Oct. 26—PULLMAN — Washington State may have to go another week without two starters on each side of the ball.
That’s according to head coach Kirby Moore, who said Monday that wide receiver Darrius Clemons (ankle) and safety Jeremiah Bernard (shoulder) are considered day-to-day ahead of a road matchup with San Diego State this Saturday. Both missed the Cougars’ home loss to Boise State last weekend, but both are set to return to practice this week, Moore added.
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Their absences are wearing on a WSU team still looking for its first FBS win of the season, falling to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in Pac-12 play after a 31-10 home loss to BSU. Without Clemons, who suffered an ankle injury against Oregon State on Oct. 17, the Cougars didn’t expand their receiver rotation to include West Georgia transfer Jordan Dees or walk-on Caleb Northcroft, as Moore indicated could take place ahead of the game.
Instead, they played their top three receivers all heavy snaps: Branden Ganashamoorthy and Daniel Blood each played all 76 snaps of offense, while Tank Hawkins played 65 snaps. Those are the only three wideouts who played for Washington State in that game.
This season, Ganashamoorthy has played 503 snaps, the most among Pac-12 wide receivers. Four Cougars have played at least 500 snaps, making them one of only two Pac-12 teams to play four players that many snaps.
“We talk about deliberate practice,” Moore said. “That really starts with bringing great energy, having verbal combat, doing your assignment, making sure you’re not thinking out there, that you’re just reacting. I think we’ve had too many errors from a practice standpoint, with guys knowing their assignments, whether it’s motions, details within the position. We’ve got lot of trust in the guys who are out there on the field. If other guys improve and they’re to the standard, they’ll be out there.”
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Bernard suffered his shoulder injury during WSU’s loss at Oregon State earlier this month, Moore said, describing it as “a little bit of a stinger.” In his absence, WSU coaches trusted Arizona State transfer Jackquintin Bal with 56 snaps, his second most of the season and his most in four games. Against Boise State, Bal wasn’t targeted in the secondary, but he missed four tackles, most on the team.
That contributed to the Cougars’ inability to prevent big plays on defense, like BSU star running back Dylan Riley’s touchdown rushes of 33 yards and 72 yards, both of which came during the Broncos’ 21-0 fourth quarter that they used to seal the win. As a team, WSU missed 16 tackles, bringing its season total to 93 — second most in the Pac-12, behind only Colorado State, which ranks last in the country in total defense.
Changes to O-line?
Moore said the team is “going to explore” shuffling personnel on its offensive line, which permitted 16 pressures and two sacks on QB Owen Eshelman against Boise State. The Cougars’ front five often allowed the Broncos to get home using stunts. Other times, that group was pushed back at the line of scrimmage, a big reason why running backs Kirby Vorhees and Leo Pulalasi managed only 20 yards on 10 carries.
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As currently constructed, WSU’s starting offensive line includes right tackle Jaylin Caldwell, right guard Nick Bakken, center Noah Dunham, left guard Jonny Lester and left tackle Ashton Tripp, the last of whom returned to action last weekend after missing the Oregon State game with an ankle injury he sustained against Utah State on Oct. 9. All are returners, including Tripp and Lester, who started last season. Caldwell started two games before suffering an injury.
The possibilities seem numerous for the Cougars, who won’t be able to reach the six wins required for bowl eligibility, which the program has earned in 9 of the last 10 full seasons. Theoretically, WSU could still reach a bowl game by finishing the regular season 5-7, which would open up the possibility of being selected for a bowl if there aren’t enough 6-6 teams.
But the Cougs wouldn’t just end their five-game losing streak and win out. They would also need to achieve at least a 930 multiyear Academic Progress Rate.
“We’re gonna explore that this week with, obviously, practice,” Moore said of making changes on the offensive line. “We wanna give guys opportunities. At the same time, right now in the season, we gotta understand where we’re at, the communication with who’s been on the right side, with who’s been on the left side. Naturally, we wanna give some reps to some other guys as well, and then we gotta make a call there by the time we get to Thursday.”
