team and I call him ‘Cutback Katz’ and we couldn’t
control him.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, Katzer’s most
impressive performance as a college running back came in WSU’s spring game last
April, when he rushed nine times for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
“Every scrimmage he pours his heart into there,”
Dickert said, “so to get that opportunity to carry the ball like that is
inspiring not just for me but for that locker room full of guys that are just
so happy for him and what he accomplished.
“A lot of people said he couldn’t play in the
Pac-12. He went out there and did it and scored a touchdown. That’s pretty
special.”
Teammates celebrated Katzer’s fourth-quarter
touchdown, mobbing the running back once he returned to the sideline with just
over a minute remaining in Saturday’s game.
“I’m so happy for him, I love that guy, we all
love him,” WSU receiver Donovan Ollie said. “He comes every day, puts his all
into it. He never takes anything lightly and we’re just all happy for him.”
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Washington State’s Daiyan Henley records 13
tackles, three sacks against Colorado State, former coach
Sept. 17, 2022
By Theo Lawson S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN – Three years ago, Jay Norvell signed off
on Daiyan Henley’s move to the defensive side of the ball at the University of
Nevada.
It’s understandable if Norvell, now the
first-year coach at Colorado State, was second-guessing that decision at
certain points of Saturday’s 38-7 loss to Henley’s Washington State team at
Gesa Field.
“I don’t think he’s that selfish,” Henley said
after another turning in another impactful performance for the Cougars’ defense.
“I think he’s happy he helped me out to further my career, for sure.”
Once an outside receiver for Norvell’s Wolf Pack,
Henley has been the most productive member of Jake Dickert’s defense through
the first three games of WSU’s season. There was no letdown against his former
coach and the only man to offer him a FBS scholarship out of Los Angeles’
Crenshaw High.
The sixth-year linebacker recorded career highs
of 13 tackles and three sacks and forced two fumbles as the Cougars held CSU
scoreless through nearly 50 minutes of the game.
Henley grew close to Norvell at Nevada, but also
to a handful of current CSU players and coaches who made the move from Reno to
Fort Collins, Colorado, with the veteran coach. Nevada strength coach Jordon
Simmons is now with the Rams, and CSU’s roster lists 11 Nevada transfers.
“I know he felt it, I had to make sure they felt
it,” Henley said. “I need to let these dudes know that playing with me is
different than playing against me. So that was big for me.”
From WSU’s weakside linebacker position, Henley
has registered 30 tackles in three games. Saturday’s totals bumped his season
tackles for loss to 7½. He also takes credit for four of the Cougars’ 14 team
sacks. WSU punished CSU quarterback Clay Millen for seven sacks, bringing their
team total to 15 in only three games.
“I would say this, there’s a lot of emotions for
Daiyan and I was nervous coming into the game,” Dickert said. “But he did a
good job of handling those. I’ve been saying this since I’ve seen him, and I’ve
seen some high-level linebackers. He’s the most athletic I’ve been around and
when he plays within himself, making the plays that are there, and I think
coach (Brian) Ward is doing a good job in getting them in great situations to
rush the passer, which he excels at.
“When we get a one-on-one for Daiyan, look out.”
Henley disrupted CSU’s final play in the first
half – a fourth-and-3 attempt with 10 seconds remaining that saw the linebacker
bulldoze through the Rams’ offensive line and jar the ball loose as he took
Millen to the ground. Francisco Mauigoa recovered the fumble to preserve a 28-0
WSU lead at halftime.
“He shows juice every play,” WSU safety Jaden
Hicks said of Henley. “Playing with him, it’s a really fun experience and he’s
an older guy. He’s always teaching me, talking me through the plays so it’s a
really good connection with everybody.”
Henley was in the middle of a near-turnover late
in the fourth quarter, sacking Millen on WSU’s 16-yard line and forcing another
loose ball. The Cougars couldn’t recover the fumble before CSU’s Justus
Ross-Simmons jumped out, but the play lost 3 yards and WSU’s defense held on
fourth down, causing a turnover on downs.
WSU’s defense was intent on pressuring Millen
from start to finish. The Rams conceded an FBS-high 16 sacks through their
first two games against Michigan and Middle Tennessee State.
“Before the game I told RJ (Stone), I told
Brennan (Jackson), I told Quinn (Roff), I said, ‘Hey man, we’ve been watching
film all week and these guys get hit,’ ” Henley said. “I was like, ‘Please save
some sacks for me. Once y’all get your five, just relax so I can get in there.’
”
It didn’t seem to be an issue for Henley, who
spent more time as a coverage linebacker and recorded his first sack in the
season opener against Idaho. Henley’s four sacks are a team high.
“Now they’re mad at me, telling me that I didn’t
live up to my word,” Henley said. “It’s all right, it happens, but I’m just
happy we got that many sacks. Hopefully, we get more.”
Henley received words of encouragement before and
after the game from Norvell, who was aware of the numbers his ex-linebacker had
piled up in wins over Idaho and No. 19 Wisconsin.
“He was just like, ‘You look good, you look like
you got bigger,’ ” Henley said. “I said, ‘I hope I did because who can I hit
being small?’ After the game he said, ‘Just keep doing you, you’re doing a
great job and you’ve got to keep elevating.’
“… I appreciate that man, for sure. Words like
that just let me know I have someone in my corner, another coach in my corner
that has my back and that’s watching me along the way.”
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WSU FOOTBALL
Difference makers: Cameron Ward throws four
touchdowns in blowout win
Sept. 17, 2022 Spokane's S-R
CAMERON WARD
WSU’s new quarterback showed flashes of his
potential over the first two weeks of the season, but he hadn’t pulled together
a complete performance . On Saturday, everything clicked. Ward shredded CSU’s
secondary while exhibiting the versatile skill set that made him such a highly
touted recruit this off-season. Ward guided WSU’s up-tempo offense with poise
and precision in the first half, tossing touchdown passes on the first four
possessions to put the Rams away before halftime. WSU’s offense slowed down in the
second half. Ward finished 26 of 36 for 292 yards and four TDs with one
interception.
DAIYAN HENLEY
No Cougars defender had more of an individual
impact than the senior linebacker who has emerged in his one and only season
with WSU. For the third consecutive week, Henley made plays all over the field
and led the Cougars statistically. He totaled a team-high 13 tackles, three
sacks and forced two fumbles.
DONOVAN OLLIE / DE’ZHAUN STRIBLING
WSU’s two starting outside receivers took
advantage of a shaky CSU secondary , combining for 151 yards and four
touchdowns on 12 catches. They used their size to gain positioning against the
Rams’ defensive backs on underneath routes, and were left wide open on a few
occasions. Ollie was uncovered on a 17-yard TD grab that opened the scoring. He
added a 1-yard scoring catch midway through the second quarter. Stribling
tacked on a TD reception early in the first quarter and found a soft spot in
the middle of CSU’s secondary later in the quarter for a 19-yard TD.
KEY MOMENT
The Cougars came out firing and
took full control of the game less than five minutes into the first quarter.
WSU’s defense forced two quick three-and-outs and the Coug offense stormed
downfield on two one-minute scoring possessions. Hundreds of WSU fans were
still finding their seats, and the Cougars had already captured the momentum
completely. Quarterback Cameron Ward led a pair of crisp drives, featuring
several big plays, to open the game. A runaway victory for WSU seemed like a
probable outcome after Ward’s second touchdown pass – a lofted, 13-yard
sideline throw to De’Zhaun Stribling – put the Cougs up 14-0 with 9:59 left in
the first period
