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WSU OL Fa’alili Fa’amoe nearing a return from knee injury, and other WSU injury updates

Washington State Cougars offensive lineman Faalili Faamoe (79) watches the action unfold during the first half of a college football game on Saturday, Sep. 7, 2024, at Gesa Field in Pullman, Wash. WSU led 27-10 at the half. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – Washington State may be getting a key offensive lineman back in the fold for this weekend’s Apple Cup.

WSU right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who has missed each of his team’s first two games of the season with a knee injury, will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against rival Washington in Seattle, coach Jake Dickert said.

“We’re really gonna build him into full practices and kinda see how he reacts,” Dickert said Monday. “This will be his first week of full practice. So we’ll kinda see what brings in game day. Obviously challenging schemes to go against here.”

Fa’amoe started all 12 games last season at right tackle, where he also started each of the Cougs’ final seven games of the 2022 season. In 2023, Fa’amoe permitted 27 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, including 21 hurries and six sacks – the second-most pressures of the Cougs’ starting offensive line last season.

In the first two games of this season, WSU has adjusted for Fa’amoe’s absence by shuffling its offensive line around, moving usual left guard Christian Hilborn to right tackle and inserting redshirt junior Rod Tialavea at left guard. That has resulted in this starting five: left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Tialavea, center Devin Kylany, right guard Brock Dieu and right tackle Hilborn.

As a unit, the Cougs’ offensive line has yielded nine total pressures this season, including three hurries from Tialavea, whose PFF pass-blocking grade of 35.6 ranks the worst of all 19 WSU pass-blockers this year. WSU has yet to give up a sack, though.

Per PFF, 60.0 is the baseline for an average grade. 70.0-79.9 is considered above average, 80.0-89.9 is good and 90.0 and higher is elite. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 59.9-50.0 is below average, 49.9-40.0 is considered poor, whereas 39.9 and below is very poor.

In other injury news, WSU punter Nick Haberer will also be a game-time decision on Saturday, Dickert said. Haberer has missed each of the first two games of this season with a back injury, the same one that held him out of the final handful of fall camp practices.

In his place, Dean Janikowski has taken up punting duties, booting five in Saturday’s game for an average of 42.2 yards per punt, down a tick from Haberer’s 2023 average of 44.4 yards. Janikowski made a field goal of 25 yards and missed from 46, which was his fifth straight miss from 40-plus yards. His last connection from that distance came in last year’s game against Oregon, when he hit from 50 yards.

Janikowski also misfired on an extra point in Saturday’s game, his first extra-point miss since Week 10 of 2022.

Haberer is also the team’s holder on placekicks, so WSU QB John Mateer has filled in on that front. It’s likely he would do the same this weekend if Haberer is unable to play.

“We’re still working through it,” Dickert said of Haberer and his injury.

WSU backup nickelback Jerrae Williams will miss “an extended period of time,” Dickert said. Williams had his left foot in a boot during Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, wheeling himself around on a scooter. At the nickel spot, Williams is the backup to senior Kapena Gushiken, who snared an interception and a key second-down stop earlier in the game.