In WSU’s 10th fall camp practice, Cougars’ offense shines among crowd noise

PULLMAN – Lincoln Victor left the sideline and jogged over to Ethan O’Connor, the Washington State defensive back who had just dropped what looked like an easy interception. Victor, the elder statesman in the Cougars’ wide receiver corps, put his hands on O’Connor’s shoulders, delivering an encouraging message as Monday’s practice unfolded.

Gesa Field sounded like a jet engine, simulated crowd noise blaring over the speakers for some 20 minutes at a time, so Victor had to get right in O’Connor’s ear to get his message across. What he said was unclear: Something to keep the young player’s head up? A lighthearted jab?

“He wants the offense to win, and he wants the defense to win,” said Kapena Gushiken, a junior defensive back. “Like, it doesn’t matter if you’re on offense or defense. He wants everyone to win.”

Nobody won Monday’s practice, but if there was a group that came the closest, it was the Cougars’ first-team offensive line: left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Ma’ake Fifita, center Konner Gomness, right guard Brock Dieu and right tackle Christy Nkanu. Dieu and Nkanu filled in for the injured Christian Hilborn, who returned to action in a limited capacity, and Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who remains out with an undisclosed injury.

That unit’s sterling practice did two things: It registered as encouraging for the Cougars, since those players accomplished it over the simulated crowd noise, and it paved the way for their teammates to run wild, completing passes both long and short, runs up the middle and around the outside.

That included Victor, the 5-foot-9 Hawaiian whose hands are surer than the sun rising in the morning. On one occasion, he hauled in a deep ball from quarterback Cameron Ward, a competition of some 25 yards. On the very next play, Ward hit him on a crossing route, good for another dozen yards.

The Cougars’ offense looked far from perfect – Ward lost yards on one play running into his own teammate, and in a third-and-medium situation, he was flushed out of the pocket and had to throw it away – but let’s consider a few factors. One: The crowd noise made things more difficult for WSU to communicate. Two: Washington State’s offensive line was down two starters.

“I think we’re all really meshing together,” Fifita said. “We’re all really able to play wherever we need to. I know Coach (Clay) McGuire puts us around, puts us in different situations to kinda keep us ready. I think I’ve really meshed well with (all) of the guys. I feel comfortable playing next to anyone, really.”

In short, that’s why Monday’s practice looked so sunny for the Cougars’ offense, first- and second-teamers alike. Highlights from the No. 2 group included backup quarterback John Mateer lofting a perfect over-the-shoulder ball to freshman running back Leo Pulalasi, freshman wideout Brandon Hills hauling in a pass over the middle and Mateer lobbing one up for sophomore receiver Josh Meredith, who came down with it over his defender.

It may not be fair to call Meredith’s ascension a surprise, since he played in six games last fall, but he’s looked particularly impressive through 10 days of WSU’s fall camp. He has all the tools, a 6-foot frame to pair with sturdy hands, and he’s putting it all together, potentially giving himself a chance to get on the field this fall in a backup role.

“I think it’s Josh’s all-around game,” Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said, praising Meredith’s blocking abilities as well. “I think you’re seeing a guy that can really contribute and do a lot of different things. So I think it’s a mindset. I think when your mindset changes, you go out there and you play more physical in each and every thing that you do. So I think Josh has really taken that to heart and wants to be a complete receiver.”

That could loom large for the Cougars, whose receiver corps has looked promising, though inconsistent with injuries. Transfer receiver Josh Kelly returned for practices on Saturday and Monday, but he sat out for multiple sessions last week, and fellow transfer wideout DT Sheffield sat out of Monday’s practice because, according to Dickert, he got “crunched up” in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Sheffield’s injury doesn’t sound serious, but sophomore wide receiver Tsion Nunnally’s outlook looks a little more hazy. He missed several of WSU’s first practices, but he suited up for two practices last week, pulling on a yellow noncontact jersey to snare three touchdown catches in one and one more score in Saturday’s scrimmage. He wore the yellow jersey again Monday.

Nunnally should be ready for Saturday’s scrimmage, Dickert said, but in either case, it’s given WSU’s coaches decisions to make: How do they get Nunnally valuable reps without risking further injury?

“So (we’re) trying to find that balance because we need to see what he can do,” Dickert said. “He’s one of the only receivers we have that’s 6-2-plus. So we need him, and it was great to see him make that play on a deep fade on a fourth down today. That’s huge for him. So we need him back. Those are the little injuries that are hard to take in camp but for a guy like Tsion, who’s competing to try to be the guy, he needs to be out there.”

Lockett returns but with cast on his handEarly last week, when starting safety Sam Lockett showed up to practice with a broken hand, it looked like the Cougars’ secondary had taken a costly blow. Lockett had gotten hurt in an “off-the-field deal,” Dickert said, and there’s no replacing someone with Lockett’s experience.

Turns out, Washington State won’t need to. Lockett returned to action on Monday, wearing a cast to protect his hand.

“He’ll get more comfortable. He was awkward with it today on Day 1,” Dickert said. “He’ll get more and more comfortable as we go. Hopefully it’s a cast for three weeks and then we get it into a splint.”

More injury updates from DickertThe list of inactive Cougars on Monday included:

• Fa’amoe.

• Sheffield.

• RB Nakia Watson.

• DB Tanner Moku.

• LB Ahmad McCullough.

• WR Leyton Smithson.

That’s now several missed practices for McCullough, who had been getting No. 1 reps before his injury, and Smithson, who could provide meaningful depth at the wideout spot. Both should be able to return next week, Dickert said.

It’s also two straight misses for Watson, but he’s sitting out as a precautionary measure, Dickert said after Saturday’s scrimmage. He’s WSU’s presumptive starter at running back, and the team doesn’t need him getting hurt.