WSU QB Peyton Bender academically ineligible for 2016 season

Backup quarterback Peyton Bender will not play for Washington State in 2016 after rendering himself academically ineligible.

Generally, the football program at WSU declines to comment on academic issues and coach Mike Leach did not immediately respond to requests to comment. It was first reported by Cougfan.com and confirmed with independent sources by The Spokesman-Review.

But losing Bender could have enormous implications for the Cougars this fall, in what will certainly be the most highly anticipated season in Pullman in many years. After finishing with a 9-4 record last season that included a Sun Bowl victory over Miami, expectations are soaring for the Cougars, who have already been selected in a number of preseason Top-25 polls by various publications.

Much of that anticipation is due to the return of Luke Falk, arguably the Pac-12’s best quarterback. But history shows that it is unlikely Falk will start every game due to potential injury, and when a team is contending for a Pac-12 championship, every disadvantage carries potentially huge ramifications.

Because of the risk inherent to the position, the Cougars have not had one quarterback start every game in a season since 2013. Prior to that, the last WSU quarterback to make every start was Jeff Tuel in 2010.

Bender started the Apple Cup in Falk’s place last season after the starting quarterback was injured against Colorado. Bender also played in two other games because of apparent injuries to Falk.

At first glance it would seem that the backup job now falls to Tyler Hilinski. The redshirt freshman had a productive spring practice, developing a smoother throwing motion and showing good accuracy and arm strength.

Hilinski split backup reps with Bender, but never appeared to overtake the more experienced player in the competition to be the first next-man-up.

Recently, the Cougars received another option as well with the signing of junior college transfer Anthony Gordon. With three years of eligibility remaining, Gordon presents an intriguing option if he can develop a familiarity with WSU’s offense and receivers during preseason practices.

At the very least, Gordon’s presence makes it less likely that the Cougars would need to utilize true freshman Justus Rogers in the event a third quarterback is needed.

Bender’s ineligibility is a counterpoint to WSU’s consistently rising team GPA under Leach, who publicly stresses academics more than most coaches. Under the direction of athletic director Bill Moos, the Cougars have devoted considerably more resources to academic support than under previous administrations.

The NCAA, the governing body of college athletics of which WSU is a member, requires athletes to complete 40 percent of the coursework required for a degree by the end of the second year, and to maintain a grade-point average that equals at least 90 percent of the academic institution’s minimum requirements for graduation.