Washington State slogs through initial scrimmage
PULLMAN – Bill Doba had to be pleased Saturday that his team was squaring off against one another, and not Auburn.
One day after a two-practice day that wowed coaches from start to finish, Washington State University turned in a largely dull, lackluster effort in its first scrimmage, one that figures to give the Cougar staff plenty to harp on in the coming days.
“They were just a little flat,” Doba said. “I don’t know why. But we’ll find out. We certainly have things to work on before we get to Auburn.”
The Cougars defense fared better than the offense, even while restricting itself to the most basic of schemes – defensive coordinator Robb Akey didn’t call for a single blitz. Meanwhile, the offensive units found little rhythm, its quarterbacks starting out 2 of 12 with an interception and its ground game finding little room.
“It’s kind of hard coming off of a double day right into a scrimmage full-go,” wide receiver Michael Bumpus said. “It’s all part of learning and growing up. We’ve got to learn how to fight through adversity. If you’re sore, you’re tired, whatever you are, just come out here and still get it done because Auburn’s not going to have any mercy on us September 2nd.”
Through the sometimes-sloppy play Doba did see some highlights. The Cougars were solid on defense, even with three cornerbacks sidelined and walk-on Ryan Kensok of Gonzaga Prep in the starting lineup. The only two touchdowns scored came on drives beginning near the red zone.
Punter Darryl Blunt had a couple of nice kicks including a line drive on the run that went 40 yards before being downed at the 1-yard line.
Wide receiver Jason Hill caught only one pass, but it was a 45-yarder with the offense backed up to its own goal line.
Still, the day seemed to offer more questions than answers.
Doba said the place-kicking job was Romeen Abdollmohammodi’s after he went 4 for 4 on field goals and incumbent starter Loren Langley went 1 of 4, but he left the door ajar for Langley to climb back into the role.
“We just want to see what they do under pressure,” Doba said. “But if you want to go on (the day’s) performance, (Abdollmohammodi) would be the guy.
“He’s got the job. He’s doing the best job right now.”
Also on special teams, long snapper Tony Thompson sailed three punt snaps high, magnifying an already-stated concern.
Quarterback Arkelon Hall suffered what could be a serious injury around his left ankle.
The quarterback couldn’t handle two consecutive snaps under center, and on the second a pileup going for the ball resulted in Hall’s injury, meaning WSU might be down to three available quarterbacks for the foreseeable future.
Given the team’s better-looking practices leading up to the scrimmage, even those who benefited most from the offense’s struggles admitted that things can change quickly, and well before the Cougars start the season.
“This group has been going back and forth,” Akey said. “I don’t know that either one of us is ahead of the other. I think we’re both competing with each other, and I think that’s good.”
Notes
In a blow to an already-thin offensive line, starting right guard Andy Roof of East Valley will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured thumb, Doba said. Dan Rowlands, another sophomore, will almost certainly end up starting there in his place, and the time frame Doba provided means Rowlands, not Roof, should be in the starting lineup for at least one game of the regular season. … Quarterback Alex Brink fell ill before the scrimmage and played sparingly, looking off in a 1 of 6 effort. His backup, Gary Rogers, played with the first and second units, going 7 of 13 for 93 yards with a touchdown and an interception. … Cornerback Markus Dawes will undergo blood tests in the coming days after experiencing severe cramps in the first week of practices. … Fevaea’i Ahmu started alongside Ropati Pitoitua at defensive tackle, bumping two-year starter Aaron Johnson to the second team. But coaches said Johnson played well and the switch is not necessarily permanent. The three players all figure to see significant playing time in a rotation this fall. … This was the Cougars’ first full-contact work on the new Martin Stadium turf, installed this summer.