PULLMAN — Washington State offensive tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe is ready to make his season debut.
Fa’amoe will come off the bench in WSU’s home matchup against San Jose State on Friday and rotate in for snaps at right tackle, WSU coach Jake Dickert said Monday, indicating that Fa’amoe has almost fully recovered from the knee injury that has held him out the first three games of the season.
“As long as we have a good week of practice, which we anticipate him having,” Dickert said, “he’ll be out there in some form or fashion, in a rotation. So we’re working him back in.”
Fa’amoe started all 12 games last season at right tackle, where he also started each of the Cougs’ final seven games of the 2022 season. In 2023, Fa’amoe permitted 27 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, including 21 hurries and six sacks — the second-most pressures of the Cougs’ starting offensive line last season.
In the first two games of this season, WSU has adjusted for Fa’amoe’s absence by shuffling its offensive line around, moving usual left guard Christian Hilborn to right tackle and inserting redshirt junior Rod Tialavea at left guard. That has resulted in this starting five: left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Tialavea, center Devin Kylany, right guard Brock Dieu and right tackle Hilborn.
When Fa’amoe does rotate in on Friday, expect Hilborn to move back to left guard and for Tialavea to move to the bench.
In other injury news, WSU backup nickelback Jerrae Williams has undergone season-ending surgery, Dickert said. Before WSU’s win over Texas Tech on Sept. 7, Williams had his foot in a boot, wheeling around on a scooter.
Williams, a transfer from UNLV, saw action in the Cougars’ win over Portland State in Week 1. At the nickelback spot, he’s the backup to WSU senior Kapena Gushiken.
WSU receiver Kyle Williams, the team’s top returner at the wideout spot, has been playing at about 70% health the past two weeks, Dickert said. He said he wants to get Williams more touches — he’s made just four catches in the last two games — but part of that is getting him fully healthy.
Williams’ availability for Friday’s game does not seem to be in question. He’s just working through some wear and tear.
“He’s played the last couple weeks really banged up,” Dickert said. “So we’re gonna try to get him back rolling, and I anticipate that we’ll be able to get him there.”
Time set for WSU-BSU
Washington State’s game at Boise State on Sept. 28 will kickoff at 7 p.m.
The matchup between the Cougars (3-0) and Mountain West-favorite Broncos (1-1) figures to be the most anticipated Group of Five game of the week.
The Broncos have garnered attention as a potential playoff team, behind running back Ashton Jeanty, who leads the country in rushing (229.5 ypg) by a considerable margin. Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai is closest at 186.5 ypg.
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