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PULLMAN – Here are three storylines to watch during Washington State’s Crimson and Gray game, set for 3 p.m. Saturday at Gesa Field.
1. How will WSU’s starting offensive line fare?
The Cougars’ offensive line isn’t whole at the moment. Starting left guard Christian Hilborn, right guard Brock Dieu and right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe are all out with injuries, but all should be ready for fall camp. Their absences have opened up opportunities for younger players, who are getting chances to prove themselves should they get called upon during the season.
Those players include redshirt freshman Noah Dunham (right guard), redshirt sophomore Jonny Lester (right tackle) and redshirt junior Rod Tialavea (left guard), the latter of whom filled in for everyday left tackle Esa Pole when he went down with an injury late last season. Can that group help Pole and center Devin Kylany keep the pocket clean for first-team quarterback John Mateer?
The results they produce in Saturday’s game, while not a be-all and end-all , might help WSU coach Jake Dickert make decisions come fall camp.
2. Who steps up in the kick and punt return game?
If there’s one position group at which the Cougs have yet to identify a solid rotation , it’s the kick and punt return game. They didn’t produce much in that department last season, and now they don’t have their staple in that game, receiver Lincoln Victor, who has graduated and moved on.
The one player who might look to make a splash is sophomore wide receiver Tony Freeman, a transfer from the College of San Mateo (California). He took a punt back for a touchdown in an earlier scrimmage, and even at 5-foot-8, he’s displayed the kind of blazing speed Dickert and special teams coordinator Nick Whitworth are seeking.
Who else might they watch? Transfer receiver Kris Hutson, who has shown a similar level of speed, might be a candidate. The same goes for junior defensive back Leyton Smithson, who took back a kickoff for a touchdown last season, the Cougs’ only scoring play on that front last season. He’s spent this spring transitioning from wide receiver, so it could be a way for him to establish more playing time for himself.
3. Can Zevi Eckhaus play well enough to make fall camp’s quarterback competition interesting?
For all intents and purposes, WSU’s starting quarterback job is still up for grabs, in large part because coaches have committed to waiting until fall camp to separate them and decide on a winter.
But the incumbent Mateer, the Cougs’ backup quarterback in each of the past two seasons, has produced a much more promising spring. He cut back on turnovers when coaches asked him to, and he’s been taking first-team reps all spring, two key signs that point toward what is common knowledge at this point: If the season started Saturday, Mateer would be WSU’s starting QB.
Eckhaus, who tossed two interceptions in Friday’s practice, could still win the job. But can he play well enough Saturday to convince coaches he’s not as far behind as recent developments might suggest? That might help put him in a better spot when fall camp arrives and the competition really heats up.
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