PULLMAN — John Mateer had seen enough. Washington State’s redshirt sophomore quarterback, one of two vying for the Cougars’ starting job this season, watched true freshman Evans Chuba release a wobbly throw during a drill in Monday’s fall camp practice.
“Dude, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Mateer told Chuba. “This is routes on air. Our receivers aren’t running for nothing. Put the ball on them, use your footwork and let’s go.”
Later in the practice, WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle gathered his quarterbacks for another drill. Two of the team’s younger quarterbacks went last. Both made mistakes. This time, the other WSU quarterback in the running for the starter’s role, FCS Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus, spoke up.
“We had four guys go ahead of you,” Eckhaus told the pair. “Either you’re not paying attention or you don’t care. Which one is it? You better figure both of them out.”
“I loved seeing that. I loved hearing that,” Arbuckle said after Tuesday’s practice, WSU’s sixth of fall camp. “That’s just gonna lead to the development of those younger guys.”
More to the point, Mateer and Eckhaus displayed the kind of leadership that Arbuckle and head coach Jake Dickert are looking for in the starter. Both Mateer and Eckhaus threw interceptions in team periods in Tuesday’s practice. Mateer threw three — to linebacker Kyle Thornton, defensive back Reece Sylvester and cornerback Ethan O’Connor, who leaped in front for what likely would have been a pick-six in live action.
Both QBs countered with better moments — Eckhaus rifled a nice crossing-pattern touchdown to Oregon transfer wideout Kris Hutson, and Mateer threw three touchdowns passes, each to a different receiver — but because they’ve both been subject in recent practices to turnovers that Arbuckle called “inexcusable,” coaches have begun to place a higher priority on a different piece of criteria.
Which guy shows the best leadership? Which guy prompts his teammates to naturally gravitate toward them? Arbuckle, also the team’s quarterbacks coach, wouldn’t say if either candidate has gained an advantage in that department. But as Week 2 of WSU fall camp continues to unfold, it’s clear leadership is becoming an increasingly influential factor.
“When I met with them, I met with them at the same time,” Arbuckle said. “I said, ‘I’m gonna hold y’all to a standard of being a leader to the masses.’ I think they both responded well to that and answered the call to that, honestly. You hear them getting on guys at the right time, not the wrong time — at the right time, about the right things. You hear them encouraging not only each other, but different positions on the field, and not just offensive positions, the defensive positions.”
Mateer and Eckhaus are not shy guys. Both like to crack jokes and are quick to smile. They don’t take themselves too seriously and are honest about their strengths and their shortcomings.
Mateer might come off a little more relaxed, perhaps a product of entering his third season in Pullman, but Eckhaus makes up that ground in confidence.
Arbuckle said Eckhaus is “one of the quickest learners I’ve ever seen.” Mateer might have the advantage of knowing the Cougars’ offense, playing as former QB Cam Ward’s backup the past two seasons (last year under Arbuckle), but that’s where Eckhaus’ quick study comes in.
“I think it was like, within a month and a half of him being here, I think he could have gone into a game and you wouldn’t have worried about anything,” Arbuckle said. “So now he’s at that developmental stage where he’s learning to get better with everything, too. And I think that comes with being the savvy vet that he kind of is, being a three-year starter (at Bryant). He knows the deal, he knows the process, he knows what it takes in order to get on the field.”
The Cougars have about 1 1/2 weeks left of fall camp, which leaves limited time for Mateer and Eckhaus to make their cases for the starting job.
Arbuckle wouldn’t commit to a timetable for making the decision, saying he would rather let Dickert disclose that information. Dickert was set to speak to media after Wednesday’s practice.
WR Hernandez to miss extended time with foot injury
WSU wide receiver Carlos Hernandez might miss more time than originally expected with the foot injury he suffered in Saturday’s practice. He underwent surgery on Tuesday, Arbuckle said, likely sidelining him for the first part of the season, which begins on Aug. 31.
“That one hurt,” said Arbuckle, who also ceded to Dickert on the timetable for Hernandez’s return.
The loss of Hernandez, a returning starter, amounts to a costly one for WSU. Hernandez earned consistent playing time as a true freshman last fall, totaling 24 catches for 258 yards with a long reception of 48 yards. He had two games last season with at least five catches, and he finished with 77 receiving yards in a blowout win over Colorado.
He was in line for a bigger role this fall. At least for some time, WSU will have to ask more of other receivers.
Arbuckle will ask more of three wideouts in particular, he said: Louisiana Tech transfer Kyle Maxwell (who didn’t practice Tuesday for unspecified reasons), Austin Peay transfer Tre Shackelford and redshirt freshman Branden Ganashamoorthy of Monroe, who has established a role with the second-team units in recent practices.
“He’s been making plays and being really consistent,” Arbuckle said of Ganashamoorthy, who attended Eastside Catholic High School. “He’s elevating himself into that conversation of a guy that we can depend on. I’m really happy with all three of those guys.”
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