WSU Football notebook: Renard Bell makes long-awaited return to Los Angeles; coach Jake Dickert names rising players
By
Colton Clark, Spokesman-Review of Spokane/Inland Empire 10/4/2022
PULLMAN – During his upbringing in
the heart of Los Angeles, Renard Bell lived in the shadow of the Coliseum. The
veteran Washington State receiver grew up just down the road from USC’s campus
and the iconic football venue he will be playing in this weekend.
“I’m super excited. I can’t wait,”
Bell said Tuesday after practice at Rogers Field, “because it’s five minutes
from my house.”
Bell will be supported by a host of
family members and friends on Saturday when he makes his L.A. homecoming. The
Cougars meet the sixth-ranked Trojans at 4:30 p.m. at the Coliseum.
“I’m trying to get a couple of extra
tickets, just in case anybody else wants to go,” Bell said after naming eight
definite attendees, including his parents and sister.
“I can definitely hear (my mom) from
the stands, without a doubt. … I know it’s going to fire me up a little bit.”
Bell played his prep ball at
Cathedral High – about 5 miles north of USC. He raked in notable accolades and
became one of the top receiver prospects in the L.A. metro. The Trojans didn’t
show recruiting interest.
USC wasn’t Bell’s childhood dream
school. His family is originally from Louisiana, so he was a fan of LSU as a
kid. But make no mistake – Bell always looks forward to playing the Trojans.
Though he tries to “treat every game
the same,” Bell can’t help but feel extra motivation when he lines up against
the hometown team that overlooked him.
“I study like crazy for each game,”
he said. “This game, I studied like crazy. But I think it’s more of an
emotional attachment to the game that will kind of bring out a little bit more
in me within the game, a little more fire. That’s probably what the difference
is between this one (and other games).
“I appreciate the external factors.
Friday, once I get there, (I’ll) see my family. Then once Saturday hits … I’m
purely focused on the game.”
Saturday’s Pac-12 matchup will be
Bell’s fourth and final game against USC. He first met the Trojans as a
redshirt freshman in 2017. Bell had 101 yards on three catches, helping the
Cougars knock off No. 5 USC 30-27 in Pullman. WSU hasn’t beaten the Trojans –
or a top-10 opponent – since. Bell and the Cougars (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) are hoping
for a similarly unforgettable result this weekend when they take on USC (5-0,
3-0), the early-season front-runner in the conference.
“It’s a great team, and I love
playing great teams,” Bell said. “It’s an opportunity for us to go down there
and show what the Cougs are made of.”
Bell appeared, but didn’t record any
stats, in a 39-36 defeat at the Coliseum in 2018. He hauled in a career-high 11
catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in WSU’s 38-13 road loss in 2020.
“I watched that game 100 times,” he
said during a preseason interview. “I remember crying on the sideline after we
lost and (a coach) told me to just use that to fuel you. I did and I can’t
wait.”
WSU dropped a home game 45-14 to USC
last season. Bell missed the 2021 campaign due to an ACL injury. Now back in
form, the seventh-year senior is coming off his best showing of the year. He
accumulated 115 yards and a long touchdown on eight catches last weekend in the
Cougars’ 28-9 victory over California.
Bell is WSU’s No. 3-leading receiver
this season with 282 yards and two scores on 20 catches.
With 63 more yards, Bell will
surpass the 2,000-yard mark for his career. He is tied for 10th in program
history with 18 receiving touchdowns.
WSU’s program enjoys deep recruiting
connections in the L.A. area. The team’s roster includes 23 Southern California
natives. Expect a large Cougars contingent to be in attendance at the Coliseum.
“This will be the first time my
whole family comes to a game this year,” said linebacker Travion Brown, who
hails from Moreno Valley – located on the eastern edge of the L.A. metro. “It
makes you feel like you’re loved. You got your people there, your family there
watching you. You got people in the stands that support you. … It’s a feeling
you can’t really describe, because you’ve been far away for so long. Being able
to come back home and play in front of my family, that’s an experience you
can’t even describe.
“I’ll do my job, but I’ll definitely
be more animated.”
Rising
players
Asked to name the team’s most
improved players from Week 1 to Week 5, Cougars coach Jake Dickert first
singled out Christian Hilborn, a second-year freshman and first-year starter on
WSU’s offensive line.
Hilborn, who won a position battle
for left guard in the preseason, had “by far his best game” last weekend
against Cal after “by far his worst game” against Oregon on Sept. 24.
“We challenged him all week, because
I think he had more in the tank, that he could strain and finish and be tougher
and more aggressive. … It was out there on Saturday.
“He’s still a freshman. He has a
long way to go, but he’s getting better each week. That combination of (left
tackle Jarrett Kingston) and Christian is starting to play more aggressively
and more downhill.”
Hilborn claimed WSU’s “offensive
lineman of the week” award. The Cougars gave up just one first-quarter sack
versus the Golden Bears. WSU came into that game with a conference-worst 14
sacks allowed.
The Cougars are still searching for
consistency in their ground game, which is producing Pac-12 lows in yards per
game (91.8) and carry (3.7).
Dickert also commended true freshman
receiver Leyton Smithson, senior defensive tackle Christian Mejia, starting cornerback
Chau Smith-Wade and second-year safety Jaden Hicks.
Smithson has claimed a backup role
at outside receiver. He rotated into the lineup regularly last weekend and came
up with a 17-yard catch on a third-and-13 play in the second quarter. Smithson
has 35 yards on four catches this year.
“He’s been battling through a little
injury, but you’ve seen some speed plays out of him,” Dickert said of the
Bellingham product.
Mejia has been the most productive
defensive tackle in WSU’s five-man rotation up front. He posted a sack last
week after missing the Oregon game because his wife had gone into labor – Mejia
became a father on Sept. 24. In four games, he has 13 tackles and 1½ sacks.
“His consistency has just been
phenomenal,” Dickert said.
Smith-Wade, a first-year starter who
was WSU’s No. 3 cornerback last season, is the third-highest graded CB in the
Pac-12, according to Pro Football Focus’ performance metrics. Smith-Wade has
tallied 20 tackles – two for loss – with an interception and two pass deflections.
“Chau has done a good job of really
replacing (Jaylen Watson) and making plays at a high level,” Dickert said,
referring to the former Cougar who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hicks earned a playing role with an
impressive fall camp, then slid into a starting role in Week 3 after veteran
strong safety Jordan Lee sustained an injury.
“(Starting) helped teach me to be
ready and to perfect my craft,” Hicks said Tuesday. “With J-Lee being out, I
stepped up.”
Hicks made a name for himself this
preseason with his hard-hitting tendencies. He is WSU’s second-leading tackler
with 35 stops, including two TFLs and a sack.
“I always knew what Jaden Hicks
could be, but to go out and do it is a whole ’nother thing,” Dickert said.
WSU’s secondary showed inexperience
in a 44-41 loss to the Ducks, who connected on several big gains down the
field, but the Cougars’ defensive backs shored up the soft spots and limited
Cal’s passing attack.
“You win some, you lose some. I knew
I had to bounce back the next game and be mentally prepared,” Hicks said.
Dickert is “very confident” that Lee
will return to the field for Saturday’s game.
“If he’s back, I’ll wait my turn and
see when my number’s called,” Hicks said.
Hicks lined up at strong safety for
the first week of fall camp, then was moved to free safety. He played steady
reps off the bench at free safety for the first two weeks of the season. When
Lee went down, Dickert shifted Hicks back to his original position. It’s
possible he sees time at both safety positions going forward.
Notes
• Wide receiver Zeriah Beason is no
longer a member of Washington State’s football program, Cougars coach Jake
Dickert told media members Monday.
Beason joined WSU this offseason
after two years at Oregon State. He captured a role in the Cougars’ receiver
rotation during fall camp, but never appeared in a game. A few days before
WSU’s season opener, Dickert informed reporters that Beason would be out
indefinitely as he worked through unspecified “eligibility issues.”
• WSU will play just its second
night game of the season when it meets Oregon State in Corvallis on Oct. 15 at
6 p.m. Pac-12 Network will carry the broadcast.
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