PULLMAN — After completing a win over Utah State last weekend, maybe Washington State defenders figured they had seen all kinds of offenses: spread, run-and-shoot, pro-style, freshmen under center.
In fact, all the quarterbacks WSU has faced this season fashion themselves as pocket passers: Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, Washington’s Will Rogers, San Jose State’s Emmett Brown, Boise State’s Maddux Madsen, Fresno State’s Mikey Keene, Hawaii’s Brayden Schager, San Diego State’s Danny O’Neil and, most recently, Utah State’s Spencer Petras.
What the Cougars have yet to face this fall is a dual-threat quarterback. That’s the challenge No. 19 WSU gets this weekend in a road test against New Mexico and Devon Dampier, the Lobos’ leader in passing and rushing, giving the Cougars something they haven’t seen in more than a full calendar year.
“I think it is very unique,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said.
WSU will have its hands full with Dampier, who has totaled 100-plus rushing yards in three of his past four games, including a 207-yard outing in a loss to Wyoming earlier this month. At 5-foot-10, Dampier doesn’t have much size, so he makes up for it with quickness and elusiveness, forcing 44 missed tackles this season, tied for the most nationally among QBs — with WSU’s John Mateer.
Dampier is averaging 7.8 yards per carry, second in the country by only a hair, showing his inclination to tuck and run. Protected by an offensive line that has yielded only five sacks, Dampier has 35 rushes of 10-plus yard, second nationally among QBs.
“This quarterback is a problem,” Dickert said. “He has more yards from scrimmage than John does, and hopefully, that wakes everybody up, like, this guy is real. He’s shorter, he’s super fast. He has one of the highest explosive play rates in the country.”
The onus might be on the Cougars’ defensive backs more than usual. With Dampier’s ability to evade pressure, he can keep plays alive even longer, forcing opposing secondaries to keep up with receivers for longer . That means more pressure on cornerbacks Steve Hall, Ethan O’Connor and Jamorri Colson, nickelback Kapena Gushiken, and safeties Tyson Durant and Jackson Lataimua.
It also might mean the Cougars need to get more pressure up front than usual. When Dampier has found lanes to run, it’s usually between the tackles. If WSU can plug those holes with pressure from linemen David Gusta and Ansel Din-Mbuh, that could force Dampier outside and away from his favorite lanes.
According to Pro Football Focus data, Dampier has excelled to the outside. Running to the left, he’s picked up 179 yards on 25 carries (7.2 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. To his right, Dampier has piled up 120 yards on 19 carries (6.3 yards per carry) and three scores.
Dampier has been nearly just as effective running more toward the inside. Surging left of the center, he’s totaled 111 yards on seven attempts (15.9 yards per carry) and one touchdown. Boing between the right tackle and right guard, he’s gone for 100 yards on three carries (33.3 yards per carry) and one score.
“And short yardage is really challenging,” Dickert said. “The quarterback run game. He can throw it, but yet he’s running it, some RPO stuff, so those situations get really challenging with a guy that can run the football. You got to kind of pick and choose. You don’t want to give up the big play, but you want to get the stop. It flattens out your defense.”
The good news for the Cougs is their pass rush has picked up in recent games. In WSU’s win over San Diego State on Oct. 26, Din-Mbuh had three sacks, and last week against Utah State, Gusta had his first career sack, which belies the pressure he’s generated all season from the interior. WSU’s coverage has also improved recently, holding each of the past three quarterbacks it’s faced to around 200 yards passing.
Those have all come against pocket passers, though. This weekend, the Cougs get a new type of challenge.
“It’s got to be artful in how we attack it,” Dickert said, “but also, we got to go out there and stop it early. We get more confidence in us defending it.”
Key Cougars likely to return for New Mexico game
WSU running back Wayshawn Parker is expected to be available for Saturday’s game, Dickert said. Parker exited early in the second half last weekend with a leg/ankle injury, going to the locker room and not returning to action. He practiced at about 50% capacity on Wednesday, Dickert said, and coaches were more “conservative” with Parker’s Tuesday practice.
This season, Parker has posted 595 yards and four touchdowns on 103 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per rush.
Wide receiver Tre Shackelford and edge rusher Quinn Roff are also trending toward game-time decisions, Dickert said. Shackelford, who has 10 catches for 144 yards and one touchdown, missed the Utah State game with a heel contusion. Roff has been out since the second half of the SDSU game with a foot injury.
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