Jake Dickert, Washington State Cougars.
This isn’t how the Washington State Cougars wanted to go into their bye week. After a successful start to the season, which included a win at Wisconsin, WSU has lost three of its last four games.
Dropping games against Oregon and USC weren’t backbreakers because the Pac-12 season is one of attrition. Teams can go to the championship game with two losses. But, the most difficult “L” came last Saturday at Oregon State.
There is no way to sugarcoat it. This was a game WSU needed to win to stay in contention for a top-two finish. Instead, the Cougs’ offense laid an egg in Corvalis.
Just because they won’t be the 2022 Pac-12 Champs doesn’t mean they should pack it in. So, where do the Washington State Cougars go from here?
Despite three losses this season, WSU is still very much in the hunt to play in a bowl game. A team needs six wins to become bowl eligible, and the Cougs put four in the win column so far.
They also have Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State left on the schedule. The trio has a combined record of 7-12. It seems likely they’ll win at least two of those games.
Don’t count Wazzu out against their other two opponents, Utah and Washington. Before the Cougs hit the back half of the conference slate, they need to improve in a few areas.
During the bye week, here are five areas that the Washington State Cougars can work toward fixing.
Pass Defense
Due to some key injuries, it’s tempting to give the defense a “pass” on their coverage issues. Through Week 7, Wazzu’s pass defense allows 243.6 yards per game (85th in FBS), 7.32 yards per attempt (69th), and 72 first downs (83rd).
The Cougs’ defense needs to get off the field. Where is that Washington State Cougars’ pass defense that stacked the box in Wisconsin and dared the Badgers to beat them in single coverage?
Bell-less passing offense
The passing offense is a little off since wide receiver Renard Bell injured his arm in the first half against USC. They don’t seem to have the same explosiveness.
It’s not just the numbers. Defenses have to honor Bell’s abilities which means the other receivers have more opportunities.
Running Game
Wazzu’s offense is called the “Air Raid” for a reason. But that doesn’t prevent them from gaining yards on the ground when they do run.
Because of the system, throw rushing yards per game out the window. Yards per carry is another story. The Cougs average 3.58 YPC, which is 104th out of 131 FBS teams. They have to do better.
Hopefully, new starter Jaylen Jenkins can help. The dynamic rusher averages 7.0 YPC when he takes a handoff. Maybe Ward needs to feed him the ball a little more often.
Turnovers
This season, WSU has a -4 turnover margin. To be honest, as good as quarterback Cameron Ward has played this season, several of his 8 interceptions (tied for the most in the Pac-12) have been real momentum killers.
The Incarnate Word transfer needs to make better decisions and learn to throw the ball away when he doesn’t have someone open. His competition level is appreciated, but that should include trying to thread the needle against double coverage.
Additionally, ball security needs to be a priority.
Middle of the D
Since 2019 Justus Rogers was the anchor of WSU’s defense from his middle linebacker position. When he graduated last year, it left a huge hole in the Cougars’ defense. Fortunately, they found a replacement.
After five seasons at Nevada, linebacker Daiyan Henley decided to transfer, using his extra COVID year of eligibility at Washington State. He’s picked up the mantle from Rogers and ran with it.
Rogers may be the Cougars’ best defensive player this year.
More Transfer Magic
Aside from their middle linebacker, the Washington State Cougars have benefited from several other transfers that joined the program. For 2022 First and foremost is Ward, who came to WSU from Incarnate Word with new Offensive Coordinator Eric Morris.
Receiver Robert Ferrel also moved to Pullman from IWU. Not only is he the Coug’s third leading receiver, but he’s also their main punt returner.
Other impact transfers this season include: safety Sam Lockett III (City College of San Francisco), safety Jordan Lee (Nevada), tight end Billy Reviere III (North Dakota), and right guard Grant Stephens (Northern Colorado).
Ball distribution
Ward may have made some questionable throws, but one thing he’s very good at is spreading the ball around. The QB has 175 completions, and nine different players have at least five catches.
Defenses can’t focus on one receiver because Ward will find someone else.
As mentioned earlier, the Pac-12 Championship Game is out of reach. With an expected win total of 6-8, the Washington State Cougars are also out of the Rose Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Holiday Bowl, and Sun Bowl unless a team ahead of them collapses.
That leaves the Las Vegas Bowl and Jimmy Kimmel Los Angeles Bowl for games with Pac-12 tie-ins. The Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, is also a possibility.
As mentioned earlier, Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State are all winnable games. Next week against Utah will be very difficult. The Utes are on a high after knocking off USC. UW in the Apple Cup is the Washington State Cougars’ wild card.
It’s clear that head coach Jake Dickert is laying the groundwork for something good in Pullman. He has an excellent group of coordinators and coaches. Additionally, they play an exciting brand of football which will attract recruits.
He can use this season to build a consistent winner.
How do you think the rest of the Washington State Cougars season shakes out? Let us know in the comments section below.