C.J. Dimry dominates first Thursday Night Football of 2016
At 6-foot-5, 201-pounds wide receiver C.J. Dimry presents a matchup issue for almost any defensive back. So what chance do the true freshmen have?
Dimry made without a doubt the two most impressive plays during Washington State's first Thursday Night Football session, the full-contact scrimmage almost all players who are not in the two-deeps participate in on Thursday's during the season to stay sharp even though they're not playing in games.
Early during quarterback Anthony Gordon's series leading the offense, Dimry ran a slant route toward the linebackers, caught Gordon's offering in stride, and then with two quick jukes got through the congested middle of the defense. He evaded a gauntlet of would-be tacklers and broke free on the other side of the field, then outran the defensive backs for a 55-yard score.
Then on one of the practices final plays, Bryce Missey lobbed a high-arcing pass from the 24-yard line to Dimry, who outleapt lanky cornerback Deion Singleton in the end zone and got a foot inbound for a second score.
While Trey Tinsley didn't throw any scores to Dimry, he had arguably the best day of the quarterbacks. The walk-on completed his first five passes – including a 16-yarder to Dimry, who is a senior – before a sixth was broken up by true freshman Marcus Strong. Strong, cornerback D'Jimon Jones and linebacker Jahad Woods played particularly well among the freshmen defenders, while freshman receiver Grant Porter showed off some particularly crisp route-running skills.