Washington State Cougars 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: One cannot help but be concerned, if you are a Cougar fan, that the window that was open for the Cougs to take the PAC-12 North title at some point, has slammed shut. The Cougars lose a large amount of talent of the roster from last fall, and that could be bad news, especially at the QB spot, where the tragic death of Tyler Helinski leaves a gaping void in both terms of his value as a human being, and as a tremendously valued teammate. That event will likely be a rallying point for the Cougars this season, as many are still trying to come to terms with his passing. The Cougars still have talent, and could still be a dark horse in the North, but any mention of them as a potential favorite has faded.
Breakdown Offense: The QB job is still hotly contested heading into fall camp, as Gardner Minshew, the grad transfer from East Carolina, has not yet arrived. Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon, both 4th year juniors, are locked in battle, but Minshew could arrive in August and turn everything upside down. This will be a spot worth watching, as Minshew is the most experienced, by far, in this group in terms of field time.
Jamal Morrow is gone, and he represented a big play threat out of the backfield, even though the Air Raid offense does not depend on the run much. He averaged 6.07 yards per carry, while James Williams, the projected starter this fall, averaged just 4.27 by comparison. Gerard Wicks is also gone, so the next experienced back returning outside of Williams carried the ball just 6 times in Keith Harrington. Harrington is projected as the 3rd back in the group, as Max Borghi, a freshman, has passed him on the depth chart. All 3 of these backs can catch the football, so that will be a plus. Williams caught 71 passes last fall at RB.
Kyle Sweet (Y WR) and Renard Bell (H WR) both return as starters. Sweet caught 58 passes for 533 yards and 2 scores, while Bell caught 40 passes for 538 yards and 3 TDs. Tay Martin steps in at the X spot, and caught 31 passes as a backup last fall, while Dezmon Patmon caught 35 passes, and will be the Z WR. Martin finished 2nd on the team with 6 TD receptions as a backup. Rodrick Fisher backs up Martin, while Brandon Arconado is the backup to Bell at the H. Jamire Calvin backs up at Y and Easop Winston is the backup at Z. There is another influx of young talent coming in above this in August, and the Cougars have what is likely the deepest corps of receivers in college football.
The line may be in a bit of flux, as only 2 starters are back in Andre Dillard (LT) and Frederick Mauigoa (C). Josh Watson is penciled in at LG, while Robert Valencia (RG) and freshman Abraham Lucas (RT) are also projected as starters. Liam Ryan adds depth at the OT spots, while Christian Haangana and Noah Osur-Myers add depth at Guard. Brian Greens is the backup at C heading into fall camp. Valencia could kick out and back up at RT as well.
Breakdown Defense: The Cougars had their best overall defense in the Mike Leach era, and have added an element of fierceness on that side of the football the Air Raid teams never seem to have. The Cougs finished 18th nationally in total defense last season, and ranked 9th against the pass.
Nnamdi Oguayo is the lone returning starter on the line at DE. He totaled 7 TFLs last fall and added 4 sacks, and will be the leader up front. He should be joined by Taylor Comfort at NT, and Nick Begg at DT. Both are seniors and are experienced. Will Rogers III is the backup at DE, while Pono Lolohea is the backup at NT. Logan Tago backs up at DT, and is the 3rd senior in this unit.
The Cougars got great news at LB, where Peyton Pelluer received a 6th year of eligibility after breaking his foot last season, which broke a streak of 34 straight starts for him. He totaled 21 tackles in just 3 games before going down last fall. He should be the leader in the middle of the defense this fall. Jahad Woods returns at WLB as a starter from last fall as well, and he totaled 64 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks. Chima Onyeukwu is the starter at the RUSH spot. He totaled just 4 tackles as a junior last season. There is plenty of depth in this unit, as Justis Rogers and Kendrick Catis are both good enough to start now. Dillon Sherman backs up at MIKE, while Rogers backs up Woods at WLB. Tristan Brock will back up at the RUSH spot, and the staff recruited this position very well, with some serious talent getting ready to walk on campus next month.
There is some solid experience returning in the secondary. Darrian Molton (CB), Hunter Dale (NB), and Jalen Thompson (S) all return. Molton played in 11 games last fall, and needs to crank it up a bit, as he finished with just one PBUs last fall. He totaled 37 tackles. Dale finished with 4 PBUs, 3 QB hurries, and a forced fumble, and added 46 tackles and an INT. Thompson led the Cougs with 4 INTs, 73 tackles, and totaled 2 PBUs. He also added another 5.5 TFLs to the mix. Sean Harper (CB) and Skyler Thomas (S) are projected as the new starters. Isaiah Love is the backup at NB, while Marcus Strong and George Hicks III are the backups at CB. Dylan Axelson and Deion Singleton are the backups at the Safety spots.
Breakdown Special Teams: Erik Powell is gone at PK after hitting 20/24 FG attempts last season. Jack Crane, a sophomore, is slated to take over the job.
Oscar Draguicevich, a sophomore transfer from Incarnate Word (FCS), averaged 42 yards per punt as a freshman at ICU.
The KR job appears open, as Renard Bell did nothing last fall to hold it down heading into this season. The PR job is open as well.
Final Analysis: There is plenty of talent returning for the Cougars in 2018, but there are plenty of questions as well on offense, namely the QB position and the line, and depth at RB is not great. The defense, however, even though they have some holes of their own, could carry the day at times for this team this fall, and has plenty of talent and depth returning. While I felt that the Cougars could have made a push for the North title the last 2 seasons, I would hesitate to say that this fall, but the Cougars could have a say in that race, and I can still stamp the title of dark horse right on them. Leach is one of the best coaches in the nation, and he gets plenty from what he has on tap. This could be a team to watch, especially if Minshew shows up and takes off like a rocket in fall camp.
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