WSU’s offensive and defensive lines show promise in practice

PULLMAN — There’s lots to like about this Washington State offensive line, position coach Jared Kaster will tell you, but the group’s depth and versatility stands out most in his mind.

For example: Redshirt junior Christian Hilborn is at his best at left guard, but because of injuries, he’s been taking a majority of his reps at right tackle. Right guard Brock Dieu has rotated on occasion to center. The Cougars were running redshirt sophomore Landon Roaten at left guard for a while, but now that Rod Tialavea is back healthy, he’s stepped back into that role.

WSU is trying to tread water until veteran right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, out since the beginning of the calendar year with a knee injury, can return. That won’t come until WSU visits rival Washington for a nonconference clash in Seattle — at the earliest — so in the meantime, Kaster is finding out who he can trust at different spots.

“I think it shows that you know what you’ve done in recruiting, what you’ve done to build an O-line room, is starting to kind of show a little bit,” said Kaster, who coached last year at Austin Peay. “Having the depth, you’ve got guys, and if they don’t get it done, you’ve got guys behind yourself that have grown in the program, that have grown in the weight room. You’ve got guys that played a lot of football.”

The Cougs’ offensive line produced several promising moments in Tuesday’s practice, the team’s 11th of fall camp. On one sequence at the goal line, the front five generated a push to free up running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker for a short touchdown, and on another, they did the same for true freshman running back Wayshawn Parker.

Just two moments from one fall camp practice, sure, but remember: Last season, WSU finished second-to-last in the Pac-12 (and No. 111 of 133 FBS teams nationally) in red -zone scoring, cashing in on 76% of its opportunities. The Cougs registered a touchdown on just 64% of those chances, a field goal on the other 12%. It’s been enough of an issue for head coach Jake Dickert to harp on it several times during fall camp, and coaches made it a focus Tuesday.

But for a few of those encouraging plays, Washington State’s offense also slogged through a few troubling ones too. In a red-zone situation over at Gesa Field, where the team moved midway through the practice, Parker was stacked up on back-to-back plays. On third down, quarterback John Mateer misfired on a rollout pass, and on fourth down, WSU edge rusher Syrus Webster batted down Mateer’s pass, generating a turnover on downs.

On the quarterback front, Mateer and Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus had mixed success in Tuesday’s practice. Mateer did miss that goal-line throw, but he also unleashed a beauty of a throw in a routes-on-air drill. He snapped the ball, let freshman receiver Chris Barnes build speed on a go route and unfurled a deep ball, some 40 yards downfield, a dime that Barnes snagged over nickelback Kapena Gushiken.

In another team period in Tuesday’s practice, Mateer threw another gem, a downfield bomb that hit senior wideout Kyle Williams in stride. Williams has recorded a relatively quiet fall camp, making big catches when he’s needed to, but his role as the No. 1 receiver is all but set in stone. A 12-game starter last season, Williams hasn’t needed to turn heads the way some of his younger teammates have.

Mateer’s competition for the starting quarterback role, Eckhaus, also saw a mixed bag on Tuesday. He strung together a few incompletions, including the type of deep ball that has often eluded him during fall camp, but he also made one of his best throws of camp: a deep touchdown pass to Barnes, who caught it over the shoulder in stride.

Other notes from Tuesday’s practice:

—Cornerback Jamorri Colson, in line for a starting role this season, missed practice for undisclosed reasons. He was present, but he did not suit up.

—Punter Nick Haberer also missed practice, his second straight miss. He missed Monday with back soreness, Dickert said.

—Also not suiting up for Tuesday’s practice was defensive lineman Ansel Din-Mbuh, who missed for undisclosed reasons.

—WSU’s next two practices will be later in the day — 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Fall camp concludes with the team’s second and final scrimmage, which is open to the public, at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.