So far, so good for WSU: Cougs are making the grade at the halfway point
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By Stephan Wiebe Lewiston Trib Oct 12, 2022
USC coach Lincoln
Riley called Washington State “one of the 25 best teams in the country” — and
for good reason.
Heading into
Saturday’s 30-14 loss to the No. 7 Trojans, the Cougars sat one spot outside of
the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
WSU is 4-2 overall and
1-2 in the Pac-12 Conference at the midpoint of the season with its only losses
coming to No. 12 Oregon and USC.
Here’s how each
position group has looked so far:
Quarterback: B+
Sometimes, sophomore
quarterback Cam Ward looks like a literal superhero, wielding left-handed
passes, escaping from near-impossible sack attempts and lobbing perfect
touchdown tosses.
Other times, he throws
bad interceptions in the end zone twice in the same game.
As WSU coach Dickert
likes to say, “You take the bad with the good,” and Ward is a proven winner.
Receivers/tight ends:
B
This is a group that
makes up for a lack of a superstar with depth across the board.
Already, six players
have double-digit catches and around 150-or-more receiving yards, and eight
have caught touchdown passes.
The receivers took a
hit against the Trojans when Renard Bell went down with an unspecified
upper-body injury. The veteran is expected to miss extended time, so look for
Robert Ferrel, Lincoln Victor and Orion Peters to step up in the slot in his
absence.
Running backs: B-
Another position group
that took a loss against USC. Starting running back Nakia Watson went down with
a lower-body injury and also is out indefinitely.
Luckily for the Cougs,
true freshman Jaylen Jenkins looked great in his place, compiling 184 yards of
total offense — good enough to earn Pac-12 freshman of the week honors.
Jenkins is an
explosive playmaker with a lot of upside. Mt. Spokane product Kannon Katzer
will be his backup until Watson returns.
Offensive line: C
WSU’s offense often
finds success because of Ward’s ability to extend passing plays with his legs
rather than because of solid protection. The running game also has struggled to
get going at times.
That said, compared to
the eye test in fall camp, the Cougar offensive line has performed better than
expected.
The group looked like
it might be a team weakness in the preseason, but it has performed admirably
against several stellar defensive fronts, so props to Grant Stephens, Konner
Gomness and crew.
Defensive line: A
The stats speak for
themselves.
The Cougars are sixth
in the nation with 49 tackles for loss and tied for 15th in sacks with 19.
Those numbers are tops and second in the Pac-12, respectively.
The best part for WSU
is it does it with a two- or even three-deep rotation at each edge and
defensive tackle position.
Edge Brennan Jackson
has 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hurries as a leader
of the group.
Linebackers: A
Senior linebacker
Daiyan Henley dominates almost every defensive statistical category and is in
the early running for Pac-12 defensive player of the year. His 10 tackles for
loss are tied for fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Oh, and fellow
linebacker Francisco Mauigoa also is a menace all around the field and has a
95-yard interception return touchdown to his name.
Defensive backs: C+
WSU is minus-4 in the
turnover margin, which ranks 105th in the FBS.
The return of safety
Jordan Lee from injury strengthens the Cougar secondary, but the defensive
backs need to start getting more turnovers or they’ll have a tough time winning
close games. No player has more than one interception and DBs are only
responsible for three of the team’s five picks.
Special teams: B
This is a hard bunch
to grade because WSU hasn’t needed to turn to special teams much in key
situations. It’s a phase of the game that hasn’t been spectacular but also
hasn’t made many mistakes.
Punter Nick Haberer
has pinned seven punts inside the 20-yard line and averages 41.1 yards per
boot. Kicker Dean Janikowski is 5-of-7 on field goals.
